Robert Browne

1926 - 2017

With sadness, the family of Robert Reid Browne Jr. (Bob Browne) announces his passing on November 15, 2017. He was 91 years old. The son of Robert Reid Browne and Mary Byrd Browne (Barclay), Bob was predeceased by his wife, Joan deSparre Browne, his son Douglas deSparre Browne, and his brother McKee Barclay Browne. He is survived by his sister, Elizabeth Byrd Randolph of Cartersville, his sister in-law Olga deSparre Rowland of Towson, and many nephews and nieces. The grandson of McKee Barclay, political cartoonist for the Baltimore Sun, Bob was born on September 3, 1926 in Norfolk, Virginia. After serving in the Army in World War II as an MP, he settled in Baltimore, graduating from the Maryland Institute of Art in 1952. He was greatly influenced by his instructor, Jacques Maroger, past president of restoration at the Louvre. Bob's beautiful paintings and sketches have been featured in many museums in the Baltimore area. Bob painted and taught art in his studio for over fifty years. When Bob was starting out as an artist, he moonlighted as a professional model and a courtroom sketch artist. Bob said many times that he could not imagine doing anything else, and his commute to his studio was 100 feet from his back door. During his summer "commute" he enjoyed a grape or two from his 40-foot grape arbor which was between his home and his studio. Bob's studio, a converted garage was a work of art of its own. It had a pot belly stove for heating and a big pile of wood on the side for burning. The studio was lit by a skylight that had a thin layer of moss which provided the perfect lighting for his paintings. The workshop was loaded with stuff that Bob had found on his many trips to the bays and inlets of the Chesapeake and Atlantic. He had driftwood and bones, a ships porthole, coral crusted tools, seashells, and an old fisherman's net. The studio also had many easels and an eclectic collection of students chairs and some model ships. He even had a petrified roll for 40 some years that Joanie baked and had thrown out, but was somehow recovered. Each artifact was a trophy of his explorations and would end up being an enjoyable conversation piece. Bob did many things the old way, for instance, he ground his paints daily, and insisted that was only way to really do it right. On Wednesdays, Bob and Joanie explored the countryside looking for ideas and material for his painting. The discovery of an old gnarled and twisted tree was gold for him and was even better if found near an aging barn or boat. They also sailed the Chesapeake for many years on his sailboat named "Joanie" which also served as inspiration for his art. Bob will be missed by his family, friends and students, many of whom studied with him for years. A reception will be held at Oak Crest on Saturday, December 2nd at noon for Bob's family and friends.