Ed Chapman is one of the UK's leading mosaic artists and has exhibited work here and in the USA. His style is instantly recognisable and he has completed mosaics for corporations and individuals alike. He has sold mosaics across Europe and North America.
The subject matter of film and sports celebrities, street signs and album covers gives his work a contemporary look in a centuries-old medium.
The incredible detail he achieves is down to hours of painstaking effort. The work really needs to be looked at up close to appreciate the quality that has been achieved. His portraits in ceramic tile are constructed often with 2,000 fragments, each carefully placed in position and secured with a waterproof adhesive. The edges of each portrait are tiled in the same colour as the background to finish the work.
"The mosaics are incredibly detailed and it can take days to complete even a small area of finer work.
"I have studied the technique in depth and attempt to bring the ancient medium of mosaic into the 21st Century with my use of colour, sizes of mosaic pieces and different colours of grout. That's why most of the subjects are modern icons.
Ed Chapman is self-taught and becoming sought after due to the unusual nature of his work.
"I think the mosaic medium produces striking and interesting results, particularly with portraits, where the effects are dramatic and impressive. I am constantly thinking of new ideas and new subjects I would like to turn into mosaics. I am never short of ideas and I love the mosaic medium and the effects it can create. The fragmented results represent the fragmented nature of our lives and our own unique make-up. No two mosaics could ever look exactly the same.
"When I create a mosaic, I feel I am starting an all-encompassing relationship. Several emotions tend to come to the fore at some stage of working on a picture, joy, anger, love, fondness, frustration, hate and sorrow at having to say goodbye. The work is never finished until it is finished, right until the last piece is in place. In this respect, there is little room for error and I always know the exact moment when the work is complete.
"I am pleased to consider any commission proposals. I have a million ideas for the future and I am always interested to hear new proposals."
"My influences come from everywhere. A few that immediately come to mind are Chuck Close, Robert Rauschenberg, Jamie Reid, Vik Muniz, Picasso, Anton Pieck, MC Escher, Ed Dulac's "The Entomologist's Dream" Simon Patterson's 'Great Bear', Vaughan-Williams, Bob Dylan, The Doors' first album, Erik Satie, Kurt Cobain, Kurt Vonnegut, Sex Pistols, Berlin, London, cities generally, architectural wonders, Scrabble, Monopoly, history, films, TV, women, photographs, stars, ghosts, dreams, etc...
Kate Moss
