Meet Charles Wallis: Master Painter Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charles Wallis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charles, what is the most important factor behind your success?
When I was twelve someone from my church saw one of my drawings and was kind enough to buy me a collection of art supplies. It was a moment of great joy and recognition. I have been an artist ever since. I am an artist with classic training. Constantly learning with thousands hours of work effort. People often say God has blessed you with so much talent. They seem to just think that you wake up with all the skill needed. It is the hours of work and learning that comes after the interest.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I worked in graphic design after college as an artist also as an art director. I have been painting regularly for the last twelve years. Most recently I have been focused on expressionist landscapes. These landscapes will be a feature of the virtual gallery tour. Expressionist painting are like Edvard Munch’s The Scream. They are dominated by the emotions expressed in the painting. How do you do that with landscapes? The Virtual Gallery Tour of Expressionist Landscapes will show and answer that questions. I will say that my art is an expression of my spirit to the spirit of others that connect with it.  I seek to recreate a memory, a wish, feelings or a fantasy or moment of joy or peace in the soul of the viewer.  I pursue ideas, color combinations or images that attract my attention and paint them as an impression; or abstraction and some paintings are just for the fun of presenting something in an unusual manner.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend visiting me in the DFW area we would be all over the art scene. Visiting all of the Arts District, Deep Ellum, The Dallas Museum of Art, Crow Museum of Asian Art, Modern Art Museum of Ft. Worth, Kimbell Art Museum, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and a collection of galleries. Dallas is blessed with many fine restaurants. We would probably be doing vegan restaurants like the Loving Hut and Pho Is For Lovers of Greenville. Then we would go to Ruth Chris’ for steak one night.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am a graduate of the Baylor University Fine Art program. I have had numerous solo and joint shows. I Currently exhibit at the Texas Visual Art Association gallery in the Plaza Of The Americas, also at Weiler House Fine Art Gallery in Arlington and the Adobe Western Art Gallery. Due to the pandemic I have a show open in Waco and also Corsicana that closed two days after they opened. The gallery world has been hit hard by the pandemic. My website is through Art Store Fronts out of Austin. They have been excellent in guiding us to more effectively use social media. Through encouragement I am now working on a Virtual Gallery Tour with art curator Gabriela Kane from Plano to present a collection of my Expressionist landscapes that are popular. Gabriela has been a curator for several years. She also works as the operations manager of Texas Folklife. We will be finalizing this virtual tour during the month of September and show it on FB, Instagram, You Tube, Tik Tok and other places with advertising on FB and other places. My launch into the art world came from a woman in my church who saw a couple of my drawing when I was in ninth grade and she went out and bought we some supplies. It changed my world. I am a member of The Texas Visual Artist Association and former VP. I am also a member of several other art leagues in the state including the Irving Art League.

Website: www.charleswallis.com
Instagram: charleswallisart
Twitter: charleswallis@wallisart
Facebook: Charles Wallis Art Space
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYPu2vTt1adY-BW2sTBvlaw