Born January 29, 1936, in Jackson, MS, Mr. Burns studied art under Mary K. Loyacono and Marie Hull.  He attended the University of Mississippi and the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia receiving his Bachelor of Architecture in 1960.
While his business was architecture, Robert continued to pursue his interest in painting, his work comprising for the most part examples of abstract expressionism and impressionism.  During the 1960's Robert's work was included in numerous juried art shows throughout the Southeastern U.S. including the Municipal Art Gallery in Jackson, MS; the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery in Memphis, TN; the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Montgomery, AL; the Masur Museum in Monroe, LA; and the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, AL.  Robert won the "Mrs. Horace Hammond Birmingham Art Association Award" in 1965 for his painting entitled "Abstract No. 11."
Robert has been invited for one-man shows in Mississippi, Georgia and Florida composed exclusively of abstract expressionist work in water color and ink.  Marie Hull exerted the greatest influence on his work at this time.  In later years Dr. Sam Gore of Mississippi College has influenced Robert's painting which leans to ward Monet's impressionism and Inness's dreamy landscapes.