Rob Kelman was born in 1946 in New York City and grew up on Long Island. He started painting at age 9 and won a community arts "Best of Show" award at 10 years old. Spending summers in the Adirondack and Berkshire Mountains, he found that he appreciated the wonder and beauty of nature.

After high school, Rob graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY with a BFA in Art Education. He has taught many varied art classes over 21 years, including: Pen, Ink & Watercolor, Drawing & Sketching, Pastels & Watercolors, and Oil Painting.

Rob worked in the New York apparel industry in a family business but realized that he most enjoyed the creativity of art, shapes and colors. After taking coursework in Interior Design, Rob worked in several prestigious Interior Design studios on Long Island, NY and Boca Raton, FL.

Having moved to Taos, NM in 1996, with his wife Teri, Rob was inspired to start painting again. The sky, adobe structures, organic shapes of nature, and the "enchantment" of New Mexico spoke to him. Classic cars have also become a focused subject of many of Rob's works. While Rob is prolific with many fine art media, he currently prefers painting with acrylics using either a black or red under-painting on his canvases.