By Natalie Taylor
Robert Chapman was introduced to me through a mutual friend who said: “You absolutely must meet this wonderful artist.” I am glad I listened to his advice, because Robert is indeed an accomplished artist with an impressive background and portfolio. He, and his wife Brooke (a fine artist as well), moved to San Miguel a little over a year ago. They are happy with their decision to come here from San Luis Obispo, where they had lived for some time. Several factors influenced their decision to live outside the US, including the frequent natural disasters they had encountered in California—mudslides, fires, floods. Their current home, on the way to Dolores, near the Mayan baths, is a peaceful enclave with extensive gardens and great views of the encircling mountains. It is a perfect place for their studios, surrounded by the tranquility of the countryside.
Robert Chapman was born in Santa Monica, California and grew up in a family where art was integral to home life—his father, for example, had studied art in France. Robert began painting at the age of ten. In 1972, he met Elaine de Kooning, the wife of Willem de Kooning, and her brother, Conrad Fried. Through them he entered an elite artistic circle, and realized it was entirely possible to make a living through one’s art; something he had not considered until them. In the late 1970s and into the 80s, he worked as an assistant to Willem de Kooning, in the artist’s studio. During those ten years he was exposed to the avant-garde, abstract expressionist style embraced by de Kooning. Eventually, Robert began to move in a different direction by adding “dimensionality” to his paintings, drifting away from a totally flat kind of painting.
Robert has been painting mainly in oils, but also has a series of pastels, and has done sculptures in wood, and various other materials for many years—ranging from small pieces to large ones. He is married to Brooke Chapman, who excels in landscapes; two fine artists who nurture, offer support, and critique each other’s works. When they began considering moving outside the US, they took two separate paths in their search. Robert went to Costa Rica to search for a potential home, and Brooke, having heard about San Miguel, came here. She was enchanted with the city, and when Robert came to see the home she had found, he was enchanted too.
About five years ago, Robert began shifting mediums by doing digital art, specifically Z-prints. These are one of a kind, digitally produced works of art, limited in quantity, and signed by the artist. They can be printed on many types of materials—paper, wood, even metal. Once Robert and Brooke moved to San Miguel, he decided to stop working in oils. He was concerned with the disposal of solvents, and chose to concentrate on digital art. The photograph in this article was taken in front of one of these incredible Z-prints, this one printed on aluminum. It is unquestionably an abstract work, allowing the viewer to use their own imagination and find a personal meaning in it. This fits in with Robert’s philosophy about the impact of his work on the observer. He hopes that the viewer, “Can perceive if only symbolically, what takes place in the development of chance randomness forming and effecting a unified whole.”
He feels that digitally generated art has its parallel in what photography was in the 19th century, when many were dismissing it as not “real art.” With the years, that notion has been completely dispelled, and photography is now recognized as another medium in the fine arts. Some feel the same way about digitally produced artwork, dismissing or marginalizing it in the world of art. I personally believe that if you see Robert Chapman’s exquisite digital creations, you will agree that they require expertise, and a true artist’s eye.
If you ask Robert what he is trying to convey when creating his art, he will tell you that he focuses on the “content of reality.” He expounds on the idea by adding: “…visual reality is produced by a fusion of properties both visible and transparent.”
You can appreciate Robert Chapman’s digital artwork, his paintings in oils and pastels, as well as the many sculptures he has done, on his website: www.chapmanstudios.net You may contact him personally through his email: rcstudio924@gmail.comNatalie Taylor: BA in English Lit and Journalism, Loyola University, Chicago, 1995. MFA in Creative Writing, Vermont College, Montpelier, VT, 1999. Published writer, editor, journalist. Spanish teacher in the US, English teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Translator. www.natalietaylor.org Contact: tangonata@gmail.com
