Adrian CHappell

I’m a practising artist and writer. Originally fine art trained in the UK and Italy, I spent most of my professional career working in the education sector. This spanned primary, secondary, adult and higher education. I also worked in local government and for the Arts Council of England (London).

I relocated to Eastbourne from London in 2022 to establish my studio practice. Leading up to this, I published my first novel An Honourable Betrayal, a political thriller set in Yemen. I exhibited a number of drawings and paintings based on themes from the novel. This combined approach to writing and art-making has now become the hallmark for my creative work.

My primary interest now draws upon themes from Britain's post-war social and cultural history. My recent publication "Postcards & Postscripts" (2025) is largely based on my experiences of growing up in the 1950s and 60s. My current project "Cool Conjunctures" juxtaposes themes from one single year in that period - 1966 - the year when creative collisions epitomised the "swinging sixties".

The 1960s French movement Narrative Figuration, a counter-response to the dominance of American Pop Art and abstract expressionism at that time, is a relevant source of inspiration for me.