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CHESTER ELMORE
• To purchase artwork, contact Tilford Art
Group
• Click to see the Artist's biography
• Select another artist |
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PREVIOUS WORKS |
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70's Sunshine (2005)
Scatchboard
11 x 14
$650 |
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Angel of Mercy (2005)
Scatchboard
14 x 18
$900 |
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Daagbo (2005)
Scratchboard
14 x 18
$900 |
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Death of a
Thousand Cuts (2005)
Scatchboard
18 x 24
$1650 |
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Kwame (2005)
Scatchboard
14 x 18
$900 |
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Luna Mae (2005)
Scatchboard
11 x 14
$650 |
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Marion (2005)
Scatchboard
14 x 18
SOLD |
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Master Blue (2005)
Scatchboard
11 x 14
SOLD |
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My Old-New Orleans (2005)
Scatchboard
18 x 24
$1650 |
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Orwell (2005)
Scatchboard
11 x 14
SOLD |
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Our Fairie
Princess
(2004)
Scatchboard
18 x 24
$1650 |
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Pablo (2005)
Scatchboard
11 x 14
SOLD |
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Pathways (2005)
Scatchboard
18 x 24
SOLD |
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Sign Seer (2005)
Scatchboard
14 x 18
$900 |
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The Day we
First Met
(2005)
Scatchboard
14 x 18
SOLD |
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Third Eye
Blind Vision (2005)
Scatchboard
14 x 18
SOLD |
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Chester Elmore Biography
Art has always been a part of my
life. I was fortunate enough to have been born in San Francisco, which has always been a
cultural beacon for art in general but for African
American Artists in particular. The social conditions
of my neighborhood (Haight Ashbury)
as well as the rest of the country at that time, allowed for voices to be
heard that had heretofore been muted.
I was born into a Family that contained two formally trained working
artists (my uncles). From an early age I made enough of a pest of my self
that it became impossible for either of them to ignore my desire to learn
from them. I began to imitate their works and eventually refine technique
by critique and impromptu lessons. At
that time there were few venues that would exhibit the work of African American
Artists on par with their
white counterparts. To counter this fact many of the African American
Artists formed a collective to
create their own venue, (The Black Man’s Art
Gallery). Through
my mentors I was able to meet many of the artists.
It was at about this time that I discovered the studio of Eugene White a
block and a half from my home. As
a working artist, he took great interest in the neighborhood children and
ran an informal art program for them. He taught us the connection of art
to the community and the social obligation of the artist as a catalyst
for change.
As a child and adolescent I took
advantage of the many free public programs for youth in San Francisco. One that was most
helpful was the one offered by the DeYoung Museum
where students were provided with materials and instruction and also
allowed access to their collection spending many hours copying the
masterworks. At age thirteen I
received a scholarship to the San Francisco Academy
of Art. I attended class in
the evenings and weekends while attending Roosevelt Junior High
School. I worked in the graphic design shop
and the Fine Arts Department.
This was a turning point in my life as I was told emphatically: that
there was no place for art depicting black people; that there was no
classical standard for African
Art; and that there would be
no professional career for Black Artists.
This was the challenge that drives my work today.
I joined the San Francisco Police Department in 1978. I was nominated by
the department to attend the FBI Police Art
Course. There were twelve slots open and 30,000 applications for the
course. At the time a total of
220 people had graduated the course. I passed and began work as a
regional artist. I did composite drawings from interviews, Forensic
reconstruction of skeletal remains, photo retouch, and model making for
courtroom use. I worked with Time Life and the Smithsonian to identify
the mummified remains of a cowboy found in a traveling carnival. I
retired from the department in 1988.
I began drawing again in 1998 when I discovered scratchboard.
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