We were delighted to welcome Robert Genn aboard the Columbia III for his third tour with Mothership Adventures.
One of Canada’s most accomplished painters, Robert Genn gained international recognition for his Canadian West Coast landscapes, but he traveled and painted widely. His mobile studio took him across the North American continent several times to paint in most states and provinces. He also captured landscapes in Central America, Europe, and Asia.
Over twenty galleries handled Genn’s work, and he gave two to five one-man shows yearly. He was influenced by the Group of Seven (studied under Lawren Harris), Tom Thomson, and Emily Carr. The work of Walter Phillips also profoundly influenced his development. Genn painted daily and constantly explored and developed his medium. He carried on the honorable tradition of the Canadian Landscape with fresh, crisp, painterly techniques and strong compositions. He was also a regular participant in Painters at Painters in Campbell River.
Robert Genn is also the writer behind The Painter’s Keys, a bi-weekly letter, published online. He started the project in July 1999 as a forum for a world-wide community of creative people. The site is a vast resource of ideas, advice and resources.
As a teacher, Genn likes to empower artists. He has a particular talent for delivering lively instructional talks while giving painting demonstrations. Students can expect engaged, enthusiastic facilitation. His own work will be in acrylic, but students may work in their favourite medium (acrylic, watercolour or pastels).
Robert was pleased at the prospect of leading a third workshop aboard the Columbia III. Having owned a few vintage vessels himself, he knew “a good, firm platform on which to paint” when he saw one. He expected to begin the cruise with a warm-up demonstration painting from the stern of the boat as they steamed away from the dock “to begin with an understanding of the process right from the start.”
