By Gussie Fauntleroy
Robert Daughters has given Southwest Art the scoop on his true identity. For the first time he reveals that he was born with a different name and has two official birth certificates. The rest of Daughters’ story is well known to the artist’s enthusiastic collectors and to Southwest Art readers, who first encountered the landscape painter’s distinctive, expressive style in these pages in 1980, shortly before his work was exhibited in Beijing, China. The Southwest has been his inspiration now for more than 30 years.
Born: Trenton, MO, 1929. My name was Robert Warner. My mother died at my birth and my father’s sister and her husband adopted me, changed my name to Robert Daughters, and took me to Wichita, KS.
Resides: Tucson, AZ.
Art education: Four years at the Kansas City Art Institute, 20 years in commercial art, and I’m still learning.
Proudest accomplishment: Solving problems related to a painting. Also, the fact that I am still enthusiastic about working.
Biggest influence: I have been influenced over the years by collective artists more than any single artist. I am also constantly changing my opinions about what I like.
Favorite piece: My next painting! I always think the next one will be better.
Major turning points: Making the transition from commercial to fine art; moving to the Southwest; being a member of the Taos Six; and most of all, persistent, hard work.
How the art market has changed: The market is much broader and more competitive. The number of artists has greatly increased, but I believe competition is good for the industry.
What would you be if you weren’t an artist? Let’s see! I turned a tractor over, I crashed an airplane, I almost sunk my fishing cruiser in Mexico, and my golf is lousy—so I’d probably be one of the homeless.
Other interests: My wife and I love to take cruises to many different places, and we like golf, our animals, and our children.
Featured in May 2001