Charles grew up in South Haven, Michigan where he led the Art Club. Skilled in many creative fields and in many different types of media, he created his own illustrated stories, murals, lettering, painting touch-up/restoration, animation and portraits. Additionally, Charles created a character that he later sold to the local newspaper. He worked in animation and one of his pen and ink pieces was selected to become part of the permanent art collection at the local library. He also participated in local art shows, and was hired for several other artistic odd jobs and worked as an art teacher assistant.

He moved to Grand Rapids after high school graduation, where he attended what is now called Kendall College of Art & Design. In 1982, he graduated with a degree in Illustration and Design and then took a three month sabbatical to informally study art in France. During his time at Kendall, he was on the Dean’s List and did freelance illustration for a number of businesses. He worked primarily in black and white during this time and his images were reproduced for both advertising and purely pictorial uses. He began to develop as a fine art painter and was doing more eclectic commissioned work.

Following his time at Kendall, Charles straddled the commercial and fine arts fence, working in both approaches. He began exploring what would become his prime subject matter (architectonic fare mostly) and growing sufficiently as a painter in developing a recognizable style.

He was part of a stable of artists in various galleries including MercuryHead, Mattie & Flynn, Heffner Galleries Ltd, Amway Grand gallery and Pepper Moon. He was doing consignment work and beginning to participate in various local and further- afield art shows, festivals, competitions and exhibitions. Charles has garnered numerous competition awards and some of his work traveled internationally to numerous private, corporate and public collections.

With a keen interest in the science of seeing and visual perception, he incorporates aspects of what he has learned in his work. He also gives occasional talks in the nexus between science, art and perception.

Charles continues to participate in, or coordinate, group and one-person art shows.

The artistic journey is a joyful one for him; one of thoughtful aesthetics.

STATEMENT

My work does not correspond with any school or tradition. I do not emulate the work of any of past or present artists of whom I admire.  While there is growth and change to be seen in my work, I do not tend to go through phases, periods or stylistic constants. Each piece takes on a life of its own and becomes what it wants to be as it develops. I may have three works in progress, simultaneously, and all will be quite distinct in approach, style, feeling, and content.

If I were to describe my vast body of work and underlying approach in a single term, it would probably be “painterly realism.” My most abstract pieces retain a foundation of how objects behave in natural environments, while my most high-realism works are tinged and touched with abstract notes.

I am also smitten by constructivist and architectonic sensibilities and feel as though I am piecing my works together with the discerning measure of a craftsman. My artistic trajectory has gone from highly geometric with architectural fare to organic combined with natural elements as seen in my recent work. All of my work is linked by a sense of construction, building up and assembly from discrete colored fragments. This is how my eyes take in the world around me. I deconstruct what strikes my artistic sensibilities into components and reassemble them into a gestalt. This gestalt takes on all the feelings I have experienced for each part in the process and synthesizes them together. The completion of my work reflects my painterly interpretation of the experience.

It is the process rather than the product that excites me. It is the underlying mechanisms that pique my interest and drive me to further explorations.

The inherent structure of my newest work is defined and expressed by the hues themselves, to a greater degree than with my previous work.

The artist is like the young child who rushes home to tell the adults what simple wonders and joys he has seen that day.