Robert worked at home and displayed his paintings in a gallery adjoining his studio. Like many artists, he would listen to music while painting, a combination which helped him produce some of the finest miniatures available today. The detail in Robert's paintings was achieved without the aid of a magnifying glass, but he used up to twelve brushes for each one. He mostly worked in oils but varied his media with gouache and watercolour. The palette he used was based on eight earth colours, such as yellow ochre and burnt sienna, plus black and white. Once he had painted the main scene he would often add figures and animals.

He and his partner Elizabeth Johnson published a book called "How to paint miniatures" [published by the Apple Press, 1994]