Meet The Artist
A lifetime of color, texture, and design — shaped by curiosity, travel, and artistic expression.
Roberta Finestone grew up in Manhattan, New York. Her passion for art, in many forms began at a very early young age. Her lifelong passion for color, texture and design had shaped a dynamic creative journey for her in various stages and forms of fashion, interior and exterior design, home furnishings, ceramics, and extensive forms of art. She never stopped introducing new useage for all natural materials and fibers.
“
My love in life is to explore, create, and to bring beauty into every space I create.
___________
Roberta followed her Dad during each of her childhood years, who was a very talented craftsman and the most creative interior and exterior painter. She became fascinated with each of the materials and techniques he showed her. She continued to learn and always shared her time in art classes.
Her fascination for shape and color heightened when she started to work in the fashion industry, first as a model and when working for Schiaparelli furs in New York and Paris she was influenced by the legacy of Madam Schiaparelli. She was never without her sketchbook and colored pencils in hand.Back in NY she designed the first collection of fun furs in America. She then longed to do more with color and textiles and yarns. Her first venture was to create a collection of activewear to be worn on the court and slopes as well as street wear. It was a tremendous success but Roberta wanted more. She dreamt of color pallets, and painting these in canvas, but due to her new found career in fashion, time never allowed.
She continued to build a successful career designing and manufacturing apparel for leading designers and manufactures throughout Asia.
Eventually thruout her travels she expanded her business into other forms of art. Ceramics made in Italy. Home furnishings materials such as glass accessories made in India, shell items made in Bali, and so on. But she did keep one promise to herself and that was to never work on Sundays while traveling on business. She would go to a local park and paint images. Two of her paintings were sold in Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. She used then acrylic paint, water and ink, a nail clipper and an eyelash brush. Today it is called Mixed Media.
Despite her success in business, Roberta’s desire to paint never left her.
She later in life transitioned and once again reinvented herself as her forthcoming novel will explain, and began to design and build homes in upper New York State. She also designed and opened a restaurant called Dimora. She now owns a new home and restaurant of her own, other than those she decorated for her businesses, to paint and hang her canvases on new walls. She continued to sell many of them as well as many of the table accessories she created in the restaurant. She also had private showings of her art in her home.
In 2005 her newly married husband insisted that she start to take the time to smell the roses and to fulfill her passion to continue to paint. She gave up the fixture she had become in the New York business and social community and fell in love with Punta Cana , a new resort in the Dominican Republic. But this planned retirement was short lived, as she began again while exploring all of the marvelous natural materials the Dominican offered such as woods, bamboos, and all of its tranquil surroundings and endless beauty. She began again the creation of designing homes and working tirelessly.
“
Always keep your eyes open and explore, she would say.
___________
In 2010 her dear friend Ko showed up with tools and a large easel and many art supplies. She advised Roberta it was time to convert her carport to her art studio and take painting even more seriously as this was her true passion.
Her works continued to be a bold fusion of abstract, contemporary, and mixed media styles. She added many different inks, and gloss and varnish finishes , as well as incorporating natural and found materials such as branches , dried grasses, shells, beach stones, glass, sand, rice, coffee and textiles to create rich, dimensional compositions.
Her pieces became known for their sophisticated balance of color, texture and movement – each one capturing a sense of place, memory, and emotion.
Roberta became a very well-known artist, designer and deserving painter instantly, teaching about passion for living , thru her travels,experiences and works.
Her works have been featured along with her interviews on the following TV stations in the Dominican and in Miami.
Telecasters
Teleartilla
Color Vision
Press articles all local including those featured in:
Prensa Listin Diario
El Hoy
E INacional
In New York her work was exhibited at the:
Children’s Museum of New York
California:
San Diego at the Omni Hotel
Exhibits shown on press.
Now based in West Palm Beach, Florida she is truly retired but continues to paint.
Inquiries
For available works, exhibition opportunities, commissions, or studio visits, please get in touch.