When I was in college, I took my first trip to Europe with some friends. I remember standing in front of the David. The undulations of his right arm moved me to tears. I was captured by the sculpture of Michelangelo, Rodin, Canova, the ancient Greeks and Romans, though it was not until long after medical school that I could join their path. In 1987, I discovered Harriet Moore, a wonderful sculptor whose erotic work reminded me of my beloved Rodin and a wonderful teacher whose gentle guidance let each student find their own way. I began working in clay until, 10 years later, I had the courage to progress to stone and eventually to life-size marble and bronze figures. Since then, I have studied under and worked with Pat Bengston-Jones, Lynne Streeter, Guissepe Landi, and Mirio Viviani. The latter two men are artigiani of Tuscany. Since 1999, I have traveled every year to the small town of Pietrasanta in the marble mountains of Northern Tuscany, where classical stone carving has been practiced for centuries. There I live and work with master sculptors whose craft has been passed down through the generations.

I am obsessed with passion, the forces that drive us to greatness and to ruin. My work expresses a modern psychological and cultural perspective on the tales and myths of the past. I am entranced with the rich expressiveness of the human form, truly the most compelling subject for expressing the deepest truths about the human condition. I use the classical techniques of the great figurative sculptors of the past to express modern values and thoughts. My women are not victims of pillage and rape but powerful sexual beings. My men are neither gods nor slaves but equals to each other and their female companions in facing the challenges of existence.

Clanton's work includes nudes, portraits, bas reliefs, and modern takes on allegorical sculpture. They have been shown in numerous exhibits and private collections, including multiple open studios, group exhibitions at Somar Gallery in San Francisco, and the Oakland Museum Figurative Sculpture Exhibition, where he won Best Sculpture in the 21st annual competition in 2004. Clanton's most recent commissions include "Dancer" and "Contemplation". He appeared in the PBS documentary "Through the Eyes of the Sculptor". Outstanding features of Clanton's work are intense realism and detail combined with the grace of classical figures.

One of Clanton's great great grandparents came from Denmark and one of his great grandparents on the other side of the family married a Swede who became a beloved aunt. Clanton resides in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

Chuck Clanton

tel: (650) 401-8401
e-mail: chuckclanton@figart.org
web site: www.figart.org