"Inward", Robert B Spies

Robert Spies’ interest in art started with zoological illustrations during graduate school. After graduating from the University of Southern California in marine biology he worked in Australia, the Marshall Islands, Indonesia, the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska and California doing original research, publishing, editing and advising governments.

Dr. Spies has actively pursued sculpture since the 1970s starting with sculptures fashioned from native walnut tree trunks salvaged in the San Francisco Bay Area. After moving to Mendocino in 2002 he expanded into cast aluminum and bronze sculptures while continuing wood sculpture from coastal tree species, many salvaged from local beaches.  He has also made prints, collages and paintings for the last 20 years, and shown work in Northern California, Los Angeles and Oregon.

Like many sculptors he includes printmaking, working in linocuts, woodblocks, monoprints and etchings. His 2-D work has recently also extended to acrylic and gouache paintings. He is inspired by Paleolithic and tribal artists, early 20th Century European cubists, NY School artists and the Bay Area Figurative school.  “I am moved by the relationships between people and with animals and try to capture the deep bonds there.”