Rob was born in South Africa to an English mother & South African father. After finishing his education in South Africa, he travelled extensively, receiving private tuition from various portrait painters in the USA & Europe as well as studying the techniques of traditional classical painting. He became a professional portrait painter at the age of twenty-three and since then has had a very fulfilling career, spanning more than four decades. He has also written articles for various art publications including The Artist (UK), International Artist and The South African Artist magazines. His You Tube channel WareingImages has about 10,000 subscribers.

Rob currently divides his time between the UK and South Africa. Rob has become highly sought-after as a demonstrator and tutor and spends a large part of the UK summer and autumn demonstrating his skills at various art societies as well as hosting hands-on portrait painting workshops. He often returns to his beachfront studio in South Africa, where he gains inspiration for and paints most of the works seen at his exhibitions and in galleries.