Rob Erdle - Biography

Biography

Born in Selma, California, Erdle received his B.A. from California State University, Fresno, where he studied with Judy Chicago and Wayne Thiebaud, and his M.F.A. from Bowling Green University in Bowling Green, Ohio. In 1976, he joined the faculty at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas where he taught undergraduate and graduate classes in painting and drawing for 30 years. He was head of their Watercolor Program from 1976 to 2001.

While teaching at the University of North Texas, he also was an instructor for ten years at the American College of Switzerland, a director of the Chautauqua Institution Art Gallery, Chautauqua, New York, and director of Pacific Union College's "Summer School of Art". For thirteen years he also taught at the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts in Shenyang, China, which awarded him the honor of Distinguished visiting professor.

For twenty years Erdle participated in Watercolor USA as an exhibitor, curator and judge. He was President of the Watercolor USA Honor Society housed at the Springfield Art Museum, Missouri, 1997-2000. Erdle was a juror for many watercolor exhibitions, including the National Watercolor Society, the Pittsburgh Aqueous Open, the Arizona Aqueous Open and Watercolor USA. He conducted seminars and lectures across the U.S. and in more than a dozen countries.

In 2006, University of North Texas established the Rob Erdle Award Fund, an endowment through private donors that provides financial support for watercolor students. Rob Erdle died on December 30, 2006 in Denton, Texas.