Featured Artist: Robert Dennis
There are many talented members in our group, so we’d like to continue our ‘featured artist’ segment highlighting artists that really exemplify what a (no name) Art Group member is – creative, compassionate and making a difference in the world. This month we’d like to shout out Philadelphia artist Robert Dennis. And since today is Groundhog Day, here’s the piece that jogged our memory about all the great work Rob has done.
Groundhog Day was a collaborative project from 2004. It included 12 artists for each of the 12 months of the year to create a (no name) Artist Calendar. We loved this sweet little illustration Rob created for February. Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?? We hope not!
Robert was with us since the beginning (wow has it been almost 20 years?!) Please take a moment and enjoy the details of Robert’s work and how he shares his talents with young artists in the community.
Contributions to (no name) Art Group
2001 Self Portrait | View the project >
‘Gemini’
2000 Artist Zodiac | View the project >
‘The Letter D’
2000 Artist Alphabet | View the project >
‘Caleb’
2007 Memory Portrait, Uganda | View full project >
2004 Light A Candle | View full project >
‘The Grasshopper & The Ants’
2003 Bookmark Project
View full project >
“Why didn’t you collect a store of food for the winter?” “The fact is,” replied the grasshopper,“I was so busy playing that i hadn’t the time.”
— An Aesop Fable
Wine Label for
2010 The Art of Giving
View full project >
Artist Making A Difference
Robert continues his art and has recently finished a 2 month artist in residency at Arts Alive/Words Alive Gallery. Robert’s delightful illustrations of the beloveth Sesame Street characters and other story book classics – including Aesop’s Fables and nursery rhymes are joyful and inspiring to children and adults alike. His years as a professional illustrator enable him to present his art work in great detail so that his illustrations appear animated. Robert’s illustrations offer a glimpse into the world of imagination that children can relate to.
Here Robert introduces his art work to pre-school children – all were so interested and attentive listening to ‘Mr. Rob’ explain what inspires him as an artist. He showed how his drawings developed into illustrations. He even demonstrated how to draw Sesame Street characters using basic shapes and put together an art project where students could create their own character.
A few fun illustrations from Robert’s portfolio…
Robert Dennis was born in upstate Pennsylvania. His first interests were in comic book art and cartooning. His family moved to Delaware where he attended the Delaware Art Center. He graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts). After graduation he worked in television and retail advertising. Then as a freelance artist, he worked in children’s publishing and advertising. He was an illustrator for Sesame Street and Electric Factory Magazines and was a member of Moon Studio. He taught illustration on a college level and worked as a staff artist for KYW-TV and Center City Film and Video Productions, Inc. Robert lives in Philadelphia, with his wife Rhea and their very bad rescue dog Petey.
