Born in Chatham, NB, Bob grew up in Edmundston.

He studied under Alex Colville and Lawren P. Harris at Mount Allison University,

graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1952.

He began his career as a commercial artist in the Montreal office of a New York-based advertising firm, before accepting a similar position in Fredericton with the New Brunswick Travel Bureau, now Tourism New Brunswick. His work in promoting the province included such things as producing the Premier’s official Holiday Card and coordinating Royal Tours, and his art endures today on everything from tourist maps to the Provincial Coat Of Arms. In 1985, Bob retired from civil service to begin his next career as a fine artist.