Robert Griffing studied illustration and design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and went on to enjoy a 30-year career in advertising. His lifelong interest of Native American and Colonial history was the result of growing up in western Pennsylvania, where many 18th century events took place.
Today Griffing paints the Native Americans of the Great Lakes and Eastern woodlands. His work has been included in educational packages, television documents, the covers of national magazines, and Native American museums and cultural centers including the 2007 exhibition Emissaries of Peace: The 1762 Cherokee & British Delegations at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C
At the 2013 Quest for the West Art Show and Sale at the Eiteljorg Museum, Griffing received the Patrons Choice Award and the Henry Farny Award for best painting. At the 2009 Quest for the West, Griffing received the Artist of Distinction Award. In 2008 he received the Autry Museum’s Masters of the American West Purchase Award for his painting Council at Slippery Rock Creek. Later that year at Quest for the West, he received the Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award for his painting Secrets of the Dark Forest. His research and historical accuracy have earned him two awards: the Forbes Medal for his contribution to Pennsylvania history, and the Arthur St. Clair Historic Preservation Award.
