Artists

Through his vivid, graceful paintings, Charles Berry reveals a deep appreciation of natural beauty. “I’ve always had an affinity for nature.” He admits. “We’re endowed as the protectors of this paradise we live in, and hopefully I can stir up and awaken people with this art.” Berry’s images are eye-catching and consciousness-raising in equal measure. His work ranges from impressionistic landscapes to faithful depictions of animals in the wild. Painting primarily on canvas and linen, he notes “Oils are my first love, but I also paint in acrylics.” In any medium, Berry’s paintings capture a rare sense of immediacy and intimacy. “I try to draw people right inside the picture and make them feel that they are actually there. If it’s a painting of an animal, I want the viewer to feel like they can reach out and touch it. If it is a landscape they should feel like they can pick the flowers.” Born in Missouri in 1942, Berry spent most of his childhood in Detroit, where he became interested in art at an early age. “But I got off to a rocky start” he laughs, “I failed art in high school, and my formal painting has been minimal.” Despite a few early setbacks, “Now I know my life is about my art. I can’t do anything else. It’s just one of those things that I’ve known I was meant to do.” His growing list of accomplishments includes a special distinction: Berry’s animal portfolio has been accepted for the 1997 Bio Diversity Exhibit at the New York Museum of Natural History.