“My life has been dedicated to the pursuit of beauty. It is an exciting, never ending challenge with prismatic possibilities.” ~ Stuart Dunkel

Mouse in the house! Actually many mousies, thanks to Boston artist Stuart Dunkel. Recently, I was minding my own business browsing the internet when I heard a distinctive “squeak” and could sense the animated twitching of tiny whiskers.

Oho!! There he was, my new little friend, raising a single raspberry in glorious triumph:

I have been obsessed with him ever since.

Who is he, and how did he become Dunkel’s muse?

Art is actually Stuart Dunkel’s second career. Born in New Jersey (1952), he’s also a classically trained oboist (Juilliard School of Music) who’s performed with top orchestras in Boston, New York, and Hong Kong. After retiring from his three-decade musical career in 2002 at age 42, he transitioned to fine art.

Up until then, he’d been painting in his spare time and had started a small company to produce reeds for the oboe. Just as he had with music, he took a disciplined approach to his craft, receiving formal training (The Boston Museum School, The Academy of Realist Art, Seattle, WA, and private study with other realist painters).

As the story goes, the mouse thing started out as a joke. His wife had often complained about his messiness in the kitchen — leaving crumbs on the counter, etc. One day he added a mouse to one of his still life paintings, explaining to his wife that it wasn’t him but “Chuckie” who was responsible for the mess.

He submitted the Chuckie painting with others he was doing for a gallery in Provincetown, MA. It sold immediately and the gallery asked for more. So began Dunkel’s mouse series.

Does he actually have a pet mouse to use as a model? He usually has three mice at any given time. Over the years, he’s had several sets of three (one set named Do, Re, and Mi). He likes placing an object (usually food) in the mouse’s cage and observing how it interacts with it to get ideas. Yes, these are usually foods he himself likes to eat, but he doesn’t rule out any other object that may spark something interesting.

He considers his paintings autobiographical, as he tries to channel the mouse’s emotions. His realistic paintings are inspired by the Dutch masters with a unique touch of whimsy and subtle humor. They reflect his personality, which he describes as mischievous and a bit goofy.

Dunkel works in oils, which he likes for its viscosity. He paints true to size on a small scale (5″ x 7″). The small size of his paintings also makes them more affordable. Does he have a favorite object to paint? Figs. He loves them and thinks they are kind of mouse-shaped (he likes to look for mouse-shaped fruits and veggies).

Dunkel’s mice paintings are enjoyed by young and old alike. A mouse protagonist appeals to him since mice are the smallest and most vulnerable of animals that reflect the same issues humans have to deal with.

I do love the playfulness in his pictures. It’s amazing how we can just imagine how the mouse feels as he encounters a giant banana or eggplant, using his super powers to lift and explore it. We sense his curiosity as he stands on tiptoes to peer into a Chinese take-out box or tunnel through a row of donuts. And for a moment, we’re taken outside of ourselves, fulfilling a fantasy of lying atop a pile of blueberries, employing warrior instincts to spear an olive or lasso a meatball. Can you feel the pure bliss as he reclines in that avocado? What adventures!

These days, Dunkel teaches painting classes through his own academy, The Nautilus School of Realist Art in Watertown, MA. He is a member of The International Guild of Realism, The Art Renewal Center, and the Copley Society of Boston. He has won numerous awards, and been invited to show at The Guild of Boston Artists, The Copley Society of Boston, and The Salmagundi Club, along with many other groups and galleries.

Being a painter, musician and author, sight, sound and words are the tools of my expression. I began painting at age five and at age seven I began studying music. The very discipline of formal training has always appealed to me and I have dedicated my life to the in-depth study of them.

Stuart’s work is collected by enthusiasts across the country. He calls his mice paintings “a magnificent obsession.” Just one mouse with one object, but a lot of story to tell. What else does he like to paint besides mice? Giant fruit tarts. My kind of artist. 🙂

For more, visit his Official Website, which includes a list of U.S. galleries exhibiting and selling his original paintings. For prints, journals, mugs, and other cool products featuring Stuart’s work, browse the Rehs Gift and Print Shop.

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