Charles Thomas "Chuck" Close (born July 5, 1940) is an American painter/artist and photographer who achieved fame as a photorealist, through his massive-scale portraits. Close is known for using creative and intricate patterns to portray a human portrait. Though a catastrophic spinal artery collapse in 1988 left him severely paralyzed, he has continued to paint and produce work that remains sought after by museums and collectors. Close lives and works in Bridgehampton, New York (on the south shore of Long Island) and New York City's East Village. His first wife was Leslie Rose with whom he has two daughters. They divorced in 2011 and Close is now married to artist Sienna Shields.