ELECTED TO RCA 2017
Originally from Dartmoor, after studying painting at St Martin’s School of Art in London, Chapple lived and travelled abroad for some years - including time in Greece, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Italy, where he drew a great deal and developed further his interest in Classical and Renaissance painting and sculpture. Returning to the UK in the mid-90s, he joined several South London life drawing groups, and for a decade worked exclusively from the nude.
“Since moving to South Wales in 2003 I have continued to work from life - for the past few years in partnership with dancers, drawing on their creativity and discipline, and our shared interest in the expressive possibilities of the human figure. These collaborations explore portraiture, gesture and narrative in a contemporary setting, though also continue to refer back to my studies of early European art”.
Chapple is artist in residence with the international dance company Ballet Cymru, based inSouth Wales.
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