Arnold Chao spent his childhood in Boulder, Colorado, where landscapes such as the Rocky Mountains and Mesa Verde inspired him to pursue visual art as early as preschool. Moving to California in '84, he honed his creative instincts in architecture, sculpture, mixed-media, and illustration; which led him to a fine art education at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Engaging in mediums including color pencil, ceramics, photography, and painting, Chao earned a BFA with an emphasis in oil painting and BA in psychology in 1996. He's been an active exhibiting artist ever since, featuring artwork in venues in California. Focusing on abstract oil paintings, he has refined a kinetic, textured, visceral style that's heavily influenced by his background in psychology and his enjoyment of California's muiltculturalism.