Paul Chelko (1933-2007) American, Framed Pencil Sketch on Paper. A study of a young boy. Titled bottom left: "Child Study." Medium written bottom middle. Signed and dated "Nov 82" bottom right. 

Overall Size: 16 3/4 x 16 3/4 in. 

Sight Size: 11 x 8 1/2 in. 

Paul Chelko was born in Scotland in 1933 to Slovakian immigrants. As a child his family moved frequently throughout the United Kingdom, and during the war years he discovered American music and culture and fell in love with it. In 1951 he moved to America, settling in Atlanta, Georgia. He soon became a local celebrity, as his larger-than-life personality led him to a variety of jobs and social scenes. He organized beat poetry readings, where he frequently shared his own work and stories. For a brief while he sang and performed with the Atlanta Chamber Opera, but gave up performing as he found the requirements too rigid and taxing. However, the music scene introduced him to the world of visual art, and he began to experiment on his own, creating both hyper-realistic and abstract works primarily in oils and acrylics. Many of his works focused on the female form, sometimes garnering controversy for his bold colors and stark renderings, and by the mid 1980s celebrities were visiting his home studio in Atlanta to acquire his pieces, from Oprah Winfrey to Frank Sinatra to Vincent Price. However, he rarely traveled beyond Georgia, and preferred to work with local companies and patrons. He also struggled for much of his life with alcoholism and drug use, which began when he first arrived in the United States. While working for a women’s clothing store called Tootsie’s he met and married his wife, Debbie, who became his lifelong muse and helped him overcome his addictions while still retaining his “rock star persona.” The 1990s became his most prolific period, producing hand-decorated furniture and wearable art, and through Senator Max Cleland and Coretta Scott King he became involved in arts advocacy in Washington, D.C. He was a member of the White House Art in the Embassies Program, and served as the official artist for The Annual National Charity Awards Banquet for many years. Chelko also was invited to teach at Emory University, The Quinlan Art Center, and Massey Junior College, where he became a passionate proponent of arts education. After Debbie’s death from cancer in 2005 he channeled his pain into the creation of the Chelko Foundation, an organization with the mission of ending gender bias and raising scholarship funding for aspiring female artists. He succumbed to cancer as well on June 2nd, 2007, and the Foundation continued by his associate Randi Layne until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. His work has been featured in The High Museum of Art and The Smithsonian, and can still be found in many private, public, and corporate collections throughout Georgia and the Southeast.