Chuck Quinlan art at Northern Arizona University. He began working in advertising design but only felt truly happy painting for himself. For many years Chuck did only commission work until deciding to enter a national juried competition. Only 40 top artist submissions were picked for the Southwest Artist Association's National Competition. At this contest Chuck's picture won Best of Show and was immediately bought by a collector from Oklahoma. A year later Chuck was the featured artist at the Phippen Museum of Western Art in Prescott Arizona and soon after he was made the featured artist for the Southern California Wildlife Artist Association. Other awards have continued to follow and a gallery came soon after.

After a few visits to Costa Rica, Chuck decided to move in 1995 when he found a beautiful piece of unspoiled rainforest. For a year and a half he lived here in a one room cabin next to an eighty foot waterfall, with no electricity, telephone or hot water and only a toucan for company. He now has electricity which he brought 3 miles through the jungle, a newly finished home, and three toucans which he uses for models in his paintings, although he is still lacking the telephone.