Robert Newell looks for scenes capturing nature in serene desert or mountain stillness whether it be mid-day or just as the first morning rays light up the tallest mesas and turn the morning clouds on fire or the last light of the day turning the light to gold and making the shadows long.  He finds nature in spectacular action just before or just after a storm, when clouds take over the sky and the king of the desert, the sun, pokes through to take back its reign and casts an array of dark and light across the landscape.  These moments of contrast keep Newell chasing the light, and either running to or from ominous weather, looking for the right mixture of sunlight to shadow, texture and content.  His paintings capture the power and beauty of the southwest.

4 corners in a western sense and in geographical terms refers to the intersection of the state lines of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, the only place in the United States where four states meet at one spot.  These four particular states are where Newell spends the better part of his travels soaking up the heat and light and traveling down well trodden highways and forgotten back roads.  He is looking for the next surprise around the next bend in the road.