Robert Highsmith received his art training from New Mexico State University and the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida. Since then he has had many one-man and group shows throughout the country. Critics and collectors alike have liked his work and he is the recipient of over a hundred awards for his work. His watercolors are in numerous corporate and private collections in the US and abroad. Most recently, he was honored with the Governors Award of Excellence in Art. His work has been featured in American Artist magazine, Watercolor Magic, Watercolor Artist, New Mexico, Southwest Art, Art Journey America: Landscapes and others. The desert landscape and canyons of the southwest are his favorite subjects. His paintings are strong, unsentimental statements with equal parts heart and technical virtuosity. What takes them to brilliance is the stark contrasts that make the paintings photorealistic in detail. “A stunning collection of well-conceived and well-executed watercolors, a fresh and vibrant view of the region.”— M. Stephen Doherty, American Artist.
Currently he is a signature member the American Watercolor Society and the New Mexico Watercolor Society, with memberships in the National Watercolor Society, and the San Diego Watercolor Society. His work is represented by Marigold Arts, Santa Fe, NM, the Cutter Gallery, Las Cruces, NM, and Four Corners Gallery in Bluffton, SC.
