Charles M. Ware was born on a ranch in Santa Rosa, CA on April 28, 1921.

Ware was expected by his family to be a farmer, but opted to become an artist. He won a scholarship to the California School of Fine Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute). His art career was interrupted when he served in the Army during WWII. Returning to San Francisco, he hung around the Artist’s Club in North Beach where he eked out a living doing portraits.

He died in San Francisco on September 9, 2005.