Art is many things to many people; that’s the beauty of it. Art constantly shifts to become whatever is needed by both the creator and the viewer. For Rob Finoro, art is a hobby, something that he does in his spare time to capture the unique thoughts constantly filling his imagination, and that’s what makes his work so special. One look at a piece by Rob and you know that this work could’ve only been made by one man—him.
In truth, Rob found art by accident. His younger brother was the artist first. Upon returning from art school, he painted a small landscape on the wall of their home, about as big as a mid-sized modern television. In that moment, Rob, who was still at home, felt every competitive fraternal instinct kick in—he could do that. So, he did. Rob went to his room and painted a full-size mural, covering the entirety of the wall of a couple of musicians in black-and-white. Then he liked it enough that he painted a landscape on another wall.
While those paintings stayed up on the walls until his family sold the home, they’d be among the last of his works for some time. As often happens when we get older, life got in the way. Rob married not long after that, and his days filled with building his life and family. It wasn’t until his 30s that Rob found time to get back into creating with any regularity. At this point, he joined the Guelph Artisan Group, allowing him to get involved in a community of fellow creators as well as show his work. Guelph Artisans hosted two juried shows a year; Rob often had the pleasure and privilege of showing his work at these shows.
At the same time, Rob submitted work to similar juried shows around the area, including the Elora Insights Show, which he’s proud to have been accepted for nearly every year that he’s submitted.
Some of the achievements that particularly stand out to Rob is his work with Royal Lepage Real Estate and the Art Gallery of Guelph. Royal Lepage chose one of Rob’s photos for their 2026 calendar and use it as part of their promotional flyers and he’s had two paintings on sale at the Art Gallery of Guelph the past 7 or 8 years.
While Rob has had a lot of success with his work, often appearing in shows like the ones above and receiving many awards in the process, he’s also faced some obstacles as well. When seeking out places in which to host solo shows of his work, he’s been told that while they like aspects of his work, he should focus on merely one thing to create a more cohesive portfolio to be accepted. However, that’s not Rob.
From the beginning, Rob approached his work with a sense of freedom that allows him to create his work in a way that suits him. He works in a variety of mediums (paints, cardboard, etc.) and refuses to contain himself to one style. Being entirely self-taught has given Rob a lot of flexibility in his work. He’s never taken a single art class, and that helps him approach his work with an open mind. Instead of having a head full of notions about what qualifies as “right” or “wrong” in a technical sense, Rob simply creates. When he has an idea, he plays with it, taking his time to find the best way to develop that idea, and that’s how it’s been from the very beginning.
When asked if there is any advice that Rob would give anyone interested in becoming an artist themselves and wondering where to start, Rob says one thing: draw. That is how he began, drawing, drawing, and then drawing some more. For a period, he worked the quality control night shift at General Electric; he’d fill the downtime drawing, practicing until he had developed the skills needed to help bring his ideas to life. Today he has 80 sketchbooks filled with doodles of all shapes and sizes; this is one of the places he turns to when he needs inspiration for another piece.
No matter what you’re looking at, when it comes to a work by Rob Finoro, you need to look closely. Rob is constantly hiding things inside the larger picture. One of his favourite things to include is birds. To Rob, birds represent the freedom that he approaches his work with, making them the perfect addition to his pieces.
Perhaps because of this, Rob’s style may not be for everyone, and that’s okay. Rob doesn’t ask anyone to like his work. He merely hopes that when you see it, you feel something. That, to Rob, is what art should be: something that evokes a true feeling when you look at it, even if it’s negative. However, if you see what Rob does, his pieces will likely bring a smile to your face.
Hoping to see Rob’s work for yourself? His latest art show is titled “Whimsical, Wacky & Wonderful”, a perfect description of his pieces, and is currently on display at the Kloepfer Gallery in Guelph until September 26th.
WRITTEN BY: JILLIAN KENT | PHOTOGRAPHY: CORY BRUYEA \ RESOURCES: ROB FINORO
