On any given day, you can find Charlene Mosley sketching life as it unfolds around her.
Born in Berlin and raised in San Diego, this Cuyamaca alumna has been creating art since she was old enough to hold a pencil.
“As a kid, I was always drawing. It began with doodles in class, then Disney characters, and eventually I was asked to design the yearbook cover. My mom is the one who encouraged me to participate in my first art competition in Germany” she said.
Stepping Out of Her Comfort Zone
In 2010, Mosley made the choice to attend Cuyamaca College in the hopes of turning her passion into a career. She shared, “I was trying to find out if art was something that I wanted to pursue professionally. My professors encouraged me to explore what art meant to me. Then, I started working as an art assistant where I learned how to set up an art show.”
Over the years, Mosley has amassed an impressive portfolio, earning an associate’s degree in Fine Arts and Humanities, Studio Arts, General Studies, and a bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts, Painting and Drawing. In addition to working on various projects in Japan, China, and the Czech Republic, she’s exhibited in over 40 art shows across San Diego. Mosley even painted the now famous mural in the Cuyamaca Student Center.
Making History
In late May 2016, Charlene Mosley was selected out of more than 4,000 artists to travel to Gdansk, Poland for testing to be part of the BreakthruFilm production on Loving Vincent. After passing the three-day testing stage, Mosley worked alongside 125 international artists as a painter-animator on the first ever fully-painted (and Oscar-nominated) feature film, “Loving Vincent.”
Mosley’s current artworks explore the 21st century media-driven society and its connection to technology and nature. She depicts painted collages of people engaged in everyday activities surrounded by vegetation and foliage.
Sparks Gallery Exhibition
Her distinctive style gives each passerby a reason to stop and reflect. This is part of the reason that after years of sharing the spotlight, Mosley was finally granted the opportunity to host a solo exhibition at Sparks Gallery entitled “Pollinators with minis 2022,” which will run through July 3, 2022.
It appears that Mosley won’t be running out of creative juice anytime soon. “I’ve been painting non-stop for the past five months. I’m doing everything from working on cover art and interior illustrations, as well as a layout for book series and concept for an upcoming musical” she said.