CHARLES WALDMAN
OIL PAINTER
ABOUT THE ARTIST
   
 

 

Charles Waldman

Charles Waldman in Giverny, France



Born in 1949 in Oakland and raised in nearby Lafayette, Charles Waldman developed an early interest in art. However, this budding inclination eventually took a backseat to the completion of a medical degree from UC Davis. Starting in 1978, and for the next 22 years, Dr. Waldman established a practice in Family Medicine and raised his family in Sonora, California, pursuing his painting in between his many commitments. Eventually, his artistic drive was too compelling to be relegated to occasional workshops and after-hours painting. In 1999, with some regret  but mostly with  great anticipation, Dr. Waldman closed his medical practice and began his pursuit of a full-time career as a fine art painter.

Charles Waldman had actually begun this journey to his new life twelve years earlier. In 1987, at the urging of his friend western landscape painter Heinie Hartwig, he began painting in oils. Subsequent workshops in 1990 and 1993 with Clyde Aspevig helped to nurture Waldman’s natural tendencies toward a direct and impressionistic style and to tap into that greatest of all influences, nature itself. Additionally, a week with Ted Goerschner in the spring of 1996 helped him to hone his handling of color.

In addition to his teachers, Waldman credits the works of past masters like Edgar Payne and others among the early California landscape painters, as well as John Singer Sargent and Spanish Impressionist Joaquin Sorolla as artistic influences.

The artist paints outdoors in the Sierras, the California foothills, along the Northern California coast and in other parts of the West. He also finds time to teach three to four workshops per year and to participate in several invitational plein-air events. Most importantly, this time to devote himself exclusively to painting has resulted in an ongoing growth that Waldman is delighted to see emerge in his work.

"I’m now able to paint more frequently on location and this has, consequently, opened my eyes to new and wonderful sites. As an artist,  you begin to see a world that others often pass by without noticing. It’s a joy to bring these to life on the canvas.

"I think there's more freshness in my work now, and this is something that I’ve always sought. I’d say that this development even includes the larger pieces that I have done in the studio from the plein-air work. This makes me feel that I made the right decision. I love the art life. It’s a great gift to be an artist. You really see the world and find beauty that the casual observer overlooks."

 
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