Cynthia Chapman (b. 1977, Toronto, Canada) is a Canadian abstract painter known for her intuitive command of colour and her immersive, emotionally charged series-based practice. Her paintings invite viewers into a visceral visual journey, where colour, gesture, and surface tension operate as a potent, expressive language. Art historian and curator Joan Murray writes that Chapman “offers certainties about color, emphasizing intuition over concept to snap into sharp focus her importance as an innovative colorist making some of the most riveting paintings of her career.”
Chapman began exhibiting in 2003 at the esteemed Moore Gallery, operated by Ron Moore. During these early years, she emerged alongside a dynamic group of rising painters and deepened her connection to the lineage of Canadian abstraction. Her work shows a particular affinity with the material intensity of Jean-Paul Riopelle, whose influence helped shape her approach to gesture, space, and improvisation.
Recognized for her talent early in her career, she received the Solomon Painting Award in 2000 and the Mrs. W.O. Forsyth Award in 2003, her graduation year. In 2011, Chapman went on to work for her mentor and former instructor, senior abstract painter Ron Martin. She assisted him in producing three exhibitions held at the Christopher Cutts Gallery between 2012 and 2014. She continued to work for him until 2017. In 2017, Chapman joined the Hatch Gallery in Bloomfield PEC, Ontario, and was represented by the John Mann Gallery from 2019-2025. Chapman has been represented by the Christopher Cutts Gallery since 2025.
Cynthia Chapman (b. 1977, Toronto, Canada)
Education
2003 Ontario College of Art and Design: AOCAD Drawing & Painting
Awards
2003 Mrs. W.O. Forsyth Award
2000 Solomon Painting Award
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2025 Chroma Echo, Earls Court Gallery, Hamilton, CA
2024 Chapman, Annual Solo Exhibition, John Mann Gallery, St. Catharines, CA
2023 Chapman, Annual Solo Exhibition, John Mann Gallery, St. Catharines, CA
2022 Sensing Colour, Annual Solo Exhibition, John Mann Gallery, St. Catharines, CA
2022 Restless Attraction, Hatch Gallery, Bloomfield PEC, CA
2021 Impact!, Hatch Gallery, Bloomfield PEC, CA
2021 Recovery, John Mann Gallery, St. Catharines, CA
2020 Evolving Legacies, John Mann Gallery, St. Catharines, CA
2019 When Push Comes to Shove, Hatch Gallery, Bloomfield PEC, CA
2018 That Way, My Way, Hatch Gallery, Bloomfield PEC, CA
2017 Don’t Tread On Me, Hatch Gallery, Bloomfield PEC, CA
2012 Finding Riopelle, Moore Gallery, Toronto, CA
2010 Far From Metro, Moore Gallery, Toronto, CA
2009 Paintbook, Moore Gallery, Toronto, CA
2008 Let it Bleed, Moore Gallery, Toronto, CA
2006 Landmarks, Moore Gallery, Toronto, CA
2004 Colour Coded, Moore Gallery, Toronto, CA
2003 Fragile, Beverly Tavern, Toronto, CA
2002 CAKE, Ne Plus Ultra, 1080 Bus Gallery, Toronto, CA
2002 Delicious, Here & Now Gallery, Toronto, CA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 Group Solo Exhibition, John Mann Gallery, St. Catharines, CA
2022 Winter Group Show, John Mann Gallery, St. Catharines, CA
2021 Winter Group Show, John Mann Gallery, St. Catharines, CA
2020 Winter Group Show, John Mann Gallery, St. Catharines, CA
2020 Modern Masters, John Mann Gallery, St. Catharines, CA
2019 Grand Opening Group Show, John Mann Gallery, St. Catharines, CA
2017 Winter Group Show, Gallery Gevik, Toronto, CA
2017 You Are In My Mood, Hatch Gallery, Bloomfield, CA
2013 Winter Group Show, Moore Gallery, Toronto, CA
2012 Summer and Winter Group Shows, Moore Gallery, Toronto, CA
2011 Moore Gallery-Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, CA
2011 Winter Group Show, Moore Gallery, Toronto, CA
2010 Summer and Winter Group Shows, Moore Gallery, Toronto, CA
2009 Swim Team with Alex D’Arcy, Fountain Gallery, Toronto, CA
2008 Winter Group Shows, Moore Gallery, Toronto, CA
2006 Winter Group Show, Drake Hotel, Toronto, CA
2003 42nd Annual Toronto Outdoor Art Exhib., Nathan’s Phillips Sq., Toronto, CA
2002 41st Annual Toronto Outdoor Art Exhib., Nathan’s Phillips Sq., Toronto, CA
2002 Ne Plus Ultra, 1080 Bus Gallery, Toronto, CA
2002 87th Annual Student Exhibition, OCAD, Toronto, CA
2002 Here and Now Gallery, Toronto, CA
2001 Este Gallery, Toronto, CA
2001 3rd Annual Millennium Auction, Wagner Rosenbaum Gallery, Toronto, CA
2001 86th Annual Student Exhibition, OCAD, Toronto, CA
2001 40th Annual Toronto Outdoor Art Exhib., Nathan’s Phillips Sq., Toronto, CA
2001 A Love Story, Mercer Union, Toronto, CA
2000 2nd Annual Millennium Auction, Wagner Rosenbaum Gallery, Toronto, CA
2000 39th Annual Toronto Outdoor Art Exhib., Nathan’s Phillips Sq., Toronto, CA
Selected Reviews, Texts, and Media
2023 “Authentic Imagination”. Essay by Sean Duranovich. Catalogue. St. Catharines, ON: John Mann Gallery
2022 “Fast Runner”. Essay by Joan Murray. Catalogue. St. Catharines, ON: John Mann Gallery
2021 “What’s Left To Remember You By..” Essay by Bart Gazzola, https://bartgazzola.com
2020 “Painting Modernity”. Review by Bart Gazzola, The Sound. February. St. Catharines. ON
2011 “When and Where Paint as Matter Matters”. Essay By Ron Martin. Toronto. ON
Selected Corporate Collections
Accenture Canada, Mississauga, CA
Casa Di Giagne, Lisciano Niccone, IT
Canary Wharf Group, London, UK
Cowperthwaite Mehta, Toronto, CA
Equitable Trust, Toronto, CA
Gorman Mazzon Ltd. Toronto, CA
Hazelton Hotel, Toronto, CA
Kim Schofield & Associates, Toronto, CA
North York General Hospital, Toronto, CA
Pro Art Dental Laboratories, Toronto, CA
Prego Della Piazza, Toronto, CA
Snaptwice Ventures, Toronto, CA
The John Mann Estate, St. Catharines, CA
The Keg Corporate Headquarters, Richmond, CA
Private Collections
Australia
Boston, MA, USA
Botterlan, Netherlands
Toronto, Canada
Germany
New Zealand
London, UK
Miami, FL, USA
New York, NY, USA
St.Petersburg, FL, USA
Zurich, Switzerland
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