Ruth Chapman

Biography
Ruth Chapman creates collages from papers she prints in acrylic using a gel plate and a variety of printmaking tools. She enjoys combining the spontaneity of the printmaking process (gorgeous ghost prints!) with the patient, detailed work of making a collage. Her creative outlet as a child was sewing, which she learned from her mom and grandmother, and those skills of designing, cutting, and assembling fabrics inform how she creates now--using paper instead of cloth. Birds with flowers is a recurring theme, celebrating renewal and the quiet beauty of everyday life. She graduated from Kenyon, has a master’s from Northwestern, and has studied art in studio classes and independently. She lives with her husband Jeff in Ridgefield, CT and has two grown daughters off on their own adventures. She’s an Exhibiting Member of the Rowayton Arts Center and has been published in the design magazine UPPERCASE (2025, 2023, and 2021). Her work lives in private collections in Connecticut, New York, Nantucket, and beyond.

Artist Statement
“I get excited about blending colors and printing layered textures on the gel plate to create unique and beautiful collage papers. For me, if the process of making art is joyful, that feeling shows up in my art. The space in my collages is intentionally shallow, with the pieces of paper sitting flat on the canvas. I like each artwork to have a playful, happy feeling based on careful attention to how color, texture, and the elements in the overall composition interact to create that emotional impact. As I work, I consider each object by itself, how it relates to the others, and how it contributes to the whole. These concepts are meaningful in life as well: individuality, harmony, and unity. My Sanctuaries series features birds and flowers: the first tulips opening up in the spring, a pair of mourning doves in the garden, the return of the goldfinch and its brilliant yellow feathers. The vases add a human touch and suggest that we are part of creating and preserving the beauty around us. Rich colors, interesting textures, and simple shapes come together to evoke a sense of joy, comfort, and connection—a sanctuary from the outside world.”