Peter Chapin

I was born in New York City in 1938. I earned a BA degree with honors in Art History from Yale, and an MFA in Painting from Columbia University. Visual art, specifically painting and printmaking, have always helped me make sense out of experience. When I was in 6th grade my father said I loved music and messed around with paint: that’s still an accurate description. I have shown and shared my artwork at several galleries in New York and elsewhere.

Indigenous artists often sign their work with their name and their community. Since I have moved about, I should probably sign as part of a family. It has been my great good fortune to have been married to Honey Chapin since 1960. We have 3 sons and a daughter, and 6 grandchildren.

As a teacher, primarily of studio art, I have worked at secondary schools and at Drew University, where I chaired the Art Department and directed the New York Art Semester and the University Gallery. In 1979 Lee Hall, then President of the Rhode Island School of Design, brought Honey and me out to Santa Fe to found and direct a satellite RISD here. Lee resigned, and that never happened, but we moved to Santa Fe in 1987 and launched “Skylight Conversations”, week-long programs for groups (primarily from the Newark Museum) talking with artists in their studios, from Santa Fe, nearby pueblos and Hispanic villages.

I particularly enjoy selling work to public places. In June of 2024, for example, our regional hospital in Santa Fe bought three large and three small paintings of mine: I hope they can be helpful for many patients, visitors, and staff.