Ian Chapman

I'm a painter, writer and illustrator based in Masterton, in the heart of the Wairarapa. I've been a maker/creator since I was 15, a long time ago. My work tends to sit somewhere between the funny and the unsettling, populated by ordinary things in quietly absurd situations.

My paintings are surreal, with a cast of characters that keep showing up whether I invite them or not. I work across physical and digital media, and my sketchbooks are where most ideas quietly start before they become something else entirely.

I have been at King Street Artworks for 30 years and served as General Manager for the past 15. King St is a community arts organisation I care about deeply. Staying connected to the local creative community has always mattered to me as much as the work itself.

Over the years I've shown work in solo exhibitions at Aratoi Museum of Art and History and Zimmerman Art Gallery in Palmerston North, with shows including Desperately Normal, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and most recently Creature Comforts (2025). In 2019 I won the Rosewood Premier Award at the Wairarapa Art Review, and in 2023.

In 2025 my book “Left to Nowhere” was published by OneTree House. It is a about creatures who can’t help but destroy the things they love. I hope it provokes discussion about the things we love and how we should cherish them.

It's a story that is not entirely for kids.