"My photographs are about painting, not photography"
Charles O'Meara attended the School of Visual Arts, New York City where he majored in fine arts (painting/drawing) and minored in photography. His photography instructors were Dorothea Kehaya and Cora Wright Kennedy. His painting instructors included Joe Brainard, Jonathan Borofsky, Frank Owen, Jennifer Bartlett, Dale "the artist who left New York" Henry, and Paul Waldman ("who turned me on to Frank Stella's drawings of plants").
Additionally, O'Meara worked for twelve years as a free-lance journalist. He wrote numerous newspaper, magazine and trade pieces and received a first place award for excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists, Connecticut Chapter and a third place award for excellence from the National Newspaper Association. He was one of the earliest regular contributors to OP magazine and subsequently was a regular contributor to both Sound Choice and Option (the two offspring of OP).
Born in Old Saybrook, Connecticut on March 13, 1953, O'Meara is a first generation Irish-American. His father came to America from Co. Kerry and his mother's family emigrated from Co. Tipperary.
He likes dogs.