[citation needed] His paintings and drawings from this period demonstrate proficient drafting skills and adept use of colour, along with affection for the Australian landscape and ships, locomotives, buildings and bridges as favourite subjects.
Small in stature, but fit through swimming and working out in a health studio, he was rejected from military service during World War II because of a history of rheumatic fever, but joined the Volunteer Defence Corps, where his experiences inspired some fine cartoons.
His wife Judy bought him a one-way ticket to Alice Springs, where invigorated by the fresh air and the landscape, he commenced sketching and painting and resolved to extricate himself from the advertising business over the next five years.
For several years, the two took journeys around South Australia to photograph cave paintings and rock carvings,[1] and in 1956 they made the first of several trips to the Centre.
They made friends with characters like Bill Harney, a bushman, raconteur and writer, and Gwoya Jungarai or "One Pound Jimmy", famous for being depicted on earlier Australian stamps and in Walkabout magazine.
His paintings of Aboriginal myths and legends often feature a central focus – person, animal, tree, rock or celestial body – and a secondary, sometimes hidden element that casts light on the meaning of the work.
His line drawings reflect the inspiration of a critical observer of life and the landscape and the technique and discipline of the commercial artist.
In 1980 Roberts also provided 45 sketches and paintings for Douglas Lockwood's original 1962 life story I, The Aboriginal as told by Waipuldanya of the Alawa people of the Roper River NT.
[2] Roberts and his wife had a holiday home in Victor Harbor, and occasionally acted as judge at the town's annual Rotary art show.