Robert Paul Bard

be who you are…

Be who you are, LOVE what you do… I didn’t choose to be an artist, it grabbed me in the womb…PERFECT!… i make ME…they’re all self-portraits,really… I’m basically always creating,it’s just the pace and place that varies…I LOVE working with children, as they make art…expressive, pure, simple and beautiful…youth is not about age…Picasso knew that his mission was to make art like a child would… I make art for me, and I figure there MUST be at least one other soul on this planet who can relate to and appreciate what I’ve done…for me, selling is about validation, the actual money is secondary…as an artist, if you’re in a state of becoming, growing, challenging yourself and evolving … you’re in a great place! … It’s not about technique, it’s about ideas and ideals, the power of uncensored expression, straight from the soul…as an artist, if you think you’ve arrived, that you’ve got it all mastered, you’re DEAD!!! when I’m not making art, if there’s nothing in progress, I don’t feel right, I’m edgy and irritable, like “where’s Bob, where did he go?” Fortunately, this is an extremely rare situation for me… to anyone who has ever taken the time to look at my art, I say THANK YOU, I am most appreciative…the only limitations an artist or a viewer has are self-imposed… in the end, if YOU feel strongly about what you’ve made, that’s really all that matters.

-Born in Westfield, MA. . -BA, Art History, Umass/Amherst. _Massachusetts Public School Visual Arts Instructor.

-First solo exhibit, Jasper Rand Gallery, Westfield,MA. 1989. -Best in Show, acrylic painting, Springfield, MA. Art League Juried Exhibit, 1991. . -artwork purchased by and in collection of American Civil Liberties Union, 2008