The following, submitted December 2004, is from Tony Watson, son of the artist. It is the obituary Tony Watson wrote for his father, and his was published in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Robert Watson - California Artist

Robert died peacefully on Dec. 14, at home in Poway, CA after a brief struggle with cancer. He was 81. He is survived by his longtime companion, Luisa Costa - Minecci of Poway, CA; son, Tony Watson of Santa Rosa CA; daughter, Elena Watson of Sacramento , CA; granddaughter, Georgia Watson of Novato CA; sister, Dorothea Runnings of Potter Valley, CA; daughter -in-law, Melinda Watson of Santa Rosa, CA.

A resident of Berkeley during the 50's and 60's, Robert lived in Westport, Connecticut until 1973, when he moved to his current home in San Diego County.

Robert was born in Martinez, CA on Feb.28, 1923. After several years of studying art in New York City and with Fredrick Taubes at the University of Wisconsin, Robert had his first one-man show at Gumps in San Francisco in 1948. After a glowing review by Alfred Frankenstein of the "Chronicle", his career took off.

Robert has been represented in one man art shows in all the major U.S. cities as well as London, Paris, Venice, Athens and Jerusalem. Robert has had dozens of one- man shows in San Francisco. .

Mr. Watson also provided the cover art for Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles", 2nd edition, printed in 1953.

Robert Watson's art is in many international private collections and museums, including the National Gallery in Washington DC.

On May 17, 1997, Robert had his 50 year retrospective show at Weinstein Galleries of San Francisco. Mayor Willie Brown proclaimed that day to be "Robert Watson Day" in San Francisco.

Robert Watson: Artist Statement
I have always felt that as an artist it was my job to capture a moment in time and to hold it. I want to touch other people with my paintings, I want to reach the inner self and to respect this delicate area which defines each human being.

Vincent Price talks about Robert Watson

Robert Watson (1923 - 2004) was born in Martinez, California in a big house overlooking the bay, and with him was born the subject of all his paintings - the loneliness of man in the mysterious world. California provided this subject with a stage of vast space on which to grow and evolve.

It wasn't until after High School, odd jobs, a sojourn in the Army and study at Universities of California and Wisconsin that Watson's lonely man, mysterious world became concrete through reality of paint on canvas. This occurred between 1943 and 1947 when he went to New York and later spent eight weeks studying with Frederic Taubes in Wisconsin. Watson's career, a highly successful one, began with his first one-man show in 1947 at Gump's and in 1950 in the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, both in San Francisco.
Watson's mysterious world shows ancient buildings, vast in scale and placed on plateaus that merge with the sky. His highly refined technique merges two separate colors with a tender brush to create an effect of blurred vision. Yet the finish is silky smooth - the fog or the sky and the dust of the desert are one, as though painted with cotton.

In every painting Watson repeated the motif of solitary figures with their backs to the viewer. Here, the desolation of the scene and the curious mood of tranquility and despair combined are observed with stoic silence by these solitary watchers who seem to have lived long and seen all. They represent not only Robert Watson's quest but ours as well, for we too are lonely men in the mysterious world.