This was a pet project that Robert brought to Lancelot Press, a cookbook by Suzanne Marquardt, co-founder (along with Beulah Murphy) of the Macrobiotics East group in Halifax. Robert was an active member of this group and designed their monthly newsletter and various promotions. Robert designed this cookbook, as well as its cover. The cover features text in the upper third; below this is Robert’s drawing of a full plate of vegetarian food. The round plate floats above an empty background, forming a circle inside a square white field.

This circle inside a square is a geometrical relationship, advocated by the Roman architect Vitruvius, as a symbol of balance and harmony. The idea fascinated Renaissance artists, such as Leonardo, whose famous drawing, “Vitruvius Man,” placed a human figure inside a circle inside a square. Robert adopts the idea of a circle nested in a square to suggest that eating a Macrobiotic diet will help restore balance and harmony to one’s life. In his own life, Robert followed a strict vegetarian diet. The square cubes of tofu and circular leaf shapes reiterate the basic design elements. Robert contrasts delicate pen lines with dramatic inky shadows. His shading skillfully evokes a variety of textures.