Charles Ren (1941-1995)

Chuck Ren, (1941-1995) was born in Ajo, Arizona, a small copper mining town. Growing up, Chuck used to copy from photographs in magazines such as Sports Illustrated, and also had an interest in the Old West, which would be a dominant subject in his later works.

Upon earning a degree in fine art from the University of Arizona, Chuck worked for Lockheed and the Computer Sciences Corporation as a technical artist. He then became a freelance illustrator, working on advertisments for companies such as Honda, as well as album covers and concept illustrations for films. He also produced works for the NHL, NASL and of course, the NFL.

Chuck did a large number of works for the NFL, starting in the late 1970's. Many illustrations were used in the NFL's official gameday program, Pro!, and he was also commissioned to paint the theme art for Super Bowl XIV. But Chuck's maybe best noted for the incredible series of team posters that he created and were produced by Damac Inc. Working under tight deadlines and a stringent criteria, Chuck's creations for the 28 NFL teams are a remarkable legacy to his sports art. Vibrant, striking, and beautifully designed paintings, the posters were a huge success worldwide. The success of the posters really pushed Chuck to the forefront of the NFL's finest illustrators, and rightly so.

As well as the NFL work and other projects, Chuck also worked on his Western Art, which was his real passion. Eventually giving up most of his freelance work, and after some very popular Western paintings had been released, Chuck concentrated almost full time on his depictions of the Old West. Researching the paintings was a labour of love for Chuck, and examples of authentic Western dress and other items for use in his paintings were something that he enjoyed acquiring. Chuck's paintings were released as prints, limited editions, collector plates and even sculptures, and are still highly popular today.

Sadly, Chuck passed away in 1995, but his legacy of beautifully crafted paintings still lives on, especially in his Western art. We hope this tribute helps keep the legacy of his equally wonderful football illustrations alive also.

Joe Montana (Chuck Ren)

Terry Metcalf (Chuck Ren)

Artwork for the Cleveland Browns Team Poster (Chuck Ren)

Back in the late 1970's, the National Football League employed the services of many established young, up and coming artists to produce artwork for publications, posters and promotions. Many of these artists had long and fruitful careers with the NFL and produced some of the most memorable sporting art ever seen. Artists such as Chuck Ren, Jim Lamb, Paul Kratter and Keith Batcheller particularly gave us some memorable images, including program covers, prints and the now highly desirable Damac range of team and city themed posters.
This blog is a tribute to those artists and their wonderful work, and in particular the late Charles Ren, whose work continues to be inspirational and influential to aspiring artists like myself. We hope this site not only highlights some of these fantastic works, but also serves as a fitting tribute to Chuck.

Throughout the blog, we'll have features and interviews with artists like Paul Kratter, Keith Batcheller and Chuck's son Jon, who learned from his father and is a talented and successful artist in his own right. There'll be special focuses on the famous Damac range of posters, detailed analysis, and stories behind their creation. We've also got our own Damac tributes to share, where we have created our own team themed style posters.
We'll also be featuring pieces on 'Pro!' magazine, and the fantastic art that graced the Gameday program covers.

This blog will be an ongoing project, as we uncover more examples of the artists' works and the stories behind them, and we hope this becomes a useful resource and interesting archive of their work.

Enjoy the blog!

Dan Tearle and Michael Princip