Ed Chapman
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Ed Chapman (born 10 July 1970 ) is a British artist. His highly detailed mosaic portraits have been described as "combining the ancient with the modern". His portrait of Diana , Princess of Wales (2006) is typical of this style. Chapman for many years worked with the unusual paper mosaic medium, creating extremely lifelike portraits of celebrities from past and present. His surprising switch to the ceramic medium in recent years has seen him continue to produce accurate impressions although he still creates paper mosaic portraits. A varied solo exhibition in 2006 called "Heroes & Villains" saw Chapman mosaic portraits in ceramic tile including George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Osama bin Laden and Stalin. His work is featured on the BBC 2 Programme "Home" shown in August 2006.
He has often donated work to what he considers worthy causes, most notably among these was a gift to New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 2001 after the World Trade Center attacks on September 11. His work "Ghosts of Manhattan" showed the New York skyline after the attacks, with the twin towers reflected in the Hudson River.
[edit] Quotes
"I want mosaics to be taken seriously as a medium in the 21st Century, to not just be something the Greeks and Romans were good at. I want people to look at my work and not be sure what they are looking at. I want them to have to look twice, to have to approach a work for its true definition. I want a mosaic portrait to stand side by side with an oil painting and have the viewer appreciate both equally."
"People happily say they can't paint or draw to save their life. But they would never say they can't write to save their life even if they are practically illiterate. I don't know why. Sometimes art is seemed as a non-essential part of life, but where would we be without it?"
- Ed Chapman
[edit] Miscellaneous
He works odd and long hours; having periodically suffered with insomnia. Has an IQ of 155 according to his website. He used to be a journalist. He worked with the great photographer Herr Dan Arden.
