Michele Chapin

I am a professional sculptor, working a colorful pallet of stones that I have quarried in the Deserts of Southern California, and purchased worldwide for the past 30 years. The sculptures I create are bold, feminine, and sensual, often exotic in color and translucency. My pieces capture a feminine element in shapes, curves, and colors which seem to almost contradict the hardness of the materials I use. The abstract design elements in my carvings come from my lifelong studies and observations of found objects and organic forms. I free carve my sculptures with no initial plan preserving and incorporating natural textures and weathered skins. I encourage the general public and visually impaired to touch and rotate my carvings, which turn by hand on their bases. Currently I am creating a new body of pieces in anticipation of my next exhibition.
“Stone Scapes” …Come into my studio and experience a time lapsed workday... thru the animation of 12,000 photos. vimeo/johnthomasrose/bringit…

I have been a working California artist exhibiting and receiving grants and awards for my sculptures and Community contributions for the past 30 years. I attended the University of California in Santa Cruz studying drawing, printmaking, jewelry, sculpting in bronze, clay and metal, art history and psychology. In 1987, I relocated to Ventura and with the purchase of a minimal number of tools, and began teaching myself to carve, and quarry stone. Most of my experience as a carver has been from sheer intuition, experimenting, hard work, and love of stone. I've carved organic water features with rotating stone sculpted spheres, benches, and sculptures with marble I've quarried. I've worked with master gardeners, interior designers, and architects with private clients, and on several design houses. These work experiences have been my education.

I began my sculpting career by creating 18 pieces and building pedestals for my first solo exhibit. Desert Flower, a sculpture created during this time, was purchased as one of the first 4 pieces of the Ventura Municipal Art Collection on permanent display at City Hall. Collaborating with Master Gardener Richard Sanders, I created sculpture gardens for 3 Ventura County Symphony Design Houses. I quarried stone and created colorful sculpted benches and water fountains incorporating carved marble spheres that hydroplaned with the use of water. Later, I was commissioned to create and install a monumental granite sphere fountain commissioned by U.S. Sales Corporation in Moorpark, California. These fountains were the first of their kind to be created in the United States.. In July, 2010 I was the first sculptor featured with a 3 month solo exhibition, at the grand reopening of the Ventura County Museum. The Museum showcased 14 of my stone sculptures, with major works on loan from private collections. In 2011 Divine Balance was purchased by the Museum for the permanent collection.In 2013 I exhibited at the Santa Paula Art Museum a retrospect of my sculptures with painter Susan Petty in the exhibit titled “Old Hands New Works”. In 2...