Robert Rector

Robert Tyrone Rector's paintings are a synthesis of Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. He once commented, they have "always been about finding a balance, whether it was a balance of spontaneity and order, a balance of philosophy between minimalism and expressionism and balance of color confrontation." They also reflect his passion for the natural environment.

Rector was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and grew up in Ocean Springs, less than twenty miles away. He attended school there, where his first grade teacher was Agnes Anderson, the wife of noted painter Walter Anderson. As a child he fell in love with paint in part because his father was involved with painting ships for the United States Navy. At Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, he began studying architecture, but abandoned it after three years. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1971, followed two years later by a Master of Fine Arts degree. For several years Rector was associate professor at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, founded in 1884 as the state's first school dedicated to teacher training.

In 1981 Rector left teaching to become a painter full-time, retreating to rural locations in Louisiana as well as spending time in Colorado. This immersion in nature is mirrored in his paintings, which often feature gestural strokes of paint applied with mat board rather than brushes. At times he added various materials such as gold leaf or pieces of wood, a reference to his early interest in architecture and his hobby designing furniture. In a video interview he alludes to the quality of Southern light which according to him is captivating, and which in turn he tried to capture in his paintings, both his oils and smaller works on paper.