Charles Carraway was born in Jackson, Mississippi. He is a 1979 graduate of Delta State University (DSU), where he earned a BFA in graphic design. After attending DSU, a program offered by Louisiana Tech University gave Carraway the opportunity to move to Rome, Italy, to study architecture and design. In 1983, he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Carraway resides in Terry, Mississippi, and teaches art at Jackson State University, where he is an Associate Professor of Art in painting, drawing, and printmaking, and the chair of the department. He is a realist painter. His work is in both corporate and private collections throughout the United States.