Monday, January 6, 2014

Charles Gehm January 5-February 9, 2014

Charles Gehm has been a fine artist and illustrator for over 60 years. Displaying exceptional talent as a child, he was selected to paint a large wall mural depicting The Intellectual Phases of Education on acoustic tiles in his Alliance, OH high school. When years later the old school was replaced with a new one, this mural was lovingly removed and reassembled in its new place of honor. Charles subsequently received the school’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. He won the Scholastic Art Awards 1948 Certificate of Merit along with their scholarship to attend the Columbus College of Art and Design, where he studied under Joseph Canzani. His studies were interrupted by service in the Korean War; upon returning home he enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Art. Charles enjoyed great success as an illustrator. During his long career he created book cover art for every major United States publishing house. His illustrated young adult books The Thanksgiving Treasure and A House Without a Christmas Tree (Scholastic) have both been televised. Also in his resume are magazine illustrations for Redbook, Reader’s Digest, and Good Housekeeping, record jacket covers for Columbia Records, and advertising art for clients including Delta Airlines, Kellogg’s, E&J Brandy and Land o’ Lakes. Highly prized, his collectible art projects include a series of limited edition Gone With The Wind prints (Marks Collection), Wizard of Oz prints (Marks Collection), and Grimm’s Fairy Tales plates (Bradford Exchange). He painted the now collectible poster for the film Barry Lyndon. Other movie posters include The Island, The River, The Betsey, and Death on the Nile. In 2002, The Board of the New York Stock Exchange selected him to create their Christmas card for that season. The original painting now hangs in the NTSE Museum. Along with his commercial projects, Charles worked as a fine artist. He has received numerous awards for his fine art, including Best in Show from The Butler Art Institute, OH, The Kent Art Association, CT, and The Richter Association for the Arts, CT. His oil and watercolor paintings have been shown in The Husberg Fine Arts Gallery, AZ, The Vanier & Roberts Gallery, AZ, The National Arts Club, NY, The Salmagundi Art Club, NY, as well as in various galleries in Connecticut. Sharing his love of art with students, Charles taught life drawing and painting at The Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, illustration at Pratt Institute, NY, and drawing, design, painting and illustration at Western Connecticut State University. He has been a member of The Society of Illustrators, The Salmagundi Club and The National Arts Club. Currently a member of The Oil Painters of America, he has participated in several of their group shows. Charles resides in Connecticut with his artist wife, Judy York.

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