C.F. Meyer

Artist Statement

Chuck Meyer’s figurative works explore the complexity of human relationships through sculpture, drawing, and painting. His compositions—both solo figures and grouped arrangements—capture gestures of reaching, turning, and pausing, evoking moments suspended in time. These works reflect his enduring interest in the spaces between people: the tension of unspoken connection, the intimacy of presence, and the ache of absence.

Meyer’s practice is shaped by a lifelong engagement with form, space, and narrative. Years spent designing and fabricating sets for contemporary dance and theatre deeply inform his sensitivity to posture and physical storytelling—where emotion must be rendered without language. His sculptural figures often mirror that performative silence, inviting the viewer into quiet emotional registers, grounded in the body and its gestures.

His work is equally rooted in the aesthetic traditions and spatial philosophies of Japan and Italy, where he studied extensively. In Japan, Meyer encountered the profound impact of restraint, negative space, and the quiet dialogue between object and environment. In Italy, he absorbed a sensibility of form that was both grand and intimate—learning how beauty and devotion to craft can draw people into moments of reflection and belonging.

Much of Meyer’s recent work emerges from a period of deep personal loss. Within one year, he lost both his father and his closest friend—two individuals he looked up to as models of creativity, character, and care. His father, an interiors architect, instilled in him an intuitive understanding of space and structure. His mother, an art and architectural historian, nurtured his sensitivity to how we inhabit, interpret, and shape the world around us. These influences—along with Meyer’s own background in the building and fabrication industries—anchor his work in both technical mastery and emotional resonance.

Driven by a desire to connect, Meyer uses his art to reflect how we see, support, and carry one another—across time, memory, and experience. His figures often appear in relationship: with themselves, with each other, or with the space around them. Whether solitary or assembled, they evoke themes of community, personal connection, and the quiet power of belonging.

For Meyer, art is an act of empathy and translation. He believes that the process of making—and of truly observing—draws us closer to each other, and closer to something greater than ourselves. In his words, “We are stronger, wiser, and less alone when we create spaces—literal and figurative—where we can see each other more clearly.”

Process

Every sculpture is a unique casting—an entirely one-of-a-kind work. Each piece begins as a drawing, where I explore gesture, composition, and emotional tone. I then adapt industrial casting techniques to translate my drawing style into sculptural form. The original drawing is hand-carved directly into the mold, creating a negative relief that captures both line and depth. Molten metal is poured into this carved mold, solidifying the image into three dimensions.

The final work is not merely a reproduction, but a transformation—an alchemy of process shaped by years of studying traditional casting techniques. Through this approach, I merge the immediacy of drawing with the permanence of metal, giving physical presence to emotional and relational narratives.

Hidalgo + Meyer

Hidalgo + Meyer is a high-end custom fabrication studio steeped as deeply in the fine arts as it is in the design and building trades.

Our long experience and acute attention to detail have made us an invaluable and uniquely satisfactory choice for clients, combining creative vision with a complete understanding of project management, leading to an untainted record of on-time and on-budget project completion. 

While specializing in one-of-a-kind artisan works, we focus on multi-material construction of architectural objects for both residential or commercial settings. 

We are the company that can take the amorphous idea, the vague potential, and deliver a concrete product with astounding results.

Resume

Education

Connecticut College – New London, CT
B.A. in Art, Concentration in Sculpture – 1990

Studio Art Centers International – Florence, Italy
Studio Art and Art History – 1988

Penland School of Craft – Asheville, NC
Glass Blowing – 1988

Pilchuck Glass School – Stanwood, WA
Kiln-Cast Glass with Patrick Martin – 1998

Pratt Fine Arts Center – Seattle, WA
Sculpture, Printmaking, Jewelry/Metalwork, Glass – 1995–2004

Private Art Projects

  • Ceiling Wing Sculpture, Charles Air Hangar Board Room – Seattle, WA (2013)

  • Stainless Steel Exterior Cross, Seattle First United Methodist Church – Seattle, WA (2010)

  • Sculpted Bronze Door Pulls, Seattle First United Methodist Church – Seattle, WA (2010)

Public Art Projects

  • Metal Fabrication & Installation, Jennifer Dixon’s “Witness Trees” – Bergen Place, Seattle, WA (2004)

  • Installation Only, Jerry Mayer’s “Moto” – King Street Station, Seattle, WA (2004)

  • Installation Only, Gail McCall’s “Greeters and Guardians” – Kent, WA (2003)

Commissions

  • City of Iwamizawa, Japan – Designs for fiberglass children’s play structures (2000)

  • City of Iwamizawa, Japan – Public park design for Senior Citizens Center (1999)

  • Capitol Children’s Museum, Washington, D.C. – Design for indoor learning playground (1991)

Selected Clients

Architects & Designers:
Garret Cord Werner Architects & Interior Designers, Bassetti Architects, ORA Architects, SkB Architects, Krannitz/Gehl Architecture, Patano-Hafermann Architects, Starbucks Global Design

Contractors:
Lease Crutcher Lewis, Abbott Construction, GLY Construction, Braseth Construction

Exhibitions (Selected)

  • Asia Print Adventure, Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art – Sapporo, Japan (2004)

  • Solo Show, Gallery 070 – Vashon Island, WA (2002)

  • Group Shows, Port Angeles Fine Arts Center – Port Angeles, WA (2001–present)

  • Group Show, Onodara Gallery – Iwamizawa, Japan (2000)

  • Group Show, Contemporary Art Institute – Sapporo, Japan (1999)

  • Juried Exhibition, Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition – Bellevue, WA (1998)

  • Group Shows, Lead Gallery – Seattle, WA (1997–2000)

  • Solo Show, Phinney Neighborhood Association – Seattle, WA (1998)

  • Group Show, Pratt Gallery at COCA – Seattle, WA (1999)

  • Juried Exhibition, Kirkland Arts Center – Kirkland, WA (1999)

  • Solo Show, Bon Marché Gallery – Seattle, WA (1998)

Awards & Residencies

  • Travel Scholarships – Iwamizawa, Japan (1998–2000)

  • Artist-in-Residence – PONCHO, Seattle, WA (2002)

  • Scholarship – Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA (1998)

  • Scholarship – Charles Anders Foundation, Seattle, WA (1997)

  • Scholarship – Fahrenheit 96, Bellevue Community College, WA (1996)

Residencies:

  • Iwamizawa Sculpture Camp – Iwamizawa, Japan

    • With Philip King (UK), Gwen Merril (CA), Robert Graham (CA), David Novros (NY), Michael Dorner (Germany), Christoph Sicher (Germany) – 1998–2000

Teaching

Pratt Fine Arts Center – Seattle, WA

  • Sandcasting Iron (2005)

  • Sandcasting Metal (2004)

Professional Experience

Hidalgo + Meyer LLC – Seattle, WA
Owner, Designer & Fabricator (2014–present)
High-end fabrication of architectural objects and custom furniture

Mercury Fab-Cast – Seattle, WA
Partner / Joint Venture (2007–2014)
Design and fabrication of sculptural and architectural works

B32 Productions – Seattle, WA
Sole Proprietor (2000–2007)
Custom fabrication and installation: public art, cabinetry, specialty carpentry

Peter Reiquam Studio – Seattle, WA
Art Fabrication and Installation (2000–2005)

Pratt Fine Arts Center – Seattle, WA
Sculpture Technician (1997–2000)

The Bumgardner Architects – Seattle, WA
Library Support, Drafting, AutoCAD (1995–1996)

Philip Grausman, Sculptor – Washington Depot, CT
Sculptor’s Apprentice (1991)