Chuck Roach

 

BACKGROUND

Chuck Roach was born in Albany Texas, and grew up in Novice, TX. Roach has been involved with art since he was a child and won an art prize at the age of 9. As he grew up, he found that he was not the only one interested in the allure of his artwork. He attended Tarleton State University and earned a degree in history and went on to teach at Merkel High School. Through his 28 teaching years, Roach did not forget his interest in art and would try throughout the year to paint portraits of his students. “Over the course of the year, I could get half of them done on 19x25 paper. I would always try to do everybody, but I never managed to do them all, but anyway it was great practice,” Roach said. He has been selling art in West Texas for more than 35 years. 

 

MEDIUM AND TECHNIQUE

His preferred medium is Acrylic, usually applied to Masonite.  He can also do portraits using colored pencil on paper.  He often paints scenes from Western movies, applying abstract form to realistic subjects.

 

INSPIRATION

Chuck draws INSPIRATIONfor his work from both iconic western figures and scenes, and the every-day people around him. His unique, colorful technique creates a personal connection between his paintings’ subjects and the viewer.

 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

While working as a history teacher, Chuck tutored students in his classes who were interested in art and served as a judge in the VASE (Visual Arts Scholastic Event) contest which serves the official arts judging program for the state of Texas. Chuck painted the cover art for the book, Roundtrip from Texas: More Travels and Essays from Sonja Klein. Chuck is also an accomplished and proficient portrait artist. His “Starbucks” series alone contains more than 35 portraits of Starbucks baristas from Abilene, TX. The coffee company also featured him and his art in an article on their official website.