Bob Lavoie
Bob Lavoie is a Rhode Island artist living in Warwick, RI. After graduating with a BFA
in Graphic Design and Illustration from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Bob
worked in the graphics field where he was the Art Director for Licensing and
Entertainment at Hasbro in Pawtucket, RI. After leaving Hasbro in 2013, he started his
own graphic design and fine art studio, spot51design.
In 2013, his work was chosen to be on loan to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s office in
Washington DC. In 2014, the Rhode Island Council on The Arts and the RI Airport
Authority chose his work for an exhibit at the Block Island Airport. His waterfront
paintings were on exhibit at The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center in New Bedford,
MA in 2018.
Bob works in oils and occasionally gouache. His earliest influence was Edward Hopper
and the photorealist artists such as Richard Estes and Robert Bechtel. Urban Landscapes,
diners and signs make up most of his recent paintings.
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Art is a passion, something that comes from deep within. Something that
you have to do—that inspires, confuses, infuriates, and informs. Something
you have to do because you love it.
Some of my earliest memories are doing something with a pencil, crayon, a
piece of chalk, or a paintbrush.
My earliest influences were the realism and subjects of Edward Hopper,
and the illustrations of Norman Rockwell. As such, I’m drawn to street
scenes from everyday life—the buildings, signs, and places most people
walk by and don’t even notice. My work represents a moment in time—
a snapshot—as would be seen in a photograph. Over the years, as I’ve
studied artists such as Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, and Robert Bechtle,
and my work has moved closer to Photorealism.
As an artist, I’ve been a painter, illustrator, graphic designer, and art
director.
I wouldn’t have lived any other life.
