Celebrated local artist and illustrator Robert Sauber is a man of many talents and Wilton Library has them on display in his Painted Worlds art exhibition opening Friday, Nov. 6, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sauber is an award-winning illustrator specializing in children, families, fantasy tales, holiday art, animals and nature. The exhibition is a collection of landscapes and other subjects rendered in oil paint and his distinctive watercolor technique. The reception is open to the public.
An illustrator for more than 30 years, Sauber’s work is featured in countless children’s books. The California native honed his creative techniques from a young age of 11 when he realized he had the talent and people began to watch him work. He graduated from the Art Center College of Design (CA) in 1976, then began a freelance career which had him working at Leo Burnett Advertising and other major design houses in Chicago.
He picked up and moved to New York City, arriving on Halloween night in 1979, where he began creating advertising and editorial art, book covers and children’s pictures books, for which he was featured in the New York Times Book Review.
He expanded his reach when he became a painter of collector plates and was on the cover of Plate World Magazine for two years in a row. Sauber won The Honored 1st Place prize in the Connecticut Watercolor Society for his Grey Fox, and fifth place for his landscape painting. He lives in Bethel, Conn., with his family.
His Painted Worlds exhibition at the library also will highlight his lush landscapes. When asked about this departure into landscapes, he remarked, “Throughout my illustration career, there would be times that some of the stories I made beautiful would contain landscapes and then people would say ‘I wish I was there’. I found myself captivated by that comment and wanted to investigate why that was such a powerful moment for the viewer as well as me as the maker of that environment. An artist’s statement began to develop here. There is something of a higher power and self-actualization when one can rest and find a contemplative visual space to wander through that has a spot in it that allows you to feel glorious, to feel that something in you has the potential for a greater self-expression, enabling you to take that spark of inspiration out to the rest of the world.”
A majority of the works will be available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the library. The exhibition runs through Saturday, Nov. 28.
Information: www.wiltonlibrary.org or 203-762-3950, ext. 213.