Charles Dwyer

Fascinated by the complexities of both the human form and the human mind, Charles "Chuck" Dwyer Jr. finds inspiration for his art around any given corner and in potentially any face. "I'm always looking at people. I could be in a restaurant and say, 'Boy, that person looks interesting.' I've always loved portraiture it's just you and that image."

Dwyer utilizes a mixed-media approach to create paintings with both literal and figurative layers. Skilled in many areas of the creative process, drawing, however, remains closest to his heart. "Drawing is the foundation of everything," Dwyer avers. "It's kind of primal."

Born in West Bend, WI, in 1961, Dwyer and his fraternal twin brother are the youngest of six children. Although twins, the brothers have opposing talents, one in art and one in engineering. Dwyer's mother tells him he was interested in art from a very early age. "'As a child you drew all the time,' she told me, not because she asked me to do it but because I enjoyed it."

Dwyer excelled in art at West Bend East High School and received a scholarship from the West Bend Art Museum, a place that he frequented throughout his early years. At the Milwaukee School of Art and Design, where he majored in Fine Art, he "studied hard," and graduated Valedictorian.