Ed Chope

Oil | Pastel / Charcoal | Sculpture

Biography

Ed Chope is a multi-media artist who is best known for his various sculpted works. In addition to sculpture, Ed works in a variety of mediums including oils, pastels, pencil drawings and more. He is constantly exploring new themes and techniques. Ed was born in Michigan and started his artistic career at the young age of 17 by making wax ring design settings for the New York gold and diamond jewelry market. In his twenties, he expanded his career by creating commissioned works for a bronze company in Bay City, Michigan. In the next decade, he moved to Orlando, Florida and established his own prop making company, "Tah Dah Decorating." Ed created props for the next 10 years for a variety of clients including the motion picture industry, theater companies, theme parks and fortune 500 companies that held trade shows and functions in Orlando. Each commission was unique and Ed enjoyed the challenge of creating one-of-a-kind pieces, often on a grand scale.

As his renown in the industry grew, he took on additional commissions including creating a series of five bronze eagles for American Bronze Foundry that were sold around the world. Today, these bronze eagles can be found in museums and public collections. Over time, sculpture became Ed's main focus. For over 10 years, he created original works for Distinctive Stone Statuary's concrete line. These works were sold in every major chain store including Home Depot, Builders Square, Ace Hardware, Lowes and thousands of independent stores across the U.S. While working at Distinctive Stone, Ed moved to Brevard County and taught sculpture in Titusville in the evenings. During this time, he also traveled extensively through France and spent a great deal of time in Paris studying art and the French language at the Sorbonne. While in Paris, he worked as a portrait artist and for a restoration company. He made molds for the plaster ceilings, learned the art of making plaster ceilings and turning plaster.

He brought these special plaster skills back to the U.S. where he used the techniques to make fountains and many other items. Ed later opened "Art By Chope," a sculpture company that made sculptures and molds for over 400 architectural concrete company's worldwide. He sold the company 5 years later to pursue a day job as a commercial real estate broker. In recent years, Ed was once again drawn to create art and after 20 years he picked up some oils and a brush and started painting again. He is fascinated by the local Florida scenery, including the grey heron that frequently wanders through his back yard. When he isn't creating, Ed loves travel, music and theatre and his art is often inspired by his travels through the U.S. and Europe. Ed has created original designs and commissioned artwork based on the clients specific needs for over 35 years and is currently accepting commissions.