By Gloria Lesher

Bob Rankin, artist Photo by Bob Lesher

Bob Rankin
One of America's foremost artists and teachers lives here in Raleigh in what he calls a "Houdio"—a combination House + Studio.  It is a soaring gallery, workshop and residence surrounded by lush gardens and 200-year-old oaks, with a studio bathed in natural light.

"Light is extremely important," Rankin said.  "My studio takes advantage of northeast exposure, the purest painting light.  I'd much rather be outside than inside."

Passionate about the outdoors and travel, Rankin is as much adventurer as artist.  His Fiji Fish Series of paintings was inspired by his underwater scuba adventures, and he also enjoys skiing and fly fishing.  A world traveler whose work has sold internationally, Rankin has been featured in International Artist Magazine and has studied in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Florence, Venice and Athens.  He has held one-man shows in North Carolina, New York, Florida and Colorado, and was in a cultural exchange group show in Morocco.

From a photographic and artistic standpoint, India is the most fabulous place Rankin has ever visited.  Just back from a trip to Australia, where he went to test a new line of paints using new agents such as volcanic ash as mixers, Rankin said, "Some of the colors were iridescent, displaying one color when you looked at it from one direction, and a different color from another direction."

Rankin's most memorable trip was on safari in Africa, culminating in an unforgettable encounter with the rare mountain gorillas studied by the late Dr. Dian Fossey in Rwanda.  "We pitched tents in the bush," Rankin said.  "Our guides trained us in proper gorilla etiquette, and then we started up the mountain.  Only five people were allowed to visit at a time.  One guide walked in front and another behind us, carrying machine guns and machetes."

Rankin's Studio Photo by Bob Lesher

The gorillas build giant nests in the tops of trees 70 to 80 feet tall, Rankin said.  "I'll never forget when the silverback male came toward us, pounding his chest.  All 17 of his troop of gorillas came out to see us.  I held my breath when one of them brushed up against me."

Like so many of his world adventures, Rankin's experiences in Africa inspired him to create new artwork.  One of these is the poster for this year's International Festival, held in Raleigh.  "I have been their 'poster boy' for many years," Rankin said.

Besides posters, Rankin does representational and abstract paintings, and mixed media (acrylic, pencil, ink, gel media, oils).  Bold brush strokes, vivid colors and unusual textures are hallmarks of his style. 

Not many can say they have had a brush named after them.  Bob Rankin's Big Bad Brush, which measures over three inches wide at the tip, is available at Jerry's Artarama, where Rankin teaches a workshop introducing artists to acrylics.  

As a teacher, Rankin's motto is "There are no mistakes in art, only creative delays."  Rankin once taught at Sanderson High School and is "refocused" rather than "retired."  Now he teaches internationally-recognized workshops all over the globe, most recently at a fourteenth-century monastery in Umbria. 

Rankin supports Anderson Ranch, a renowned arts center and school in Snowmass Village, Colorado.  He rubs shoulders with other famous artists such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude—creators of the orange banners called "The Gates" in Central Park.  On the wall in Rankin's studio hang two seragraphs of their plan to suspend miles of shimmering fabric panels above Colorado's Arkansas River. 

A founder of Artplosure, North Carolina's acclaimed outdoor art festival, Rankin was a featured dinner guest for the annual "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" fundraising event of the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.

Among Rankin's awards are Best in Show 7 times at the N.C. State Fair Fine Arts Competition, Spectator Magazine's Best in the Triangle 5 times, and the Raleigh Medal of Arts Award.  His work hangs in collections in the King of Morocco's palace, the John Denver Windstar Foundation, Fess Parker's collection, Northern Telecom, SAS Institute, a number of local banks and IBM. 

"It's a great life," Rankin said of his life as an artist.  "I'm never bored.  If I am, it's my own fault.  It all boils down to the passion you have about what you do."  Visit Bob Rankin's Web site at: www.bobrankin.com.

Gloria Lesher, a writer living in the Triangle, covers baby boomer lifestyles. Contact her at gloria@lesher.net.