About the Artist:
Michele Chapin has been a working California artist for the past 30 years, exhibiting and receiving countless awards for her sculptures and contributions to the community where she has lived. She attended the University of California in Santa Cruz studying drawing, printmaking, jewelry, sculpting in bronze, clay and metal, art history and psychology. As a founding member of the Santa Cruz Art Center, she had the opportunity to work with several professional artists working in a variety of mediums, and it was there, she carved her first stone. In 1987, Michele relocated to Ventura and with the purchase of a minimal amount of tools, began teaching herself to carve.

Many of her sculptures are created from stones that she has quarried from local deserts in California, as well as purchased from other states and countries. Desert Flower, a sculpture created during this time, was one of the first pieces purchased for the Ventura Municipal Art Collection on permanent display at City Hall. Several of her first major projects, collaborating with Master Gardner Richard Sanders, were creating sculpture gardens for the Ventura County Symphony Design House. Her sculptures included stone benches, and fountains that incorporated carved hydroplaning marble spheres. From these projects she was commissioned to create and install a monumental granite sphere fountain by U.S. Sales Corporation in Moorpark, California. These fountains were the first of their kind to be created in the United States.

In 2009, Mayor Christy Weir awarded her with the Mayor’s Arts award for her achievements and contributions. In 2011 she received an Art Star Award from the Ventura County Arts Council for her achievements as a sculptor, and outreach in the community. In July 2010 she was featured with a 3-month solo exhibition, at the grand reopening of the Ventura County Museum. The Museum showcased 14 of her stone sculptures, with major works on loan from several private collections. In 2011 her sculpture Divine Balance was purchased by the Ventura County Museum for their permanent collection.  In 2013 Michele collaborated with artist Susan Petty producing a 3-month exhibit “Old Hands New Works” where she exhibited a time capsule of sculptures including her first carving to present day.  In April 2014 Michele had a Solo Exhibition - “Chasing Beauty”  at Minan Gallery in Los Angeles of new works.

This year’s body of sculptures are created from the inspiration of images captured daily with an Iphone 5 camera. At present, Michele works as a community arts activist, teacher and stone sculptor creating public and private commissions.  Her studio and gallery are open during First Fridays Ventura and Westside Ventura Artwalks when she and partner, Guy Wilson, host monthly free community exhibitions showcasing Michele’s sculptures and several artists and musicians of all ages. As a community arts activist, one of her goals is to bring art to the people and people to the art, by putting art back into the community through classes and exhibitions in her open air Stoneworks Studio, and garden.