 Born a second
generation Whitefish, Montana native in 1956, Rob Akey displayed an early propensity for
drawing and painting. Much childhood idle time (and probably more classroom time than
appropriate) was spent doodling comic book characters, the family pet, real and imagined
scenery, and whatever presented itself for a kid with a pencil and an itch to draw.
 Rob's family returned to Montana in 1965 after a brief
stint in California. This time they resided in Great Falls, in the neighborhood three
blocks east of Charlie Russell's home and studio, where three generations of Rob's
maternal ancestors have lived. Rob explains, "That kind of proximity to Russell and
his work afforded me a convenient exposure that I have come to value greatly as my work
has matured. I am a huge fan of Russell's work, but it's not the cowboys and Indians that
interest me. I always find myself looking past the 'subject' of his work and further into
the landscapes. I can feel the love of the country that he had and as a fellow Montanan, I
can appreciate that. I've always felt that Russell's ability as a superb colorist and his
knack for capturing the atmosphere has been overshadowed by the distracting theater of his
western subjects." Although he received top honors
in a state art competition as a high school senior, Rob chose not to enroll in the Fine
Art program at Montana State University and instead studied foreign languages. Not
surprisingly he returned to Whitefish after a disappointing first year of college. During
the next two years Rob Akey was taken on as a student and apprentice ("I stretched
his canvases and scraped his palette in exchange for instruction") by Bob McKinney, a
contemporary impressionist landscapist known for his use of pure color and palette knife
technique. "Bob believed in the basics, color theory and drawing, and was a great
teacher and a real task master - you learned by doing." He taught the Nicolaides
method of drawing, a tedious year long strict regimen of drawing exercises in gesture,
contour and mass. McKinney encouraged Rob to return to college and complete his education.
Back at Montana State University, Rob Akey was recognized by one of his painting
instructors as having the training, skills and talent to be accepted into a fine art
college and assisted him in assembling his portfolio and applications.
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 After completing his degree in Design and Illustration
from Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Rob Akey took a position as a designer with
Tonka Toys. He left Tonka nine years later as Director of Creative Services. He then
joined a Colorado toy and hobby company in the same capacity for two years, however Rob
could not resist the call of his native Montana and returned in 1993, with his wife Kim
and daughter Josie. He divided his time between painting and an entrepreneurial business
venture. In the fall of 2005, after a lifetime of honing his skills and refining his work,
Rob achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a full-time artist. "I've been studying
the American Impressionists, a genre curiously absent from most art history curriculum.
The influence and benefit to my work has been significant. I'm attracted to their use of a
tonalist palette, combined with a painterly technique that is neither contrived nor
clever. "
 Rob paints at his studio in Whitefish, Montana and can be
reached at (406) 862-7425.
Rob Akey is represented by the following galleries:
Glacier Gallery
1498 Highway 35, Kalispell, Montana
Main Street Gallery
400 Main Street, Ronan, Montana
Isley Jewelry & Gallery
3rd & Central, Whitefish, Montana
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