How a native Buffalonian spent 85 of 90 years doing ART rjw ROBERT J. WITZEL RETROSPECT SHOW 1917

BORN… Buffalo Deaconess Hospital LIVED… Brewster St ATTENDED… Blessed Trinity School

As a child, I was always drawing. 1924 The seed

as a sophomore in BENNETT high school I felt ART was my career path 1931 -1936

SUMMER SCHOOL Figure drawing class

1936 GRADUATED BENNETT HIGH Accomplishments: I designed the class year book… won city wide poster contest… etc … etc …

A free WPA Project … I studied with top American painters. Buffalo Art Institute 1936-38

Oil Painting …Tony Sisti Instructor

With Beaucheit, O’neil & Sanderson I washed paint pots… ran errands… filed reference clippings… had my own work table… observed skilled illustrators and designers at work NIGHT SCHOOL – studied drawing and sculpture classes Apprenticeship 1938

JACK FOY ADVERTISING AGENCY Worked on successful SNOOPY SNIFFER TOY promotion started painting landscapes en plein aire First Art Jobs 1938-39 WINDOW CRAFT DISPLAY HOUSE

Grand Island Lighthouse

Art School Studied: ILLUSTRATION DESIGN Pratt Institute 1939 - 1941

Pratt Institute Study of action on human figures

Pratt Institute Black and White Illustration

Composition studies Pratt Institute

Portraits study Pratt Institute

FICTION HOUSE PUBLISHING CO… [NYC] Back to Buffalo, NY BBD&O ADVERTISING AGENCY… NATIONAL GYPSUM CO as ART DIRECTOR Back to Work World 1941-43

Illustrated adventure comic strips in NYC

US ARMY AIR CORP Set Up Camouflage Schools… Painted Dioramas, Training Aids, Booby Trap Houses. CHATHAM AIR BASE ARTIST Painted Murals, Illustrated Publications … SOUTH PACIFIC A.D. Printing Operation in Manila … Watercolors W W II 1943 - 1946

THEATER MURAL CHATHAM AIR BASE

GOING TO SOUTH PACIFIC….. Watercolor study of wake….

BATTA my house boy in Phillipines WW II

SOUTH PACIFIC – typical air strip on islands

MANILA – walled city ruins

NATIONAL GYPSUM CO. ART DIRECTOR Back to Work 1946 - 1952

As corporate art director, I created an art department, designed and illustrated advertising for printed pieces. [scratchboard drawing]

MINIATURE OIL LANDSCAPE

Illustration 1953 - 1988 OPENED DESIGN STUDIO

STUDIO PROMOTIONS … OPENING MAILINGS FOLLOW-UPS … MONOTYPES ... SEASON’S GREETINGS

Annual reports …

BARBIE Also documented family growing up

ROZANNE

EUROPE … CARIBBEAN … CANADA … Paintings shown and sold at the end of tours. HOLIDAY ART… Travel

Dubrovnik Old City – May Day EUROPE

Caribbean Cruise

BEBO Old and newer Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia

National IBM, GEN. ELECTRIC, 3M, SOUTHWESTERN PUBLISHING … Local ADV. AGENCIES, PRINTERS, JW CLEMENTS, BAKER JONES AND HAUSAUER … Industries FISHER PRICE, PRATT & LAMBERT, DL HAND CLEANER CO. … Film TV STUDIOS, AUDIO VISION … CLIENTS

Travel 1988 CLOSED STUDIO

WEST Painted lots of Montana river scapes in my pursuit of Trout and rugged beauty.

WEST Montana’s Madison River

Quiet shoreline on Martha’s Vineyard Watercolor … EAST

Canada - favorite summer cottage NORTH

SOUTH Midday Key West

FLORIDA KEYS 1986 - 2001 President of Keys Watercolor Society

Cormorant Society …

Don’t Jump in the Boat FL. KEYS Tarpon

My Tarpon Series of Watercolors

FL. KEYS

CURRENT WORK I paint only what stirs my heart…..

GIRL TALK

POOL LOVERS It pays to swim laps for exercise….

CHILDREN FEEDING THE GULLS 22”x 30” watercolor

LOW KEY JAZZ

FLUTIST

ABSTRACT DANCE I enjoy the beauty of the movement and strength expressed …

SMOOTH SWING My love for this game inspired this work…

DRIVE FOR SHOW …

PUTT FOR DOUGH

… KATHLEEN

BIRD MAN PORTRAITS

ARTS …

ABSTRACTIONS …

ABSTRACTIONS …

STILL LIFE BLACK EYED SUSANS

STILL LIFE

RAFTING ON 22”x 30” watercolor

MISTY MORNING … was juried into a national sports show in NYC

BREEZY WALK Regional … East

Exhibits * 1945 Manila Philippines * 1946 National Gypsum Co. Headquarters 1992-2000 Florida Keys Watercolor Society 1992-2000 Key West * 2002 Ithaca, N. Y. * 2003-2006 A.E. Backus Gallery, Ft. Pierce, Florida 2003-2007 Stuart, FL: Elliott Museum, Martin County Cultural Center, Habitat for Humanity Show, Martin County Art Associates Show * 2008 The Grant Street Gallery Many Art Markets * One man shows

Florida Keys Watercolor Society Award

I paint only what stirs my heart…..

Past President Buffalo Artist Guild Past President Buffalo Art Directors Club Past President Florida Keys Watercolor Society Won numerous awards in watercolor shows …. My work is currently displayed in many private and corporate collections in USA, Canada, Europe … In Addition…