Robert Williamson was born outside of New York City in the mid-Fifties and was entranced at a young age by his father's ability to weave a story with quickly drawn pictures. He soon realized that his life path would be one made of line and color. For the past 18 years, he has been based in Seattle and doing large scale commissions for architects and designers. His painting has been featured in many high-end restaurants, cafés, lobbies, boutiques and residences around the United States and Southeast Asia.

"The portrait in the entry lobby is my attempt to personify "Abella," to give her a face. It is in large part inspired by a face painted in the late nineteenth century by John Singer Sargent, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw. She seems to project total confidence in all of her many abilities while reserving an air of mystery at her core. But is she a lover of the arts or involved more directly? To reinforce the themes that appear on the upper floors, I thought it best to make her a hands-on type and a cello seemed to suit her well. Together I hope it provides both owners and visitors to Abella with a brief moment of repose in their day."
—Robert Williamson