David Chapman
David Chapman
Pyrography & Carver
David Chapman was born in Akron, OH. He attended Garfield High School in Firestone Park and graduated from Akron University with a Bachelor’s Degree in education, majoring in history and economics. He moved to the Wayne & Holmes Counties in 1972 and worked in banking for 30 years.
It wasn’t until 2013, after open heart surgery, that David discovered his passion for woodcarving. He has been hard at work striving to hone his skills ever since. He states “I never arrive… I am always looking for ways to up my game.”
In the spring of 2017, David underwent major back surgery and was not able to carve for a season. It was during this time of convalescence that he redirected his efforts and began teaching himself how to draw and to experiment with pyrography or ‘poker work’, as the British affectionately call it. Initially, he thought these skills would be great assets in his growth as a woodcarver. He soon discovered that he had the ability to develop these art forms into stand alone skills.
David just smiles when people ask him how long he has been carving, drawing, or working in pyrography, then in the next breath inquire where he majored in Art. His response is always the same. “ I never knew that it was inside me until I tried it. It is a gift from God and I respect it as such. Like every youth, I pondered what I wanted to be when I grew up. Sixty plus years later, now I know. I guess I’ve taken that long to mature. I’m a slow bloomer.”
David and his wife Nola reside in nearby Shreve, OH along with their dog, Prancer. They have four adult children and thirteen grandchildren.