CHARLES L. AMOS

Charles L. Amos is an accomplished painter of portraits and landscapes and is recognized as a master painter of railroad heritage, however his recent work mostly focused on portraits. He was schooled in the William Merritt Chase school of painting.

Portrait and Landscape Period

He is called Charlie by those who know him, has painted portraits of many notable executives and individuals, including Dr. Jonathan Gibralter, the 14th President of Frostburg State University. President Gibralter said he was honored to be one of Amos’ subjects and said “Mr. Amos's portrait captured not just the image but the heart of my personality. He paints from his heart and is a truly wonderful artist and person.”

Another notable recent project involved the painting of the late movie star, Kay Kendall, who had impressed Charlie in the 1950's. He has recently completed several portraits of Kay and one of her sister, Kim, which is titled, “The Kendall Sisters - Kim and Kay”. All are displayed in the Withernsea Museum in England honoring and in memory of Kay Kendall.

The Railroad Years

Charlie began his studies at any early age. At the age of 11, he began attending the Marjorie Martinet School of Fine and Commercial Art in Baltimore, Maryland. He studied and was trained in the classical fine art tradition of William Merritt Chase by Miss. Martinet, who was a prized student of William Merritt Chase. She taught art at Drexel Institute and at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, before beginning her own school in Baltimore.

But Charlie’s other passion was railroading, and after graduating from the University of Baltimore, he put his brushes and paints away to pursue a railroading career. And like his drive for excellence in all his endeavors, his career with railroads reflected that drive. Starting as a railroad clerk, he progressed through many positions, including a steam locomotives engineer, ultimately advancing to assistant superintendent for the Western Maryland Railway.

He left the Western Maryland after 23 years to work for the Federal Railroad administration and the later Secretary of transportation. He returned to the private sector as Executive Director of the State Rail Programs Division of the Association of American Railroads. His many accomplishments with the government were acclaimed, culminating with a personal letter from President Gerald Ford congratulating him for his dedication in helping negotiate a successful conclusion to some difficult railroad regulatory issues which ultimately lead to the deregulation of the railroad industry.

Master Painter of Railroad Heritage

In 1984 he changed careers, left Washington, Charlie again picked up his brushes and began to paint full time. He has since painted railroad paintings commissioned by many railroads such as the Chessie System, the Baltimore and Ohio, CSX Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Sea-Land Service and many more. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary, John Snow, has called Amos a “leading artist” in the country and praised him for his realistic and detailed depictions of all aspects of railroading. The president of NYS&W Railroad, the late Walter Rich, proclaimed him as the foremost painter of railway subjects in the United States.

Amos has sold more than 300 painting and now concentrates a large potion of his time on paint portraits from his Cumberland, Maryland studio and can be contacted at clamosmva@comcast.net.

Mailing Address:
3 Pershing Street Suite 306
Cumberland, Md 21502

Phone: 717-515-2322

E-Mail the Artist: clamosmva@comcast.net

Questions, comments and other topics, please e-mail: info@amoscollection.com