...AND JUST WHO IS ROBERT KARR?
...AND JUST WHO IS ROBERT KARR?
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A SHORT BIOGRAPHY |
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Robert has been making pictures and models of airplanes all his life. An otherwise typical 50's kid, he was the weird guy wasting time in the second grade drawing airplanes - the one all the other kids asked: "Hey...can you draw me an airplane?". Growing up in Southern California (under the flight path to LAX) during that era he had ample opportunity to see (and hear) all kinds of odd things buzzing around the skies. A 1958 Christmas gift of an Aurora B-25 model from his AAF Vet Father yanked Robert into the world of 3D, and the dreaded model building virus took a deep hold. He kept up the painting and model building throughout the 60's and 70's, with a short non-aviation sidetrack in the 70's and early 80's building models for several rock'n'roll bands including Fleetwood Mac, Cheap Trick and Ray Manzarek of the Doors. In the day he was hacking out miniature guitars, amps and bodies from basswood and mahogony and at night he was painting airplane pictures. The mid-80's rolled around and he got serious about aviation art/illustration. His first publishing came during this time. A couple of galleries saw Robert's work and he started selling originals through these venues. His first two Ltd Ed Lithographs were commissioned through Aviation Arts in Laguna Beach, CA. The 90's and onwards has seen Robert getting married and moving to Orange County, and more publishing with model kit boxtops, book covers and the inclusion of three of his scratchbuilt models in John Alcorn's classic book The Master Scratchbuilders. 2000 brought Robert's first self-published print, the B-24 "Million$Baby", followed a couple of years later by the B-17 "Hikin' for Home", the first two in a planned series of nose art works. Robert's on-line Gallery was published on the Internet during this decade. The 00's have brought a one-man show of Robert's work to the San Diego Air & Space Museum and another one-man show of Robert's WWI paintings to The Colony Theatre, Burbank, CA, in association with their staging of the play "Billy Bishop Goes to War". Robert was also featured guest artist at the "Aviation Art Show" hosted by ArtWorksInProgress in Locke, CA. Participation as a vendor at the Chino Planes of Fame Airshow has become the tradition since the event was re-instated in the new Millenium. |
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Robert continues to work in both two and three dimensions, more and more concentrating on WWI era subjects. His work includes commissions and consulting/research-interpretation. Robert has many other interests besides airplanes and aviation. He's still got his guitars and amps from the Rock'n'Roll days - not gathering much dust, either - from when 'Seismic Mother' "terrorized" the L.A. area... Robert lives in Westminster, CA, with his wife and their son. He enjoys cross-country drives ("Tucumcari tonite" ring a bell, anyone?), going to airshows, a good meal (Denny's!) and just "hanging" on the patio by the pool with friends. The "Viking Party Box" is another masterpiece reflective of Robert's many interests. The detail and historical research that went into this shadow box are amazing. The "Junkyard Diorama" is an excursion into a bygone era - quite nostalgic for some of us who've been around small private airports. |
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