Chester K. Van Nortwick was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1881 and died in Brewster, Massachusetts in 1944. He was the son of George Washington Van Nortwick, an accomplished and celebrated engraver. Chester lived in Colorado during his youth and served as staff artist on the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post. He received private instruction for several years and then entered the Chicago Art Institute. He spent many years in New Hampshire before moving to Cape Cod, where he had a studio in Provincetown and also one in Brewster where he lived. He also had a studio in Clearwater, FL and exhibited extensively with the Clearwater Art Club and in St. Petersburg. He made his living through his art and was a noted illustrator and calendar artist. He is listed in the recently published book entitled "Discovering America’s Calendar Artists, 1900-1960". Chester did a series of fairies that is likened to and reminiscent of Maxfield Parrish with whom is often associated. His work ranges from landscapes and seascapes, to portraits.