At school, Robert excelled in math and science, and attended Acadia University on a math scholarship. However, in the course of his studies, he realized he wanted to be an artist. As an artist, Robert was just as logical and methodical as he was expressive and intuitive. The artist observed similar dichotomies in others and this led to the theme, “Oppositions,” the title of Robert’s first public exhibition. In this show, a mirage series used sand and paint to explore the conflict between real materials and illusionary images. Later work explored tensions between animals and technology, and between city and country life. Robert’s career as an artist depended on his contacts in the city, but he spent  considerable time in the country recovering from his cancer treatments. As part of his recovery, Robert embraced a Macrobiotic diet and philosophy. This Eastern model encouraged a life of balance, controlling competing yin and yang elements such as force and non-resistance, hot and cold, male and female. Robert’s “Seal Upon Thine Heart” series feature a man and woman who desire to merge with the other, yet remain wilfully individual. Robert’s final exhibition, “Illness and Healing” announces dichotomy in its very title. The technology of modern medicine contrasts with the emotional web of the patient’s support network made up of family, friends and sympathetic care givers. The patient’s journey is marked with moments of bad news and difficult trials as well as episodes of hopeful resurgence.