_PNG.png){kind=small}
Robert Obier
UNITED STATES
_p.png)
“We are creatures who possess the ability to ‘grasp the infinite’. We remember the past; we experience the present and we imagine the future. We carry this knowledge with us and interpret our world through this ageless lens. The most compelling objects seem to have existence in the past, the present, and the future - simultaneously.”
Robert Obier was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he now resides. He received a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from LSU in 1981 and a Master of Science Degree in Industrial Design from Art Center College of Design in 2007. As an architect, he has over 40 years of experience in residential projects and commercial developments located in Dallas, Boston, Baton Rouge, and on the Gulf Coast with extensive experience in the design, construction, and fabrication of architectural, furniture, and lighting products.
Thumbnail Sketches | Paper
NFS
All of my work begins with a simple and quick thumbnail sketch. There is something about the connection of the mind to the hand and the spontaneity of the result that I believe to be an indispensable creative tool. This giclee print is of an assortment of thumbnail sketches from my current collection. The print is on archival quality fine art paper set in a black 8 ply acid free mat with museum backing board. Each print is part of a limited series and will be signed and numbered.
Specialized skills include woodworking, metalwork, computer rendering/modeling, 3D printing, CNC machine fabrication, photography, and website development. He is now focusing his years of expertise and experience on the development and sale of 3-dimensional art projects. His range of eclectic influences include the organic architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, the explorations of geometry in nature by Andy Goldsworthy, and the theatrical creations of Industrial Light and Magic for a time long ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Dynamo XL | Mixed Media
NFS
A Dynamo is a machine that generates power.
I like that.
As a young man growing up in the rural south, he witnessed the decline of an industrial era as his smaller family-owned sugar mill and the associated industries were being dismantled and replaced by large-scale corporate factories. Many of the old mills were still powered by huge reciprocating steam engines. During the cold months of sugar cane grinding season, while a student in architecture, he and his brother would often visit these mills late at night, observing with fascination, the massive flywheels that power the machinery of the mill floor, belching steam and soon to be the casualty of a long overdue obsolescence.
“My work explores the intersections and obscures the boundaries between architecture, industrial design, and art.”
The entire region bore the vestiges of this dying age with dilapidated tin structures, rusted machinery left in the fields, and the partially sunken hulls of abandoned wooden boats in the bayous and rivers. A thriving industry of his ancestry faded away, collapsed, and was reborn to a new age as had so many before. He witnessed the decay of this romantic age succumbing to the efficiency of the new era, yet existing simultaneously for a time. This experience played an essential role in his interpretation of the world around him and became a defining cornerstone in his own journey as an artist and a designer.
SS Zebra | Mixed Media
NFS
This piece has origins in both architecture and industrial design. I prefer to leave it at that.
A study in shape and proportion. It seems as if it could be part of a larger machine.
Manifold | Mixed Media
NFS
THE STUFF OF DREAMS: It has been said that design is storytelling. Through stories, we give meaning and context to this journey we all share. Great design, as with art, possesses a quality of inevitability. It speaks to some true knowledge that we seem to hold deep within our being. However innovative or provocative it may be - it still seems "right" and “true”. As if somewhere, it has always existed. Perhaps in our dreams.
“My cause is to create art that inspires meaning and speaks of some untold story -some distant time - some mysterious place - some unknown tomorrow. This is what I call, ‘the stuff of dreams.'”
“In the late 1980’s my sculptural multi-media entertainment and control centers were prominently featured in a scene from ‘RoboCop’ the motion picture.”
THE WORK: While the architectural foundation is obvious in the rhythmic geometry of the forms, there is a theatrical quality to his work as well. This may be partly attributed to the influence of his industrial design background in which he explores the shapes of transportation design of real-world vehicles as well as those of sci-fi creations in motion pictures. He believes these shapes of motion can influence the design and creation of both architecture and art - bringing vitality, context, and a certain affinity associated with automobiles, air, and watercraft. We personalize the things that transport us - often attributing lifelike qualities to them.
Formula M5 | Mixed Media
NFS
This study is an iteration of the "Citadel Series". It explores color and non-symmetrical geometry.
A strict and systematic organization of components defines the work and reveals a discipline that is unmistakably architectural. At first glance, the geometric forms seem strangely familiar as if seen somewhere before - but where - when? Upon closer examination - perhaps the designs are remnants of some distant and secret civilization or even an, as of yet, unknown and mysterious future. The forms are intentionally abstract - giving shape to a brief moment of design inspiration. Schematic concepts emerge as built objects without the practical or functional restrictions that necessarily accompany the development of an architectural or industrial product.
Citadel - Iteration#1 | Mixed Media
NFS
The "Citadel Series" is the product of thumbnail drawings and doodles that I have sketched for many years.
The origin of the idea is fundamentally architectural.
THE PROCESS: The final sculpted artwork derives from an initial “thumbnail” sketch. The preliminary shapes are explored and refined through multiple iterations as 3D computer models. These varied iterations may serve to refine the idea or maybe individually produced as a limited series of sculptural works. The work combines the "tried and true" techniques of old-fashioned craftsmanship with today's most advanced rapid prototyping technologies such as CAD modeling, 3D printing, and CNC fabrication.
The term "iteration" is derived from industrial design. We use this term to describe multiple variations and studies of a design concept. I use it to identify pieces within an art series as well.
Citadel - Iteration#2 | Mixed Media
NFS
“My work as an architect/designer/illustrator has been featured in numerous exhibitions, magazines and web articles.”
Flying Fortress | Mixed Media
NFS
This piece is an iteration of the "Citadel Series". This form and its many variations is firmly fixed in my subconscious.
It seems to imply both architecture and transportation as it's inspiration.
From creation through completion the dichotomy of ‘handmade’ and ‘computer-generated’ informs the development and execution of the work. Particular finish applications such as weathering and rust recall an ‘earlier life’ in the story of certain pieces. The work has a timeless quality - seeming to exist in the past, the present, and the future - simultaneously.
I usually don't name a work until after it is complete. I am always reluctant to do so. I prefer not to influence how a piece is interpreted.
I am always intrigued by the things people associate with certain pieces.
Iron Shield | Mixed Media
NFS
CONCLUSION: The most profound beauty is revealed through imperfection. Within the imperfection often lies the true story, the true meaning, the true reason. This is why his art is so often rusted and weathered - no longer pristine. A vestige of another time and place - the scars of a past life.
Intrepid NC-117 | Mixed Media
NFS
An important aspect of creating anything is knowing when and how to edit.
Or not.
“How can we embrace the tools and technologies of our age and not lose ourselves and our legacy to this seductive and soulless binary future that threatens all things seemingly imperfect.”
Not a solo artist yet? Subscribe to our solo exhibitions at TERAVARNA and share your art with the world!