Charles Alexander Oliver was born in 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

He has been creating since he could hold a crayon. He is self-taught basically except for some direction from his father who is also an artist.

He has been involved with fine art professionally since 1969 when he returned home from Vietnam and the Marine Corps. During the early 70's he worked as an art consultant to fine artists and exhibited his works in many shows in the Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York areas.

In 1976 he started his commercial art career and continued to do fine art in his spare time. Mr. Oliver has been an art director for several ad agencies, PR firms, newspapers and printers.

In 1988 he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Charles was told he could expect to live 18 months to 2 years. That was 19 years ago and he hasn't missed a step or looked back.

In 1992 he moved to Fairfax, Virginia to be closer to family and went back to the fine arts area on a full time basis. Mr. Oliver moved to Manassas in 2002 and moved to a mountain top home in Mt. Jackson, Va. in 2007.

In The Artist's Own Words...

"I have been creating since I could hold a crayon. I am self-taught other than my father's tutoring (he is also an artist) and a couple years of high school art classes. I have been involved with fine art professionally since 1969 when I returned home from Vietnam and the Marine Corps. In 1976 I started my commercial art career. I got tired of being a starving fine artist. I have been an art director for several ad agencies, newspapers and print media firms. In 1992 I moved here to Virginia and went back to the fine arts area. In '97 I started my fine art creations full time and haven't looked back since. There never seems to be enough time in the day to pursue all I want to do in art. I live, breathe and dream creation. I also enjoy website design and programming, digital photography (I use my own photos as a basis in some of my work). Recent works are on display at Carmello's Restaurant in Old Town Manassas and several galleries in the Washington, DC and Philadelphia areas."