Oris Robertson, 64, talented artist, actor

Oris Trigue Robertson, a Houston artist who also had a talent for acting, died Oct. 27 at his home in Guadalajara, Mexico. He was 64 and had cancer, said a longtime friend, Houston actress Bettye Fitzpatrick. The two met in 1957 when they both worked at Houston's Alley Theatre, said Fitzpatrick, now in her 45th year with the theater and part of its resident company of actors. "He was outstanding, a very fine actor," she recalled. Born in the border town of Presidio, Robertson grew up in Brownsville. At age 19 he came to Houston and worked several years at the Alley before doing a stint in the U.S. Army. Upon finishing his military service in 1963, he dedicated himself to art, Fitzpatrick said. Seven years later he moved to Guadalajara and spent a couple of months each year at Fitzpatrick's home, where he had a studio. "He would go to the flower markets on Fannin Street and would come back with three absolutely perfect lilies, put them in a glass and work on a painting," she said. "Then he might say, `I need a tulip.' And off he would go for a tulip." Robertson was known for his realistic, highly detailed paintings of flowers and vegetables, said fellow artist Mary Edington of Brownsville. Some of his works are in the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art's permanent collection. Others have been displayed at galleries in Houston, Mexico and New York. Frequently, Robertson would add an element of surprise to his paintings, such as a parrot sitting on a piece of watermelon or a cat peeking out from behind an intricately drawn drape, Edington said. "It was something very clever and typically Oris," she said. Robertson enjoyed life's simple pleasures, such as talking with friends, Edington said. He also loved children and was close to a young couple in Guadalajara whose children called him Tio (Uncle) Oris. "When he learned in April that he had incurable cancer, it was upsetting to him that they wouldn't see him any more," she said. "He was wondering how to tell them." He couldn't stand to see anyone suffer, Fitzpatrick said. "He was one of the gentlest souls you'll ever meet in this world," she said. "That's why he never had any money. If anybody had a sad story, he would listen with all his heart and if he had any money on him, he'd give it away." Robertson is survived by a sister, Elizabeth Stovall of Austin. A memorial service is scheduled for noon today, on what would have been Robertson's 65th birthday, at Rothko Chapel, 1409 Sul Ross.

By CAROL CHRISTIAN
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