Jeff Chose
artist profile

Jeff Chose declared early he would become an artist. His specialty as a child was underwater painting. Not painting underwater scenes, but watercolor painting underwater. Soaking paper in the bottom of his mother's water filled cake pans, painting on wet paper with dry watercolor paints, then resoaking for good measure. "I thought I was a genius with this technique. Each crinkled and blurred execution was a masterpiece."

More mainstream career aspirations led him to college and to business studies. After graduating from Washington State University, he by chance began work in the marketing department at The Maiden Foundry, one of the top bronze sculpture foundries in the country.

At The Maiden Foundry Jeff met and gained inspiration from the many wonderful artists that used the foundry services including Michael Maiden, Wyland, Lorenzo Ghiglieri, Shige Yamada, and Bernardo Lopez. "My first assignment at the foundry was to write a newsletter profiling the various artists who used our services. I interviewed the sculptors and got to visit a lot of their studios. Meeting all these talented sculptors through the years, watching them work, and studying their approach to the craft was the best possible art education I could have hoped for."

Jeff's sculpture subjects are often people participating in sports or outdoor leisure. He says the work is more special when he portrays things he enjoys doing and thinking about. "Each sculpture is a story. I want to express why people play the games and do the things they do for enjoyment. Then when people look at the piece they can remember the joy they get from playing games."

Jeff works in wax and clay at his studio in Vancouver, Washington. His compositions are derived from photos he sees in books and magazines. For his golf sculptures, he studies the swing analysis photos of professional golfers from Golf Digest. "I use mainly Jack Nicklaus and Ernie Els for reference on my golf sculpture. They are fundamentally sound through their entire range of motion. The art is not intended to look like them, though, just their form. Maybe someday I'll do their portrait. For now, I want my art to depict more the average guy who likes to go out and play. In our mind’s eye we all think our swing is as pure and fluid as the pros. Of course, our playing partners would dispute that."

Jeff's work is cast in Sandy, Oregon. Poured in pure bronze using the lost wax method, his sculptures are the highest quality in craftsmanship and materials. They are ideal for a home collection, as a generous gift idea, or for a corporate award. His work has been shown around the country in galleries in Las Vegas, Hilton Head Island, SC, and Portland, OR.