2026 Alumni Honors: Chuck Black, ’10

Chuck Black, ‘10, won the 2023 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest, an honor he had pursued since his father first showed him the stamp as a child.

His oil painting of a northern pintail appeared on the 2024-25 Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp.

Wildlife has always been Chuck’s passion, but winning the contest prompted him to reconsider the direction of his work.

“I felt like I was always working rather than enjoying the outdoors,” he said. “I always had to have my camera and didn’t want to miss a moment.”

Today, Chuck is exploring a new subject: old farms and ranches.

“I’m building a photo library of farms and ranches, with a particular interest in disappearing barns at their most idealized state,” he said. “I think about the history and stories that could be discovered, and that’s lit a fire under me.”

For Chuck, these paintings are about more than the image itself. “They touch the stories people want to talk about, share and reminisce about,” he said.

Chuck has worked as a full-time artist since 2015, following five years conducting fieldwork for national parks and wildlife agencies, including Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“A lot of that work was very hands-on with big game animals, giving me a different perspective on their behavior,” he said.

Chuck earned his degree in wildlife biology, rather than art. He suggests students pursue something that genuinely interests them. “I knew I wanted to do something with my artwork, but my passion was wildlife,” he said. “I gravitated toward the subject.”

His art was mostly self-taught. “I always wanted to paint the way I wanted to paint,” he said. “It’s been a long trial-and-error process. I try to take away something from every painting and apply it to the next one.”

Chuck said receiving the Young Alumni Achievement Award feels as meaningful as winning the Duck Stamp competition.

“To be sought out among the University’s numerous options is really special.”