Fall 2023

rtist John Chappell’s Carmel home and garden are an eclectic wonderland of pots, plants, jewelry, paintings, photographs, lamps, sculptures, handmade furniture, ceramics and rescued cats. One of the cats makes a special meow to let Chappell know when she’s drag- ging him a cloth to polish up his many creations. Fossils, shells, frogs, dragonflies, leaves, fish, lizards and snakes are just some of the design elements incorporated into fountains, pots, necklaces and more. There’s a primal feel to much of the work. Chappell graduated with a degree in zoology from UC Davis, but found he had an aptitude for tile making, and spent more than 40 years as an in-demand ceramic tile and stone contractor based out of Carmel. After a snowboarding inci- dent made it harder to kneel to install tile, Chappell turned to art. “I was always good with my hands and enjoyed being a ceramic contractor very much,” he says. “It suited me well. But I had a knee replacement that put me out of business and art became my new go-to career.” Starting as a nature photographer, Chappell combined his love for birds with large prints of them that he, at times, digitally altered to achieve an ethereal, painterly quality. Chappell’s work is currently shown locally at Coast, the Carmel Valley Art Association, Mopane, Sugar Farms Marketplace and Ami. Chappell uses fossils, shells, and imprints and inspiration from the natural world in his pieces, which include lamps (above) and wall art (below). 140 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 3 A Photos: Lisa Husby