E. Robert Ross has been a full time artist since 1975, exhibiting primarily in Southern Ontario.  He was born and raised in the Hamilton area, where he currently resides with his wife and two children. He also lived on Vancouver Island for many years.

He has had solo exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Hamilton; the Burlington Art Centre; the Beckett and McNaught Galleries, Hamilton; and the Wellington Gallery, Aurora, Ontario.

His work is included in art collections locally, nationally, and internationally: i.e. Collection of HRH the Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall;  Collection of President Bill Clinton; City of Itabashi, Japan; Canon, Japan; Patriarch of the Christian Orthodox Church, Bartholomew II; GTS Industries, France; Barclays' Bank; Dofasco; K.P.M.G., and Saturn of Hamilton East.  Ross also has large scale paintings in public spaces around the Hamilton area: i.e. the lobby of St. Joseph's Hospital (Charlton St.); the lobby of the Juravinski Cancer Centre; the office of the Dean of Medicine, McMaster University; the David Braley Research Institute at the Hamilton General Hospital; the Headquarters of the Royal Botanical Gardens; and the Headquarters of the Hamilton Region Conservation Authority.

Ross has been involved with many local arts organisations.  He is a past president of the Board of Directors of the Carnegie Gallery, Dundas; a founding member of the On the Edge Art Environment Project; as well as many other arts organisations and juries.  He served for nine years on the Board of Directors of the Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH), and is currently a member of the Council of Governors of the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the Board of Directors of the Dundas Valley School of Art.

Artist’s Statement

I have always enjoyed being outdoors; for hikes in local conservation areas, to wilderness adventures such as mountaineering, or canoe tripping.  One is reminded that we, as humans, are a part of nature; and can learn from studying the natural world.  This is the central theme of my artwork.

An early interest in the work of landscape photographers led me to a realistic style of painting, in acrylics.  However, the most important part of painting landscapes, for me, is the symbolism of the elements, and the association one can imagine from the depiction of the scenes.  I always hope to suggest "going beyond" the landscapes.  It is the underlying spirit of nature that ties the landscape together with our human existence.