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Stuart Dunkel

(Born 1952)

Smasher

Oil on panel

4 x 5 inches

Signed

BIOGRAPHY - Stuart Dunkel (Born 1952)

Stuart Dunkel

Painter and musician Stuart Dunkel grew up in Fairlawn, New Jersey, the youngest son of two psychologists. His interest in art emerged in early childhood, but an art education class that his mother enrolled him in at age five proved to be a “horrible experience”. In the short term, that was the end of the young Dunkel’s interest in art. His attention turned to music, specifically to the clarinet which ultimately led him to a successful career as a classical musician.

Throughout his school years, Dunkel focused almost exclusively on music, and by the time he reached high school, his teacher and mentor designed a unique musical curriculum tailored to his development as a musician. By that time, Dunkel had shifted from the clarinet to the oboe. After graduation, he received a scholarship to Boston University where he soon realized that his high school teacher had given him a far more thorough foundation in music and music history than most of his classmates.

Dunkel’s years at Boston University proved to be an important springboard for his career. One of the coaches for the music program worked in human resources for the Boston Symphony Orchestra; and when there was a need for a substitute oboist at the Symphony, he asked Dunkel to step in. For a young musician, this was a rare opportunity, both to learn from experienced musicians and to develop a fuller understanding about participating in an internationally acclaimed symphony orchestra.

Following his college graduation in 1975, Dunkel was immediately hired as the full-time oboist for the Boston Opera Company, and he also continued working as a contractor for the Symphony. Unfortunately, the Opera Company’s financial stability diminished over the course of the 1970s and early 1980s, leading Dunkel to leave Boston to pursue his career elsewhere. In the opening years of the 1980s, he worked as the solo oboe for the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony. Subsequently, he moved to New York to attend the Mannes College of Music where he received a masters degree in 1985, and then went on to complete a doctoral  program at Juilliard School of Music in 1987.

With his newly minted doctoral degree in hand, Dunkel returned to Boston as a faculty member at both Boston University and the Boston Conservatory. This was a productive period; he started a small company to produce reeds for the oboe and he wrote his first book, The Audition Process: Anxiety Management and Coping Strategies. Perhaps most significantly, he met and married his wife Mary in 1992.

Throughout these years, Dunkel had been painting in his spare time, but it was not until 1994 that he began to move away from music as his primary career and into the visual arts. This was prompted in part by a weariness with the often insular culture of academia and in part by a curiosity about other possibilities; in addition, Dunkel’s reed business provided a regular income.

One of Dunkel’s first decisions as a visual artist was to begin classes at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. It was there that he studied basic composition and technique with an emphasis on classical painting traditions. A few years later he studied with Scott Fraser at the Academy of Realist Art in Seattle. On his return to Boston, he began to build his career as a painter, continuing to take workshops with a variety of well respected artists.

Dunkel recalls that he began by painting images of dogs. As he remarks, “I enjoyed painting them, but they didn’t sell.”  Recognizing the need to explore a wider range of subjects, he began including other animals, one of which would become his most characteristic creation, the small mouse. The mouse paintings first appeared as part of a running joke with his wife about why there were crumbs on the kitchen counter. Dunkel included one of them in an exhibition at the Lyman-Eyer Gallery in Provincetown, Massachusetts, not really expecting that it would sell. As he was packing up his work at the end of the show, however, a client saw the mouse painting sitting on the floor and purchased it immediately.

Since then, the mouse has become Dunkel’s most familiar image. He describes these paintings as “a magnificent obsession” and notes that the process is similar to playing music, always bringing a fresh interpretation to the performance. The mouse is clearly autobiographical, but he is also a universal spirit, sharing emotional experiences that range from delight to fear—usually with a sense of humor as well.

Like many series painters, from Claude Monet to Andy Warhol, Dunkel is fascinated with abstract and formal harmonies in his compositions as well as the immediate subject. Viewed from a distance, the specific elements of the mouse paintings transform themselves into explorations of color and shape and line, creating patterns and revealing structures that are not apparent at first glance.

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Dunkel concentrated on continuing education and on assimilating the culture of the classical realist art world. He entered juried competitions, receiving a prize in 2004 at the Westford Art Show in Westford, Massachusetts. The following year, his work was accepted at the prestigious Salmagundi Club’s Realist Competition in New York. In 2006, he served as a guest lecturer on the topic of “Art and Anxiety” at Wellesley College; and returned for an encore in 2007.

The next two years solidified Dunkel’s reputation as a serious artist in the Boston art world. He was a Silver Medal winner at New England Representational Competition sponsored by The Guild of Boston Artists in October of 2007; and the recipient of the Crisp Award for Best of Show at the exhibition organized by the Copley Society of Boston in November. In the summer of 2008, he again received kudos from the Copley Society of Boston at the Members Summer Show Competition where he won first prize.

In the summer of 2008, Dunkel also teamed up with a friend to produce what was intended to be a marketing pamphlet on his ideas about art. The project grew far beyond the original idea however, and eventually became Dunkel’s second book. Published in 2009, An Artist’s Life: Insights into the Paintings of Stuart Dunkel offers the painter’s insights into the process of painting from three perspectives: technical, creative, and spiritual.

During this period, Dunkel also continued to seek out teachers within the classical realist tradition; one of the most influential was Joel Carson Jones, himself a student of Anthony Waichulis of the Ani Art Academies. Dunkel traveled to northeastern Pennsylvania to work with Jones and was pleased to be invited to participate in the Anthony Waichulis Invitational in 2011. That year’s exhibition, titled Capturing Realism, was held at the Pauly Friedman Gallery at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania. This was an opportunity to meet other artists working in the realist tradition, as well as a chance to show his paintings to the art dealers who attend the annual show.

Back home in Massachusetts, Dunkel continued to take classes with respected local painters, and in 2010, he agreed to teach a basic class after his own teacher moved to New York. Today, he is the director of the Nautilus School of Realist Art in Watertown, Massachusetts where he continues to teach a small coterie of students. As always, the discipline that he mastered as a young musician serves him equally well as a painter. His work has grown in depth and meaning over the years, and when asked about his goals for the future, he replies simply that he “hopes to keep improving.”

Janet Whitmore, Ph.D.

Browse by Artist
AVAILABLE WORKS
Cherry Catcher - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Cherry Catcher
Oil on panel
5 x 5 inches
Signed
Garlic Lover - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Garlic Lover
Oil on panel
5 x 7 inches
Signed
Tennis Pro - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Tennis Pro
Oil on panel
8 x 6 inches
Signed
Pickle Poacher - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Pickle Poacher
Oil on panel
4 x 5 inches
Signed
Mouse Trap - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Mouse Trap
Oil on panel
5 x 7 inches
Signed
Transit Transistor - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Transit Transistor
Oil on panel
6 x 12 inches
Signed
Eggplant Messanger - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Eggplant Messanger
Oil on panel
5 x 7 inches
Signed
Touring Taj - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Touring Taj
Oil on panel
12 x 9 inches
Signed
Smoke Screen - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Smoke Screen
Oil on panel
8 x 6 inches
Signed
Meatball Trap - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Meatball Trap
Oil on panel
7 x 5 inches
Signed
Orange Xray - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Orange Xray
Oil on panel
5 x 5 inches
Signed
Atlas - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Atlas
Oil on panel
8 x 6 inches
Signed
Ferry - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Ferry
Oil on panel
10 x 20 inches
Signed
In the Studio - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
In the Studio
Oil on panel
16 x 12 inches
Signed
Saving for Adventure - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Saving for Adventure
Oil on panel
9 x 12 inches
Signed
Cupid Undercover - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Cupid Undercover
Oil on panel
9 x 12 inches
Signed
Tulip B & B - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Tulip B & B
Oil on panel
8 x 6 inches
Signed
Cashing In - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Cashing In
Oil on panel
12 x 9 inches
Signed
Donut Plaza - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Donut Plaza
Oil on panel
20 x 8 inches
Signed
At the Aquarium - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
At the Aquarium
Oil on panel
24 x 48 inches
Signed
Saving the Universe - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Saving the Universe
Oil on panel
30 x 24 inches
Signed
Tour of Dantes Hell - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Tour of Dantes Hell
Oil on panel
36 x 24 inches
Signed
Stays in Vegas - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Stays in Vegas
Oil on panel
26 x 25 inches
Signed
Carnegie Hall - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Carnegie Hall
Oil on panel
20 x 16 inches
Signed
Going Bananas - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Going Bananas
Oil on panel
10 x 10 inches
Signed
High Expectations - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
High Expectations
Oil on panel
5 x 7 inches
Signed
Banana Splits - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Banana Splits
Oil on panel
10 x 10 inches
Signed
Fifteenth Club - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Fifteenth Club
Oil on panel
16 x 12 inches
Signed
Pickle Poacher - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Pickle Poacher
Oil on panel
5 x 7 inches
Signed
Lemon Shooter - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Lemon Shooter
Oil on panel
5 x 5 inches
Signed
Curious Apple - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Curious Apple
Oil on panel
6 x 8 inches
Signed
Nibbles - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Nibbles
Oil on panel
5 x 5 inches
Signed
Camouflage in Orange Red - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Camouflage in Orange Red
Oil on panel
5 x 5 inches
Signed
Pickle Delivery - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Pickle Delivery
Oil on panel
5 x 7 inches
Signed
Licking Test - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Licking Test
Oil on panel
5 x 7 inches
Signed
Mind Split, 1994 - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Mind Split, 1994
Oil on panel
18 x 24 inches
Signed
Where to Start - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Where to Start
Oil on panel
5 x 5 inches
Signed
Viking - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Viking
Oil on panel
16 x 20 inches
Signed
Dinner Plans - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Dinner Plans
Oil on panel
5 x 5 inches
Signed
Bad Choice - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Bad Choice
Oil on panel
6 x 12 inches
Signed
Currier - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Currier
Oil on panel
5 x 7 inches
Signed
Two Singers - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Two Singers
Oil on canvas
24 x 36 inches
Signed
Tart Expert - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Tart Expert
Oil on panel
7 x 5 inches
Signed
Best Banana - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Best Banana
Oil on panel
10 x 8 inches
Signed
It\'s a Steal - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
It's a Steal
Oil on panel
6 x 8 inches
Signed
Bite Coin - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Bite Coin
Oil on panel
8 x 8 inches
Signed
Museum - The Circus - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Museum - The Circus
Oil on panel
24 x 36 inches
Signed
Woman Maze, 1990 - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Woman Maze, 1990
Oil on panel
18 x 24 inches
Signed
Masked - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Masked
Oil on panel
18 x 24 inches
Signed
Big Announcement - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Big Announcement
Oil on panel
24 x 18 inches
Signed
Bells (Portrait of the artist) - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Bells (Portrait of the artist)
Oil on canvas
16 x 20 inches
Signed
Orchid + Eggs - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Orchid + Eggs
Oil on panel
16 x 12 inches
Signed
Lemon + Orchid - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Lemon + Orchid
Oil on panel
16 x 12 inches
Signed
Obsessive Thoughts - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Obsessive Thoughts
Oil on canvas
18 x 24 inches
Signed
Lego Monster - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Lego Monster
Oil on panel
16 x 12 inches
Signed
Victorious - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Victorious
Oil on panel
10 x 8 inches
Signed
The Collector - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
The Collector
Oil on panel
6 x 12 inches
Signed
Listening to the Oldies - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Listening to the Oldies
Oil on panel
12 x 16 inches
Signed
Diner: After Hours - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Diner: After Hours
Oil on panel
16 x 20 inches
Signed
Wrestling Carrot - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Wrestling Carrot
Oil on panel
10 x 8 inches
Signed