Born in Creede, Colorado, Charles Des Moineaux was descended from early pioneers, his grandparents were settlers of Blackhawk and Central City. Des Moineaux, though an accomplished artist, received no formal training in art. He worked as a commercial artist for the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph company in Denver. He found inspiration for his landscape paintings through his extensive travels. Des Moineaux was a founding member of the Denver Artists Guild and exhibited with the group, however, he rarely sold his artwork and most of it remains in the private collection of his descendants.