Robert R. Copple was born in Los Angeles, CA. He started drawing wildlife at a very early age. In elementary school he developed a strong love for art and nature. Robert graduated from Cornell University with a major in both painting and photography and a minor in ornithology/biology/field natural history studies. He has since devoted himself full-time to producing original art in varied media including sculpture.
Concurrent with his artistic work is Robert’s activity as an advocate for nature-in national appearances, speaking engagements, and shows to demonstrate his personal concept and passion for the importance of the natural world and its preservation.Beginning this commitment at age 16, Robert had his first one-man show in San Francisco, and won the California Non-Game Wildlife Decal competition. By age 18 he had four limited edition prints available in the art market. A year later, Robert became the youngest painter to be juried in to Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum Exhibition in Wausau, Wisconsin. At twenty-one he was the only undergraduate guest speaker to have a one-man show at Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
Since then, Robert has been honored as Artist of the Year or Featured Artist at numerous galleries, shows, and charity events. He was chosen as Disney’s First Featured Artist at their Signature Wine and Food Festival in 2010 with a six-week exhibit of his work at California Adventure, Disneyland. Museums, which have exhibited Robert’s work, include the Smithsonian, Washington D.C., Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, CA, the San Bernardino County Museum, Redlands, CA, the Colorado Historical Museum, Denver, the C.M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, MO, the Museum of Western Art, Kerrville, TX, the Pearce Museum, Corsicana, TX, and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI. He continues to participate in numerous art shows and exhibitions in the U.S. annually.