SKIP ROHDE

Skip Rohde was an officer in the U.S. Navy for 22 years but he has always been an artist.  After retiring from the Navy, he and his wife came to the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina.  Rohde went back to school and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with a concentration in painting, from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.  Following graduation in 2003, he became a full-time artist with a studio in the River Arts District. 

In 2008, Rohde answered the call and went to Iraq for 18 months with the State Department to manage reconstruction programs around the country.  That was followed by a year in Afghanistan, helping local officials, businessmen, and others to better manage their government and economy. Rohde returned home in 2012 and his wife won't let him go to war zones anymore.

Rohde's studio is in a former textile mill next to the historic French Broad River just north of Asheville.  He is always working on something new - currently a series of figures in charcoal and pastels, but also with new techniques in oils.  His paintings have won recognition and awards in national and regional exhibitions.  The Smithsonian Museum of American History has his "Faces of Afghanistan" drawings (over 80 drawings, mostly portrait sketches of rural Afghans done from life) in their permanent collection.  In addition to making his artwork, Rohde teaches workshops and mentors young students. 


Skip Rohde is available for private portrait commissions.