Pop-artist Charles Houska (pronounced House-ka) has been a working artist for more than 25 years. Houska Gallery, located in the Central West End neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, has been the home base for his working studio as well as a space to showcase other regional artists.
Born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, Houska earned a bachelor’s degree in art/visual communication from Illinois State University in 1987. After working as a graphic designer in Chicago for a few years, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that people were responding to his artwork. He moved back to Springfield to concentrate on his paintings, before ultimately landing in St. Louis.
In addition to his paintings on canvas, Houska is known for larger works including murals and billboards. His graphics have appeared in a variety of forms, including credit cards, city mass transit buses and even an Illinois license plate. Notable commissions from local and national clientele include major corporations: St. Louis Metro, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Herman Miller HQ, Absolut Vodka, and BoS Bank of Springfield. Houska also markets a line of collectible merchandise in his online store, houskastore.com.
Perhaps one of Houska’s favorite projects is working with school-age children through a program he calls Houskaballoo, collaborating on mural projects in their schools. Houska also involves himself with charitable organizations, especially those dealing with animals, such as PAWS, Stray Rescue, and The Humane Society.
Charles’s work and store can be found at houska.com.
