Select a painting from the list at the left or a thumbnail from the group at the right to view examples of Ms. Chamberlain's work. These thumbnails are only a small representation her collection.

Ms. Chamberlain’s background in Asian painting influences the studies you see here. Each piece is painted on silk rice paper, using Japanese paintbrushes. Sumie inks are pressed onto a stone, and mixed with water to create various pigments. Black, gold, and indigo are used for the male nudes, while red is used for the female. Ms. Chamberlain can produce up to twenty studies in one day.

This style of painting is very Zen in nature. There is no possibility to correct a mistake; Ms. Chamberlain paints from a deeper place within herself, where the beauty of the image is second to the spirit depicted within it. She relies on her models to express this spirituality, and many forms can exist in one model. As a result, the paintings oftentimes do not resemble the model, but simply convey a trace of them instead. This can be seen in the spiritual imagery throughout the collection, from depictions of auras and energy fields, to angels and devils, to a representation of the Madonna and Child.

The male nude paintings are studies for the sculpture The Russian. For the first six months of working with this model, Ms. Chamberlain worked solely in ink. It was through this process that she familiarized herself with his body and personality. Only after consistently painting lying down poses was she able to find the sitting pose that is The Russian.

The female nude paintings are with Ms. Chamberlain’s primary model, Jenn Whitney. While they work together mostly on sculptures—they are currently completing six bronze pieces—they occasionally take a day to paint. This collection of studies came from one day of work, and demonstrates the many levels of experimentation Ms. Chamberlain goes through. One example of this is draping sheer and layered fabrics over the model, while Ms. Chamberlain trains her eyes to focus upon what is almost entirely unseen.

It is of note that these studies are more creative and liberal than Ms. Chamberlain’s sculptures, and are completed in minutes, whereas she can work on each sculpture for over a year.

If you are interested in any of these paintings for a show or for purchase, please contact the artist.