ABOUT SHAELI
Born and raised in Jackson, Wyoming, Shaeli Chapman is a Contemporary Western artist whose work captures the character of the American West — from the rugged Rockies to the coast of California.
Working primarily in acrylic, Shaeli has developed a dynamic, abstractly-realistic style that explores the duality of wild and western places, the creatures that inhabit them, and the culture that radiates from within them: the imperfectly stunning, naturally abstract, wildly serene, and ruggedly beautiful. Layers of palette knife impasto, expressive brushwork, charcoal, and instinctive mark-making bring her subjects to life through a balance of movement and restraint, refinement and rawness. At the heart of Shaeli’s work is a fascination with the marks that cannot quite be replicated: the spontaneous line, unexpected texture, and moments when control gives way to instinct.
Splitting time between the Jackson Hole area and Southern California, Shaeli has exhibited her work throughout the West, and her works are held in private collections around the country.
Her art has also been created in collaboration with and in support of brands and organizations including Alpyn Beauty, Rising M Cattle Co., Miss Rodeo Wyoming, the Wild Horse Warriors of Sand Wash Basin, and the Special Operators Transition Foundation.
As her body of work evolves, so too has her practice beyond the traditional canvas. Under a concept she calls Ars Convivialis, Shaeli sets up her easel at special events throughout the Teton range and in Southern California, creating an original painting live while inviting select guests to leave their own brushstroke or line of ink, which she weaves into the finished piece — adding an eclectic layer of modern ambiance to the room. From philanthropic galas to elite private gatherings, the result is not simply a painting created at an event, but a living artifact inspired by the landscape and the energy gathered in the room, and a lasting record of the people who shaped it.