Nefertiti and Akhenaton Collage

Born and raised in Fridley, Minnesota, Robert Ingaldson has always had a passion for expressing himself through art. Ever since he was a child, he has always known that he wanted to be an artist. Robert′s first heroes were Rembrant, Norman Rockwell, and El Greco. He was fascinated by Rembrant′s mysterious and beautiful prints, Norman Rockwell′s incredible ability to create iconic illustrations, and the stirring images El Greco painted. After Robert graduated high school in 1976, curiosity and desire for adventure led him to Rio Cuarto, Argentina where he began experimenting with photography.He learned about the diverse culture and was inspired by the beauty of the people he met and the places he saw. Upon returning to the United States, Robert attended the University of Minnesota to study studio arts where, he soon realized, his passion for art and music took over his desire for school. He thought he would try a different approach to learning and took off to explore Europe in 1981. He went to visit his brother, Eric Ingaldson, who was in Italy pursuing his pottery making career. He worked as a student assistant for the sculptor Jerome Cox. He spent a few years working and learning in his studio. Robert's employer/teacher/mentor taught him a lot of valuable lessons about being a working artist. Robert used what he learned in Italy and moved back to Minnesota where he worked in a bicycle shop in Minneapolis, while practicing his painting in Cannon Falls. As he loves bike riding and the outdoors, working in the bike shop was a great opportunity for him to learn about bicycles and explore his art. After spending a few years back in Minnesota, Robert returned to Italy to seek opportunities to paint. Eventually, he met his wife Katia and settled in Potenza Picena. Together they traveled across Europe on their bikes and found a perfect home in the countryside. Robert built a studio in his home where he painted pictures and restored old furniture. Many of his paintings are of the Italian countryside where he would set up out in a field, enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery, and just paint what he saw. Robert and Katia had two children, Linda and Niall, in 1993 and 1998. It became more difficult for him to paint during these times, so Robert focused more on taking care of the kids and furniture restoration. In 2001, Robert and his family moved back to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he built a home studio in the garage.