Robert Yonke Art

Back in the Studio

The summer season is here and I’m glad to be back working in my Garrett County studio once again. I’ve got new pieces in the works and look forward to sharing them with you during the annual Garrett County Artist Studio Tour on Saturday, July 26th. It’s always a special event—an opportunity to open the studio doors, meet new visitors and old friends, and showcase some of the work I’ve been developing. I hope you’ll save the date and stop by.

Below is one of my first new pieces for the season, A Fleet, sized at 15″x30″.

Visit the Studio by Appointment

If you’d like to visit sooner, I welcome studio appointments as well. Please feel free to reach out at rhyonke@gmail.com or call 412-447-1193 to arrange a time.

I look forward to welcoming you to the studio and sharing what I’ve been working on.

Back on the River – Finished Work

Working Boat Art

It’s always a pleasure when my artistic interests align with a client’s needs, and my recent commission for an Ohio River marine contractor has been just that. A couple of months ago I posted about starting a working boat commission. As is often the case with my commission work, the initial spark of an idea can lead to multiple pieces. The piece below has been delivered to the owner.

Back on the River shown below is available for purchase.

I’m really pleased with how these pieces have come together, capturing the spirit of the river and the hardworking vessels that navigate it.

You can see more of my working boat art here. More updates to come.

Whitewater Rafting Around Deep Creek Lake

As Deep Creek Lake celebrates its 100th anniversary, I’m sharing my work reflecting time spent at the lake. The DCL100 Committee has put together some interpretive panels that highlight the lake’s many features. One of them is focused on whitewater rafting.

The area’s history with whitewater rafting is rooted in the natural landscape of the Youghiogheny River near Friendsville, which gained recognition for its challenging Class IV and V rapids. In 2007, the Adventure Sports Center International (ASCI) opened in McHenry, an Olympic-standard artificial whitewater course born from the legacy of the 1989 World Championships held on the Savage River. Today, Garrett County is a popular destination for whitewater enthusiasts. I created these two pieces influenced by time watching the World Championships and time spent at ASCI.

Clean Gate

Race Brace

Fishing on Deep Creek Lake

Here are some of my paintings around angling on the lake.

*Rainbow Tr*out
One of the many species of fish found in Deep Creek Lake

View the DCL100s Interpretive Panel on Fishing on Deep Creek Lake here.

For more art, visit my gallery here.

100 Years of Deep Creek Lake: An Artist’s Perspective

Deep Creek Lake is 100 Years Old

Deep Creek Lake will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025. Created in 1925, when the hydroelectric dam was completed, the lake has a rich history. To mark this milestone, the DCL100 Committee was established in late 2023. The committee is working hard to plan various events and projects for the 2025 celebration and conducting research and educational programs to ensure the lake’s future.

A Source of Inspiration

We’ve been visiting Deep Creek Lake since the early 1980s and purchased a home there around 1984. The lake area has been a constant source of subject matter for me for nearly four decades, whether it’s the sailboat races, fly fishing on local streams, wintry farm scenes, or historical places.

I’ll be sharing some of my images each month this year to highlight this centennial. Below is one of my first pieces, Scots on Water, created when I started focusing my work on this area.

What’s your favorite scene at Deep Creek Lake? Maybe I’ve painted it. Visit my online gallery here.

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