• Born in Kansas City, Mo. 1952, married to Lora Sager

 Education:

• 1970- Graduated from Willow Glen H.S. San Jose, Ca.
• 1978- received undergraduate BS Art ed. degree from Appalachian State University in printmaking and drawing.
• Received M.F.A. in printmaking and drawing from Clemson University in 1984
• Studied at the Charles Daniel Center For Urban Planning known as "the Villa" in Genoa, Italy first semester of 1983, as part of the Clemson MFA program.

Teaching experiences:

• Currently teaching visual arts at Sevier Middle School in Greenville County, S.C. since 1985.
• Taught one semester at Clemson’s Genoa Italy Campus in Italy spring of 1985
• Taught art in the public schools since 1979
• Taught printmaking and drawing classes at the Greenville County Museum of Art
• Taught in the Fine Arts Center’s Summer Explore the Arts Program for seven years.
• Taught printmaking independently to area artists and teachers in personal studio.
• Printmaking instructor with the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities Teacher's Institute/ Summer 2005

Art experiences:

• Worked on two projects with Christo and Jean Claude: Oct. of 1978 Wrapped Walkways, Kansas City, MO. and in the spring of 1983 Surrounded Islands, Key Biscayne, Fla.

Publications:

• Art works published in two books: Simple Printmaking by Gwen Diehn; Lark Books 2000 
•  Closet Drama, cover for a book of poetry by Kandie St. Germain published by Bear Star Press 2001.
• Artwork accepted in the 2007 Kakalak Poetry, Charlotte, NC.

Professional memberships:

 Southern Graphics Council,  American Print Alliance, National Art Education Association

Workshops/ open studio:

• Presented numerous printmaking workshops for Upstate Visual Artists, Converse College, Brevard College, School District of Greenville County Summer Academy, All Arts Day and the Oconee County Art Educators.
• Participated in Greenville Open Studios 2002-07 

• 2008- South Carolina State Museum 20th Anniversary Juried Exhibition.
• 2008-  Jan. - March, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston, SC
• 2007- Dec. Construction Crew-III  Gallery 80808 Vista Sudios, Columbia ,SC
• 2007- June, Art Current Group Exhibit
• 2007 30th Annual Juried Art Exhibit, Pickens County Museum of Art
• 2007 March, Upstate Visual Arts Group Show
• 2006- Nov."Brothers In Art" Exhibition with my brother, Jeffery Chapp at the Pickens County Museum of Art.
• 2006-Feb. "Conflict and Resolution" a solo exhibit of prints, oil pastels and acrylic paintings at the Conn Gallery, Landrum, SC.
• 2006- South Carolina Birds; a traveling exhibit currated by Wim Roefs at the City Gallery, Charleston, SC,
• 2005 -Upstate Visual Artists (UVA) Art In The Park merit award
• 2005- Artisphere Arts Festival, Invitational artist,  Greenville, S.C.
• 2004- South Carolina Birds Exhibit; Currated by Wim Roefs shown at the Sumter SC. Gallery of Art, and the Burroughs-Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach , SC.
• 2003-received purchase award for Intaglio print "Shadows at Bend" in Pickens County Museum's S.C. Juried Art Exhibition.
• 2002- received Best of Show Art in the Park $1000. award
• 2002- Open Studio Artists exhibit Greenville County Museum of Art
• 2001- received  $500. merit award from the UVA Art in the Park
• 2000- selected for the UVA , Art in the Park exhibit
• 2000- Faces of the Upstate, People and Landscapes of Upstate S.C., Furman University; Sponsored by the S.C. Arts Commission. “Views From the Edge.”
• 1998- Red Door Gallery , Anderson, SC
• 1994- Art at The Power House National Courage Exhibition, Cleveland, Ohio 2^nd Place and monetary award.
• 1993- Hands at Work: a Celebration of American Book Crafts, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
• 1991- This Years Model, Greenville County Museum of Art
• 1989- Clemson University MFA Gallery, Alumni Exhibit
• 1989- American Relief Prints: A Selection Exhibit, Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Gallery / Dealer Representation

Wim Roefs iF Art  2300 Lee Street Columbia ,SC wroefs@sc.rr.com

TRAM Travelers Rest Arts Mission http://www.trartsmission.org

Collections:

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Va., Charlotte, NC branch;  3 works at Pickens County Museum of Art; Fine Arts Center, Greenville, SC.; AnMed Health Campus, Anderson SC., Clemson University Dept. Of Art,  and numerous independent collectors.

Artist Statement

During my graduate studies 1983-85 at Clemson University I was surrounded by graduate architectural students being that the Art Department was in the College of Architecture at the time.

Part of the attraction of the MFA program at Clemson was the opportunity to study in Italy.  I had sworn that architecture was not going to have a profound influence. I was wrong.

I actually had wanted to be an architect when I was a student in high school backs in San Jose Calif. in the late 1960s.

This interest overpowered me once again when I came face to face with structures that had been erected centuries ago. I have always been interested in history and Mankind’s remnants on this earth. Seeing buildings of different proportional scales than those in the United States intrigued me and proved to be a muse for new imagery.

My guardian series that made up the bulk of my thesis exhibit explored an invented figure a spiritual guardian of what I considered sacred spaces. When one sees or better yet puts hand on a block of stone that had been placed over five hundred years ago it forces one to reappraise their own moment in this world.

I always have liked artifacts and when I came upon a home made utilitarian object used to shelve bread when it came out of the oven I created my first Guardian figure.

Since then man made forms have played a supportive role in my imagery. Triangular structures have represented strength, bridges have been my symbolic structures for treading over troubled paths, boats are vehicles to deliver or transport one from or to another shore in life, and my guardians became animated figures that protected spaces of historical meaning. Will the walls and buildings survive five-hundred years for future hands to touch and wonder about?

My buildings and walls today are reminders of devices that separate us as humans and become images of man’s destructive actions. The structures are the fragments of images seen in the media, imagined but yet real. The use of light as a focal point that heightens the figures suggests some hint of hope.  I use morning as a suggestion that things will be better. In the three monotypes Morning: Fires Still Burning the sense of hope is dashed due to previous hostile acts that are ever present.

The Structural Balance series is an attempt to find balance with the human imprint on our Earth. The tipping figure coupled with the building is intriguing to me visually. I like the unbalanced figure juxtaposed with the structure, it has many interpretations I believe.