Rod grew up in South Florida where he fished and boated throughout the Everglades, the Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay.  Memories of those experiences are captured in his seascapes and beachscapes. A move to Birmingham, Alabama in 1971 created new inspiration for landscapes with terrain and seasonal changes not seen in Florida.

He had basic coursework in drawing and design at the University of Miami and extensive training in human anatomy, vision, visual perception, and color perception theory with degrees in Physiological Optics and Optometry from UAB. His primary medium is watercolor including acrylics; however, 3 of his oil paintings were accepted by jury for the 2002 Energen Art Competition featuring Alabama artists. He has had paintings chosen for other juried shows and acquired for private collections in Alabama, Texas, Virginia, and North Carolina.  He also illustrated one book and several book chapters with technical drawings and photographs related to vision and optics.

Rod was accepted by Artists Incorporated in Leeds, AL as an exhibiting artist in 2020.