Thierry Chatelain was born in Morocco in 1952, to a French colonial family living in Casablanca. At national independence the family returned to France, then moved to southern California, where the artist early displayed rare and luminous gifts. A remarkable instance of acknowledgment of talent and permission for a particular vision — made all the more remarkable because the present was not given as a literal road map: the higher realms beyond the four senses, and not the bizarre or eccentric — were always the inspiration for his work.
Chatelain has studied at the Ecole des Arts Decoratif in Paris; has shown at, among others, the Knowles Gallery in La Jolla, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Atlantia Gallery in Los Angeles, the Reid Gallery in Carmel. The artist also has work at both Disney and Universal studios.
Only the world of light and peace and truth enters into Chatelain’s painting. These higher forces are juxtaposed oftentimes with global native and vanished cultures and with the animal and floral kingdoms into an inclusionary celebration of the earth and her contents. Yet in spite of its exquisite realism, Chatelain’s painting offers us something more, a channel into the universal subconscious, of myth and pure imagination, and it is this inspiration which gives his subject matter its widespread appeal.
Indeed, the artist is well celebrated for his brilliant command of gouache and his mastery of color. In both he is arguably without peer; the technical precision of Chatelain’s brushwork is in every way matched by his unearthly powers as a colorist.
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SELECTED BIOGRAPHICAL EVENTS
1974 — Work for various advertising agencies and begin to show my paintings at the San Diego Art Institute.1976 — First one-man show at Knowles Gallery in La Jolla, CA.1976–1990 — Eight one-man shows at Knowles. Published four gallery posters at Knowles.1980 — Begin painting Native American subjects.1981 — One-man show at San Diego Museum of Art. 1984 — Show at San Diego Museum of Natural History, San Diego, CA. 1984 — Show at Maple Creek Gallery in San Diego, CA. 1984 — Show at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN. 1984 — Chosen to illustrate the 131st California State Fair poster 1986 — Produce Mayan Stela Series, Limited Edition paper sculptures. 1987 — Serve as President of San Diego Artist’s Guild, and participated 1988 — Show at Atlantia Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. 1988 — Show at Reid Gallery, Carmel, CA. 1991 — Begin work with my friend Dan Dryden, Scenic Designer and Art Director with Universal Studios, Disney, and Sea World, as his illustrator on many projects. Featured in Magical Blend magazine, April 1991, Issue 30. 1992 — Help Dan install E.T. the Extraterrestrial attraction at Universal 1992 — Visit Hawaii, big island, for the first of five trips through 1992 — Leanin’ Tree Greetings begins to publish my paintings on 1993 — Meet Marilyn Youngbird, Sioux Medicine Woman, and begin four 1993 — Meet Deane Hawley, music producer, and began friendship and 1994 — Deane and I work on Mind, Body, Soul, and Walking 1995 — Visit Hawaii and the spiritual community of friends, writers, |
1995 — Meet Zannah, feature writer for Angel Times Magazine. My work is featured in Vol 1, Issue 4. Am now painting winged Native Americans and Angels. Zannah is introduced to Deane Hawley. We all begin collaborating on art, music and literature projects.1995 — October 28, my beloved mother and father pass away on the same day, eight hours apart. A profound spiritual experience of love, light and Angels ensues. 1996 — Angels are calling in my paintings. I am featured in the art 1996 — Trail West Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA. 1997 — New publishing company, Triangel Arts is formed and produces 1997 — Triangel Arts is featured in the Angel Times Yellow Pages 1997 — Through the creative talents of Dean, Zannah, myself and several 1997 — Our INSIGHT group is interviewed by Martin Waterman and LifestyleSoftware Group for an upcoming documentary and CD-ROM on Angels. 1997 — Our INSIGHT group appears on the syndicated television program, Cynthia Brian’s Starstyle — Live Your Dreams. 1997 — Featured in the book Angels A to Z, by James R. Lewis 1997 — One-man Show at Angels Haven, Lake Tahoe, CA. 1997 — One-man Show at Angels Among-Us Gallery, La Mesa, CA. 1998 — Our INSIGHT group begins lecture series at BORDERS Books. 1998 — Old friend Damon Hedgepeth, Gardening Editor of San Diego 1999 — Join fellow artists John Abel, Ken Goldman, Stephanie Goldman, Analise Rigan and Andre Rushing to work on a series of 144 paintings for “East meets West” produced by Company Ninety-Eight. |