Blue Thumb

'Collecting shells', oil on board, 60cm x 60cm

If you are looking to by an original Australian artwork, then check out Blue Thumb.

Blue Thumb is an Australian online gallery showcasing emerging artists and I have just joined their ranks.

To purchase one of my works, visit Blue Thumb and follow the simple instructions - they take the mystery out of accessing and buying original art. In the coming weeks there will be more of my works available for purchase.

I will also continue to have my studio gallery open for people to view work in person - simply contact me to arrange a convenient time.

SALA exhibition

It's August here in Adelaide and that means it's time for the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival.

My new exhibition 'The Tourists' will be open every Saturday and Sunday in August from 11am to 5pm.

The exhibition features my new still life, landscape and narrative paintings. These works will be displayed alongside artwork by my late father, Peter Chaplin. The aim is to show how my father's work has influenced my approach to painting.

Please note: my studio is located upstairs (there is no wheelchair access) and entry is via the garage.

Top left: 'Man with binoculars' by Trent Chaplin. Top right: 'Maldon Hotel' by Peter Chaplin.
Bottom left: 'San Gimignano' by Peter Chaplin. Bottom right: 'Thermos, travel cups and suitcase' by Trent Chaplin.

The Tourists

It's great to announce my new exhibition of paintings as part of the 2016 SALA Festival.
This new body of work is titled 'The Tourists'.

'Waiting for a train', oil on board, 60cm x 60cm

A few months ago I was looking through my collection of household objects for still life composition ideas. I found an old suitcase, a pair of binoculars, a Kodak camera made of black bakelite and a set of cups made of anodised metal. These items had shapes and design elements that I found interesting and it's why I hadn't thrown them out or given them away. They were travel accessories that belonged to my parents and grandparents. I also found photographs of my grandparents on their holidays - sometimes using these objects.

It started me thinking about how and why people travel. How do they enjoy their surroundings? What did we choose to photograph when we had only 24 shots on a roll of film? How do we remember a place if we don't have a camera?

When I looked again at my dad's paintings of landscapes and landmarks, I saw an interesting way of combining our work. My new works would focus on people travelling to a destination and enjoying a landscape, whilst my dad's works show the atmosphere and grandeur of places. Two parallel ways of looking at the nature of tourism - human behaviour versus destination.

'The Tourists' will open on Saturday 6 August at my studio gallery in Plympton, South Australia.

Back to the beach

During the depths of a cold Adelaide winter, I started painting this picture to remind me of the warmth of summer. Now we are experiencing an early summer heatwave and I need no reminding. The painting was inspired by people I saw at Glenelg beach and it's titled 'In the shallows'.

The gestures, dress and behaviour of people going about their everyday lives is an endless fascination for me. A downward glance, a cautious step or a confident stride can show something essential about a person's character.

This painting will be exhibited at the Victor Harbor Art Show from 15 January 2016 to 23 January 2016. I will also have two other seaside scenes on display.

Chuffed!

I am very honoured to have won 'Best Painting' at the 2015 Walkerville Art Show with my painting 'Full forward, full back'.
A big thank you to the Walkerville Rotary Club, the Town of Walkerville and the judging committee of the Walkerville Art Show.
It was a shock to receive the phone call about the prize on Saturday night while I was eating at a noisy Chinese restaurant. This news not only made my day ... it's made my year!

Returning home

'What to paint next?' is a question I always ask myself. Rather than paint stand-alone works I like to explore a subject and create a series of paintings. A subject has to sustain my interest and, as always with me, tell some stories.
I have decided to explore the domestic. Scenes of everyday life around the home. A man eating his breakfast. A woman searching in her handbag. A man ironing his business shirt.
The painting above is from 'The Body on the Beach' my 2011 series of paintings inspired by the mystery of the unknown man found on Somerton beach. It shows the kind of small drama that can be created by a lone figure in an interior space.

Putting on a show

I'm not an exhibitionist, but I do have exhibitions.
As a child I was very shy. I also had a stutter. It took me a while to gain confidence in myself and my abilities. Now that I am almost 40 years old and have made my own way in the world, I still refer to life as a 'confidence game'.
Looking back I don't think shyness has been a very big problem for me. It has given me the chance to take a back seat and really observe the world around me. And this is a privilege. If I was spinning around in the whirl of society, I don't think I could have ever found a vocation in art.
Painting has become the way that I make sense of the world. It is a method to record the beauty of the colours and shapes that surround me. It is also a way to tell stories.
This blog has allowed me to show some of the paintings from the Good Sports series. Below are more of the paintings that make up the Good Sports exhibition that I am co-hosting with fellow artist Kate Bower at the Bapea Gallery in Adelaide until 24 May 2015.

'After the siren'
oil on board

'The set shot'
oil on board

'Frontrunner'
oil on board

'Yellow caps'
oil on board

'The uppercut'
oil on board