Robert Bissett

Search terms: painting, oil, canvas, figurative, landscape

About the Artist:

Born in Little Falls, New York, Robert Bissett is known for the life-like quality of the faces he paints. His Plein-air landscapes are also notable, especially those done in Alaska.

He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1967, served over five years as a pilot including two tours in Viet Nam. Returning to school after the service he graduated from Washington State University with a degree in architecture, Summa Cum Laude. A career in architecture seemed more practical, but the urge to paint became overwhelming in the summer of 1979. That fall he had his first show at a gallery in Anchorage, Alaska. Most of the paintings were landscapes and it sold out. The following spring one of those mountain portraits was selected as the subject for a four thousand edition Beautiful Alaska promotional print, 16" x 48". Bissett moved to Idaho in 1980. He has traveled throughout the US, Japan, Australia, Spain, Turkey, Ethiopia, Greece, Iran, Greenland, England, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Costa Rica. His paintings are a valued part of many private collections.

Shows and Awards:

Marion de Sola Mendes Memorial Award, 39th Annual Exhibition of the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic, National Art Club and Lotus club, New York city, 1992
Watercolor U.S.A., 1992 National Exhibition, Springfield Art Museum,
Springfield, MO,1992.
Artist Magazine Portrait Painting Competition, Finalist, 1989.

Books, Articles, Etc:

Tradition Moving Toward the Innovative, An Interview with Robert Bissett;
Denise Thompson; Northern Journeys, An Arts Magazine; April/May/June 1999.
Acrylic Painting Techniques, Featured Artist, Ed. by E. G. Killeen with Leah Raechel Killeen, North Light Books, January, 1995. Explores the creative potential of acrylics. Instructional.
The Straw Bale House, Steen, Steen, Bainbridge; Chelsea Green Publ.; 1994.

Work experience:

1967 - 1973: Pilot US Air Force: C-141 Starlifter, HH-43 Husky, C-7 Caribou. First Pilot, Rescue Crew Commander, Aircraft Commander, Instructor Pilot. Two tours Viet Nam. FAA Airline Transport Rating.
1972 - Present: Carpentry, Contracting, Construction Inspection, Construction Supervision, Construction Management, Architecture, Building Design and Architectural Illustration.

Education:

Washington State University (B. of Architecture, Summa Cum Laude), 1975;
Washington School of Art 1970-1971;
Air Force Academy (B.Sc.), 1967.