About the Artist

Charleen is an emerging artist, cultivating her work under the instruction of accomplished pastel artist Alain Picard. She is a pastel artist who also enjoys working in charcoal, graphite pencil, and colored pencil mediums. 

Charleen was born in Southern California, grew up in Northern New Jersey, and attended college in Philadelphia. She returned to New Jersey after getting married and began her career in NYC. While her daughters were still young she and her husband relocated to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where they spent 24 years. Recently, Charleen and her husband of 40+ years have transitioned back east and now live in beautiful southern Maine to be nearer to her children and grandchild, with the added benefit of gaining endless artistic inspiration from the nearby sea coast.

While attending college in Philadelphia, Charleen earned a BS in textile design. She worked as a textile designer in the home furnishings industry until her family moved to Michigan, and raising her three daughters became her main focus. She used her passion for the arts to encourage her daughter's education and creativity. Now grown, two work in art and design, and all three maintain personal creative practices.

Charleen's passion for color, form, and light combined with her world view are at the foundation of all of her work. She views the world as the result of intelligent design, with an intelligent designer. She is in awe of all the nuanced design in creation as well as the emotional response it evokes. 

Part of Charleen's values are loving your neighbor which has inspired her to donate 50% of her sales to Fair Tide, a non-profit helping to secure permanent housing for the homeless in southern Maine. You can read more about their work at fairtide.org