Born in northern B.C., Rod moved to the Okanagan Valley at a young age. The surrealist paintings and painters influenced his earliest art. He then discovered the works of the impressionist's school which has taken him to his current artistic interests which include a keen interest in experimenting with colour and the physical qualities of paint. Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven have also had a profound influence on his work. His coastal scenes as well as winter 'scapes are breathtaking, juicy in color and pigment, and compositionally controlled. Rod's work is now collected worldwide and he is committed to painting images that have a strong Canadian cultural influence. Whether this is expressed through his bold landscapes or his more recent whimsical images of children at play.