About the artist
Fernando C. Robles is a Filipino-American painter working in expressive realism: portraits and figurative painting above all, with still life and landscape alongside them. He began his formal training in 1973 at George Brown College of Applied Arts in Toronto, and came back to painting as a profession after years spent managing his family’s orthodontic practices in the United States.
He apprenticed under the California master painter Rafael Maniago, then studied at the New York Academy of Art with Alyssa Monks, at the Art Students League of New York with Gregg Kreutz, and at the National Academy School of Fine Arts with Samuel Adoquei, with further instruction at the Montclair Art Museum, the Woodstock School of Art and Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. His painting rests on chiaroscuro and alla prima, with the spontaneity of impressionism worked into them; he calls the result his ROBLES SIGNATURE LOOK™.
Awards
American Art Awards, San Francisco: first and third place
Portrait Society of Canada: Artist of the Month, juried finalist, People’s Choice Award
Portrait Society of America, international members-only juried competition
Merit, Crystal and Ruby awards from Gallery Ring, Grey Cube Gallery and Light Space Time Gallery
Fusion Art, Ten Moir Gallery, Artist Space Gallery and the PleinAir Magazine competitions
TArtget International Finalist Award 2025, Ateneo de Madrid
Memberships and affiliations
Portrait Society of America
Portrait Society of Canada
National Academy of Design, New York
National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Society of Canadian Artists
France Artistique Association
National Portrait Gallery, United Kingdom
He keeps studios in Los Angeles, New York and Tagaytay in the Philippines, and lives and paints alongside his wife Rebecca Robles, an abstract artist and art critic. His work is held in private and corporate collections across North America.
Artist interview
Fernando C. Robles paints portraits and figures in oil, acrylic and mixed media, between studios in Los Angeles, New York and Tagaytay. He talks about layered colour, lost-and-found edges, and the stories a face can tell.
How would you introduce yourself in one phrase?
An artist bringing classical portrait traditions into contemporary expression.
Who are you, and what do you create?
I am Fernando C. Robles, a Filipino-American artist creating portraits and figurative paintings in oil, acrylic, and mixed media. My ROBLES SIGNATURE LOOK™ combines classical realism, expressive brushwork, and atmospheric light.
What is special about your technique? Why these media?
I shape each painting through layered color, expressive brushwork, and lost-and-found edges. Oil offers depth and subtle transitions, acrylic allows spontaneity, and mixed media opens possibilities for texture and exploration.
What inspires your subjects, and where do your ideas begin?
I am drawn to character, human connection, and the stories a face can tell. My ideas often begin with an expression, a memory, or the way light reveals emotion.
What keywords would people use to find your work on Google?
Fernando C. Robles, Robles Signature Look, Robles Signature Art, and RoblesSignature.art.
Where can people find your work?
Website: RoblesSignature.art