Born in Vallejo, CA and raised in San Jose, CA, Chukes began creating artworks at a very young age. Although he attended California College for the Arts and Claremont Graduate University, he considers himself to be a self-taught artist.
Chukes works with a number of mediums including clay, bronze, wood and other materials to create exaggerated expressions of the human form. “I concentrate on capturing emotional sensations of the body rather than its physical presence. Females play a strong role in m creation. I believe there is a magnificent sensitivity in women unlike anything I know and capturing this sensation gives my work meaning.”
Chukes relies on music for his inspiration in creating his works by combining his visions with musical rhythms because it helps him to sculpt what he hears through creative influences like Earth, Wind and Fire, Miles Davis and George Clinton and the Funk Parliament. Chukes creates his works with over emphasis on certain body parts such as necks, hands and arms. He also incorporates color (a secret technique) which gives his sculptures a rich smooth texture and a surreal identity.
His work has appeared in many galleries around the world, from the Boribana Museum in Senegal, West Africa, to the Hearne Fine Art Gallery in Little Rock, Arkansas, to the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. His work has also been featured in Oprah Winfrey's, O Magazine. Collectors of his art include the likes of Archbishop Desmond Tutu; advertising mogul, Carol H. Williams; and actress, CCH Pounder.