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To watch Chuck Bloom work is to marvel at his style and talent, whether it is his masterful pen and ink drawings, his monumental murals or his inventive paintings. Each masterpiece begins with a single stroke, his creations evolving directly from the tip of his pen or brush. Without preliminary sketching or outline there is no telling where his creations will lead, like an “archaeological excavation of mind and imagination,” there are clues to the destination but you may be surprised at where you eventually arrive. It is a personal voyage of discovery into our collective psyche and the “mystery and chaos” we find there. Chuck describes his artwork as where he finds “equations and solutions, not only for the mechanics of the artistic process, but for the mechanisms that trigger imaginative thought.” Sometimes such a personal journey can be daunting, but his artistic prowess makes it a journey that we will gladly follow him on in hopes of finding our own special place in his surrealist landscape.

Chuck has always possessed an artistic passion; encouraged by his mother he attended summer workshops at Bowling Green State University near his childhood home in northwest Ohio. ARTNEWS Magazine recognized his talent as an undergraduate at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio where he earned Bachelor degrees with honors in art and psychology. He received a classical training that even the old masters could appreciate and it is clearly evident in his work. While attending Mount Union College he also worked for four years as the director of the Crandall Art Gallery, staging shows for such luminaries as Susan Rothenberg. He went on the MFA program at Kent State University, Ohio. While there he worked as a student instructor in undergraduate classes. During that period he was also a director and instructor at the Artist’s Way Gallery in Akron, Ohio as well as a docent at the Akron Art Museum.

Viewing his work in renowned galleries, experts have compared his detailed drawings to Durer and Escher. His work has been exhibited throughout the country. He has executed murals for various businesses in Ohio, including the international bookstore chain Borders’ Books and Music and for Broadway Coffee Traders in Portland, Oregon. Chuck has received numerous awards including the Evelyn Cook-Weber Prize and the Scottie Flamm Award for Excellence in Art Education and Community Service. His work is represented in prominent collections around the world including the permanent collections of Kent State University and Mount Union College as well as the personal collections of such people as the Dean of Mount Union College, the artist Matthew McCallum and the President of NIKE, Phil Knight.

Chuck lived on the Island of Maui, Hawaii for five years before moving to Portland, Oregon in 2002 where he now makes his home.