Bill Robles Biography
New York gallery owner Margo Feiden, who represents famous caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, said history and celebrity will draw collectors to the courtroom art, but ultimately she predicts artists will become collectible. Said Feiden: “People won’t say I have a drawing of the O.J. Simpson trial, they’ll say, I have a Bill Robles”.
For 53 years, Bill Robles has mastered the art of on-the-spot illustration. The 1970 Charles Manson trial launched a career as a Television News Courtroom Artist, and has resulted in a long succession of high-profile trials:
Patricia Hearst, Actor Lee Marvin's Palimony Trial, John DeLorean, “The Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez, Rodney King, O.J. Simpson, the Unabomber, Oklahoma City Bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the Menendez Brothers, Robert Blake, Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Arizona shooter Jarad Lee Loughner, Aurora Theater shooter James Holmes, Dodger Stadium Beating Victim Bryan Stow Trial, Donald Sterling vs. Shelly Sterling LA Clippers Ownership Trial, Enrique Marquez ( purchased weapons for San Bernardino Terrorists ), Led Zeppelin Copyright Trial, Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca Trial, Robert Durst, Britney Spears, Elon Musk, & Movie Mogul Harvey Weinstein.
“I love courtroom illustrating…the immediacy…working feverishly… the adrenaline flows…and suddenly it is over, onto the satellite, and seen around the world”.
Outside of the courtroom, Bill’s illustration career has received numerous awards and assignments:
- Selected by NASA to be on-site and document the first four Space Shuttle missions.
- Nominated for an Emmy.
- Gold Medal Award from the Los Angeles Art Directors Club for his coverage of the Manson trial.
- Three Gold Medals from the Broadcast Designers Association.
- Awards from the New York and Los Angeles Society of Illustrators.
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators.
- The subject of television, newspaper, and magazine stories, both foreign and domestic.
- In 2016, the Library Of Congress acquired all of Bill’s original artwork from the book publication titled “The Illustrated Courtroom 50 Years of Courtroom Art”.
- Online Drawing Course: Domestika.org
He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the prestigious Art Center College of Design.
Several years later, returning to Art Center as a Drawing instructor and continued his teaching career for more than twenty years in the Visual Communications program at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. Bill is still active in television news, and lectures about his courtroom artwork at libraries, colleges, and art groups.
Clients include: CBS NEWS, CNN, NBC NEWS, FOX NEWS, the Associated Press, Reuters, and various entertainment venues.
A native of Los Angeles, Bill now resides in Brentwood, California.
©2023 Bill Robles. Reproduction of any artwork in this site without the express written permission of the Artist is prohibited.