Robert M. Urban
ARTIST'S BIO
Some of Robert Urban's earliest memories involve art from his childhood in
Wisconsin - drawing in notebooks and going to art exhibits with his older brothers.
One significant moment in his artistic development was seeing a Van Gogh
retrospective in Chicago.
After moving to Columbia, South Carolina, Urban was fortunate to have several
outstanding art educators throughout his adolescent years who fostered his
development as a young artist. His high school art teachers - Kay Casey and Ansley
Crawford - encouraged him to apply to the South Carolina Governor’s School for
the Arts. He was selected into the program and attended after the sophomore year
of high school. He took his first class in sculpture under renowned artist John
Acorn. It was at the Governor's School for the Arts that Urban truly recognized his
passion for art; he knew then that art would be a major force in his life.
During this same time period, Urban became involved in another of his life's
passions - distance running. His love for the freedom of the open road or trail as a
runner, and later as also an avid bicyclist, profoundly influenced his appreciation
for the outdoors. Nature provided ample motivation for his creative pursuits.
Endurance sports also provided him with reflective time to meditate and the ability
to look inward while taking in the beauty of the landscape.
The Art Department at the University of South Carolina provided a strong
foundation for the artist's college years. He settled into the program with a
concentration in drawing, studying under Jim Steven and Roy Drasites while at
USC. It was Jim Steven who introduced Urban to acrylic glazing, a technique he
became enthralled with right away and which continues to be the primary basis of
his work today. During his senior year, Urban created a series of large-scale works
that broke the typical picture plane, thereby becoming three-dimensional
paintings. Each of these artworks had an installation feel to them. This early work's
influence can be seen in Urban's current use of many layers of acrylic paint to build
up the surface of his mixed-media paintings.
After earning his BFA in 1990 from USC, Urban packed his art supplies and moved
to California. While there, Urban pursued graduate work in studio art at California
State University, Sacramento and the San Francisco Art Institute. During this time
period, Urban took his interest in "3-D paintings" a step further and created
several installations as well as earth art. It was during this time that Urban
recognized his deep affinity for nature and his interest in communicating his
environmental concerns within his artwork. The Bay Area's rich art scene - rooted
in funk and a vivid color scheme - connected with his own aesthetic. Urban's use
of color and the "collage" aspect of his subject matter, can be traced to the
influences of the time spent living in Northern California.
Eventually Urban returned to South Carolina and enrolled in graduate school to
become an art educator. As a young artist, Urban had been given so much
encouragement by his art instructors, Urban felt it was now time to try to do the
same for the next generation of artists. Upon completion of his Master's degree in
art education, Urban spent five years teaching in the Columbia area before
accepting his current position at Dorman High School in Spartanburg, SC. At the
present, Urban serves as the Advanced Placement art instructor and Fine Arts
Department Chairperson. In 2007 he was awarded the South Carolina Secondary
Art Educator of the Year Award and the following year his work was selected for
inclusion in the inaugural international art publication Art Buzz: The 2008
Collection. Once again in 2011, Urban had artwork selected for the fourth edition of
Art Buzz: The 2011 Collection. Urban's artwork is in collections throughout the
Carolinas, the United States and Denmark. He resides in Moore, South Carolina
with his wife Emily and two sons.