He would eventually achieve that goal, but many years later, by way of a path he never could have predicted. Other Interests and the need for financial security led him to work in a diverse series of art-related fields, such as, sign painting, graphic design, illustration and photography. In 1979, fifteen years after leaving art school, Chilton began his career as an Oil Painter.
Soon after, he returned to his native state of New Mexico. This gave him a greater appreciation for landscape painting, which motivated him to change his palette considerably. The tri-cultural heritage and the impact of The Taos Founders also influenced his art as it matured along with his personal growth and worldview.
His career flourished in the Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Taos, El Paso and Phoenix/Tucson region, exhibiting and receiving awards in regional exhibitions.
As a personal challenge and a desire to grow as a painter, Chilton began painting in watercolor in 1984. He knew immediately that watercolor was intuitive to him! He understood its nature from the very beginning, which was not the case with oil in the earlier years.
