Name: Chuck

Email:

Web Site: http://myspace.com/cwhooper

Bio:

I was raised by my mother Margaret Hooper, her maiden name is Rockwell . She believed she was a distant relative to Norman Rockwell . Which made sense to me, Rockwell himself, looked like a family member . I grew up in Bangor Maine were I was born in October of 1958 . I always did a lot of drawing as a child and felt deep inside that I was an artist. But I never did well in art class and I always seemed to be on board with what they were doing . So board, I failed the class time after time . At eighteen,I became a Dad and my son Chuck was born, I married my High School Sweetheart,Terri, and moved to Florida a week later. I was twenty one when we made our way to Pinellas County in the Tampa Bay area, that was in 1979 . I worked in construction for a short time and my daughter Jennifer was born .When a friend offered me a job as a Bar Back in a Night club on Treasure Island Fl . It was only a few months before I started bar tending and for the first time I felt truly happy with what I was doing ........ But with me working nights in a club and Terri working days and starting out so young our marriage quickly fell apart . I worked as a Bar Tender for about nine years in various clubs . I had been at Coyotes Surf Club in Clearwater Fl., for over two years and I was offered the GM job . And found my self working up to 90 hours a week and totaly stressed out. And I had started feeling these incredible creative and artistic erg's that felt so over whelming at time's . I started doing a lot of sketching and drawing and painting, but I couldn't satisfy the erg I was feeling . A friend at the time recommended that I should take an art class to relieve stress and check out a new medium of art . So I found a woodcarving class in the Tarpon Springs Middle School to attend once a week . I would leave the club on Tuesday nights it would take me about two hours to drive there and take the class . And then I would come back and finish the night and close the club I was 30 years old and the class was full of senior citizens . They were so nice and supportive of me . The teacher asked me what are you doing here?? I told him I was going to be a sculptor !! He looked at me like I was crazy !!! I would come in there with my red satin club jacket on and set down with all of these senior citizens and watch what they were doing and asked a lot of questions .......... I bought a hand full of tools and got a lot of good advice went back to work and gave my two week notice after four classes and moved back to the coast of Maine just out side of Camden in a little town called Owl's Head . There I got a job in a seaweed processing plant working 12 hour swing shifts . I spent all my time off, carving Santa's and Wizard's ........ and selling my works in a store called( Made the Maine Way) .......After a year and a half I moved in to Camden and had my first studio there . After 2 1/2 years of that I had my fill of solitude and went back to Tampa Bay,where a friend was putting an art gallery together on St Pete Beach . I had an studio set up in the gallery were I would sculpt and the tourists could watch me and take photos and perches my art . This is were I created two sculptures for Author Stephen King and sent them to him as gifts . They were two coffins sculpted from two blocks of wood . One had a mummy in it and the other had a living dead guy in it. He was starting to rise up .Stephen King loved them and kept them in his office in Bangor Maine . He sent me photo's of him in his office with the two coffins . And that was in 1996 . At this time a good friend gave me a piece of Brazilian Soapstone and said I should try sculpting in stone !! I developed my own techniques for sculpting paint and finishing the Soapstone .......... I had eight hundred lbs of the stone imported from Brazil !! It was such a treat to work with . After a year and a half the gallery closed and I moved on from gallery to gallery trying to get something going and getting riped off at every turn , that frustrated me so much I stopped showing and just concentrated on sculpting and filled my house with sculptures from 1" to 5" tall . Nine years went by with out even trying to sell my art . I thought I would rather keep it then get ripped off doing consignment in galleries . I had lost over twenty pieces to dishonest people ......... And by this time I had started sculpting in clay ...... Which seamed incredibly easy after years of wood and stone , and trying my hand at mold making . At some point I hope to sell reproductions of my Santa's and Wizard's world wide !!

At this point I started looking at the internet as an outlet for my art, and to do that, I would need good photos of my art to show online ......... That's how I got going with photography .

And I found out I could create beautiful art with just one click of my camera . I find photography very relaxing and artistic way to spend my time . Florida is such a beautiful place now every were I look see a picture to be taken it drives me crazy !! I also have an idea for a series of children's self help books . I created a sculpture of the main character that would be sold as a toy to accompany the book. I am looking for a writer and an illustrator to work with me on that project as partners. I have had the toy viewed by Anjar Co of New York City they have been in the toy business for 30 years ...... I sent them a video presentation to confirm that it had never been done before . They loved the prototype and the idea. The first time I ever came to St Augustine on vacation I fell in love with the town and I knew I would live here one day . Well I have been here for two years the First of September and I have never been happier . I am not saying it's been easy getting started at all . The first year or so have been a real struggle !!!! One day I was praying and the lord put an image of a sculpture in my head and told me to sculpt it and donate it to the Anastasia Baptist Church . So I did , It's a sculpture of praying hands crashing up through stone , That's when things started looking up . I was introduced to the most amazing woman I have ever met !!!! Her name is Rita, I think I am going to ask her to marry me !!

I also got an email from Author ,Lisa Rogak, she was just finishing up a biography on Stephen King . Lisa Rogak found the photo's of Stephen King with my sculptures on my web page and asked for permission to use them in the bio . The photos were taken in his office . The bio was released on January 6 2009 The bio is called HAUNTED HEART THE LIFE AND TIMES OF STEPHEN KING

Now I have sculpted the third coffin of the series,which I have donated to Art Breakers; Artist in a fight against cancer, which is a local organization comprised of professional people in the ( St John's County ) And includes artist,cancer survivors and patients . I have just completed a My Space page for Art Breakers that will help them to connect with local artist . myspace.com/artbreakersorg info@artbreakersorg 904.377.2431 Art Breakers excepts donations from artist of all mediums . And they hold auctions to raise money to help support local cancer patients . The art is donated and there is a 50/50 split with the artist . It's an excellent way for artist to get there name out there and get people bidding on there art .

There will be a silent auction starting the First Friday Art Walk in June. The third piece in the Stephen King series of coffins will go up for auction . And it will be available for viewing and bidding at 130 KING STREET FINE ART GALLERY for all you Stephen King fans .It's been great working with Pier Fitts the Founder and Gaye Jones president of Art Breakers.

Two very highly motivated and dedicated woman and cancer survivors!!

I am also sculpting a stone piece to be donated to THE ALPHA - OMEGA MIRACLE HOME for a project I am working on with Lisa Franklin founder of ALPHA - OMEGA . The home has helped over 10.000 woman scene 1999 that just blows my mind !! Talk about a busy woman

Lisa Franklin never seams to stop ........ whether it's a young mom or a senior citizen she will find a way to help them . You can donate in lots of ways whether it's food ,money or time your support is needed . They have a Seniors Home . And a home for unwed pregnant Mothers and their children in Hastings, Fl. This is the my space page that was created for Alpha - Omega myspace.com/alphaomegamiracle aomh.org 904.823.8588

You can check out my art at the 130 KING STREET FINE ART GALLERY

And online at myspace.com/cwhooper or artwanted.com/cwhooper

My name is Charles W Hooper my friend's call me Chuck and I thank God for all the blessings