Playlist for Show: Art Hour

I spoke with artist Robert Grimes (a prerecording in his studio) and his assistant Scott Hill. Rhea Giffin also joined us.
Robert Grimes completed his first oil painting when he was 13. It is a representation of the Santa Maria with billowing sails cutting through the ocean. It is displayed on the wall of his large basement studio in his home on Spokane’s north side. The painting is quite good and testimony to his innate artistic talent. “Creating art is a blissful thing to me,” he said, “and a compulsion.”
Grimes received a BFA in painting from the University of Denver and an MFA in sculpture from Indiana University. He then went on to work as an instructor, designer, illustrator, and jeweler, all the while fine tuning his artistic prowess. He began showing his work in the 60s in Colorado, Indiana, Virginia, and California.
In 1995, Grimes moved to the Spokane area. His son was working for a jeweler at the time and together they opened a jewelry store in the Garland District where Grimes labored over intricately small details in order to produce fine jewelry. On the walls, Grimes displayed his paintings which caught the eyes of some local artists who encouraged him to expand his horizons.
In 1998, Grimes found representation at the Art Spirit Gallery in Coeur d’Alene and in 1999 Grimes shut down the jewelry store and dedicated himself to creating art full-time. “His work is edgy and one-of-a-kind,” said Art Spirit owner Steve Gibbs, “He’s constantly experimenting.”
Grimes’ experiments led him to his three dimensional wood pieces and his etched paintings. The pieces are curious and mysterious. Words are hard to come by when trying to describe his work as they appear ancient yet mechanical, traditional yet otherworldly.
Besides using brushes, oil paints, and an array of wood working tools, Grimes also works with ambiguity. “Ambiguity is a tool and I play with it,” he said. Looking at his work, you would think that Grimes has a lot of stories to tell but that is not the case. “It’s more about personal discovery than having something to say. It is the playful spirit of discovery that sustains me.”

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