Portia “Po” Chapman

Portia “Po” Chapman (BFAH, B.Ed, ACE, OCT) is a Canadian-born, Kingston-based community arts educator, award-winning artist and published multidisciplinary illustrator and visual storyteller with Indigenous ancestry. She is known for beautiful, emotive artworks such as murals, painted hand drums, digital graphic icons, and for her exploration of circular composition. Her innovative flat and crisp painting technique and her beautiful, bright, colour-blocking style that she created are signatures of her work, inspired by wild grapevine silhouettes cast by the noonday sun.

Always with something on the go, Po is very excited to be a first-time exhibitor at the upcoming 20th anniversary edition of The Maker’s Hand fine craft show, November 8th-10th at Highline Hall, Lehigh Arena in Wellington.

As an active member of the arts community with deep familial and professional roots in Prince Edward County, Kingston and beyond, Po enjoys sharing her work and knowledge at art and craft shows, artist talks and exhibitions. You may have even seen her with her incredible drums (and signature pink booth!) at the inaugural Gather in the County textile show this past June, or brightening up the world around us with her colourful murals at Base31.

We were delighted to catch up with Po to hear about all of the incredible projects she has going on lately – it’s truly never a dull moment! Read on as she tells us more about her inner workings and inspirations and advice for artists just starting out, and don’t miss out on experiencing her work, along with many new and returning artisans at this year’s 20th anniversary edition of The Maker’s Hand!

Tell us about any artistic projects you have going on this upcoming month that you’d like people to know about:

During the month of November 2024, I have the following activities going on:

• At this year’s The Maker’s Hand, I am exhibiting over 30 hand drums plus drum bags, drum blankets and drum sticks that I made at my Kingston art studio. As one of the very few artisanal hand drum makers in Canada, I am very excited to fit clients with their new drums, share my craft and assist attendees wanting to try drumming a drum.
• My 20” painted hand drum, “Sharing Wisdom: Tending to Nature’s Little Ones,” is on display in the Kingston Artists Showcase exhibition at Kingston City Hall.
• My 16” self-portrait, “Chocoholic Dreams,” is displayed in the Face to Face 2 exhibition in Gananoque at The Painted Turtle Café.
• Since winning the Creative Placemaking competition in September, I am painting the 14′ x 6′ mural, “Strong and Growing Stronger,” for the new Strong Enterprises Headquarters in Belleville that will be revealed in early 2025.
• On November 13th, the Toronto Guardian will be publishing a Day in the Life Artist Profile of me as an artist.

Which tools or resources have helped you the most in your artistic career?

I have been very fortunate to have a supportive family, encouraging and trustworthy art mentors, a brutally gruelling studio art education, and magnificent member opportunities by active arts councils. I have rapidly come this far in my art career because I have grown to be strong and when I feel my strength waning, I have people and previous experiences to remind me of my strength.

Another thing that has helped me is living in the woods for 18 years. My signature art style is inspired by wild grapevine silhouettes cast by the noonday sun just west of Tweed, Ontario. I used to play with and talk to wild animals and watch the sky pass by as I laid beneath canopies of vines and cedar bows, while around me, ruffed grouse would drum upon hollow logs. I grew up in a very magical world of Nature’s wonders, hugging trees, listening to voices carried by the wind, and making fairy dust from fresh water clam shells that I dived to retrieve in “My Pretty Lake” accompanied by flashing golden fish. In short, the most helpful resources have been people in my life, a fine post secondary education (BFAH, Queen’s U), and my lived experience of Creation.

What advice would you give to artists just starting out in their careers?

To new artists just starting out, the best advice I can give is the same advice one of my mentors gave me: “Art collectors collect you and what you represent. Art fans follow you and the life you live. Art galleries exhibit you and how you see the world. So find you, know you, let the world see you, and celebrate being you – because there is only ONE YOU! You will never compete a day in your art career as long as you remain you – and – people are going to LOVE YOU!”

With every fibre of my being, I know this advice to be true, as it has stood the test of time in my art career. One thing that I found along the way is: My Art is Me and I Am My Art. So, all you artists just starting out, my advice to you is: “BE YOU!”

What is your favourite comfort food?

My favourite comfort food is chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. Currently, my circular self-portrait “Chocoholic Dreams,” is on exhibit for November in the Gananoque Arts Network show Face to Face 2 at The Painted Turtle Café. The piece pays tribute to my delicious relationship with chocolate. In this micro-impasto oil painting, I am featured as smiling with a whipped cream dipped KitKat bar between my teeth.