Chapman Hamborg

Lives and works, Huntington Beach, CA 

Chapman Hamborg spent much of his childhood enjoying the outdoors and surfing, leading to a deep connection with nature. Chapman moved to Florence, Italy to study traditional painting and sculpting at the age of nineteen. During his time in Europe, Chapman cultivated his talent as a figure/portrait and landscape painter and met his wife, Hannah, in London. They have since moved to California and have two children. 

Chapman’s family has served as inspiration for his multi-figure paintings and sculptures. His goal is that these pieces show beauty in the raw, vulnerable moments that families share: a mother breastfeeding her baby, a father holding his newborn for the first time, a pregnant mother intertwined with her partner. Chapman’s en plein air landscapes are of places that have moved him, especially the coast of California or the Tuscan countryside of Italy. He enjoys documenting his experiences in wild and rustic places - from the beaches he grew up surfing, to the villa he and his wife lived in amongst grapevines and olive groves. As a sculptor and painter, Chapman’s work shows his desire for experimenting with materials, themes, and techniques. He primarily works in oil paint on wood or linen, varying in size from smaller intimate pieces to large life-size paintings. When sculpting, he models with water-based and oil-based clay and has cast his sculptures in plaster, resin, and bronze. Chapman’s process and style is a blend of traditional techniques and impressionistic paint and clay application.

Chapman graduated from Angel Academy of Art, studied at the Florence Academy of Art, and is currently working on his BFA at Laguna College of Art and Design. He has been awarded first place in the international Art Renewal Center scholarship competition, taken part in Grand Central Academy’s Hudson River Fellowship, painted public murals in Huntington Beach, and is best known for his anatomical heart sculpture for the album cover of Have it All by Bethel Music. Chapman is an instructor at Terra Arts Academy, and also travels the world teaching workshops and creating live art on stage at conferences and events.