Series Spotlight - Brad Robertson

Brad Robertson is an American artist whose work emerges from the quiet dialogue between land, sea, and sky. Born and raised in coastal Mobile, Alabama, Robertson grew up where pines meet the shoreline and the waters of Mobile Bay reflect endless horizons. Today, from his studio in Tampa, Florida, he carries those landscapes forward, translating their stillness into bold, abstract forms.

Robertson studied architecture and industrial design before earning his BFA in Graphic Arts from Auburn University in 1999. Initially pursuing a career as a graphic artist, he later returned to the Gulf Coast to embrace painting fully; a decision that rooted him in a practice defined by freedom and intuition.

His technique is a process of layering: sweeping brushstrokes, textured surfaces, and translucent washes echoing the rhythm of tides. Robertson often begins with a palette knife, pulling pigment across the canvas in broad gestures, then sanding back through layers to reveal glimpses of colour beneath. Each painting evolves organically, balancing structure and spontaneity, until depth and light feel inevitable. The result is a horizon that is both real and imagined; a space where viewers can wander and rest.

Robertson says, "My work starts with unanswered questions. I want my paintings to give the impression of looking out into the distance but looking further than what's in front of you," and this collection embraces this philosophy.