Meet The Artist
A lifetime of color, texture, and design — shaped by curiosity, travel, and artistic expression.
Roberta was born in Manhattan, NYC. She followed her Dad thru her childhood years, a talented craftsman and painter, and became fascinated with color and techniques.
She became more intrigued with shape and color when she began her modeling career. It was when Madam Schiaparelli, a legend in fashion, introduced her to a new level in the world of fashion. So inspired by color and fabrics and patterns, she dreamt of painting these on canvas. But due to her new found career in fashion, time never allowed.
While viewing a Fendi Fur Fashion show, she became mesmerized by the colored palettes and fabrics. She knew then that one day she would create a collection of fun furs for America. She did. It became her first successful business venture.
Roberta, always with sketch book in hand, always longed to paint on canvas, but returned to the fashion industry applying her artistic talents to fabric and yarn. Her future years were filled with art designing and producing many collections of garments for leading dept stores and boutiques as well as several TV shows such as The Wheel of Fortune.
Roberta then reached another phase of her life, after her husband passed on, she gave up the fixture she had become in the Business World. She moved to upstate NY, overlooking the Hudson in hopes to fulfill her passion and paint. But the first renovated for herself, a contemporary home to transform it into a Mediterranean Villa. She did, with a restaurant as well, Dimora. BUT now the many paintings she did were hanging on both of these walls.
Time to paint!
In 2004 Roberta discovered Punta Cana, the new resort in the Dominican Republic. Robert, her husband-to-be, knew her passion was art in so many forms, but she now looked forward to taking the time to paint on canvases. They explored all of the natural materials that these tranquil surroundings had to offer, so many she visioned to be used in her art. But first she used many for decorating her new home.
Many home owners asked her to do theirs as well, so once again she could not devote herself entirely to paint.
They opened a design office, a Home Furnishings design center, and later a boutique, but this time she painted as well and much of her art hung in each of these walls and are still there today.
In 2010, now married, he insisted it was time to retire and smell the roses.
Soon after her dear friend Ko, knowing that it was Roberta’s time to devote her passion to painting, arrived with easel and painting materials in hand.
Roberta set aside her two partially written novels and picked up her brushes.
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Always keep your eyes open and explore, she would say.
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She built her art studio and reflected all of her years of exploration, and world travel, and captured all of these experiences on canvas. She revealed in finding dried grasses, branches, bamboo, shells, beach stones, pieces of glass, sand, rice, coffee beans and old fabrics. She applied them to canvas with paints to create rich, dimensional compositions. Today some of her art is known as mixed media.
Her art, shown in many galleries as well as the Cultural Center in Santo Domingo, became known for their sophisticated balance of colors and movement.
10 years later Island-it is set. It was time for Robert to leave his horses and Roberta to leave her studio, and return to their home in New York. They stopped in San Diego, California to work on a design project and did not leave until 2 years later. Her art work was featured at the Omni, and many restaurants.
In New York she then continued with private showings in the City and Hamptons. Her works were also displayed at the CHILDRENS MUSEUM in NYC.
NOW retired, they live in West Palm Beach. She devotes time to her two loved passions – painting and writing.
When someone ask about this chapter in the journey of her life, she replies “I do it because it is rewarding to paint and write fulfilling a desire, without the stress of business.”
