ABOUT TIMOTHY CHAMBERS

Author, Master Portrait Artist

REPUTATION

Timothy Chambers is an artist who paints with words and pigment. He has a knack for beautiful compositions that evoke sentiment and joy. “It is the arrangement of ideas, words, shapes, colors, intensity,” he says, “that separates a ho-hum piece from one that grabs you. It is the same for both writing and painting.”

For thirty years, Timothy Chambers ranked among the top 1% of artists in the USA. Chambers created museum-caliber paintings. Tim was recognized as one of the few artists who could capture the sense of nature in his portraits. His paintings went beyond mere likeness; they captured the personality of both his subject and their surroundings. He had a rare ability to combine realism with essence.

Introduced to the work of the French Impressionists by his teacher, Henry Hensche during his studies at the Cape School in Provincetown, Massachusetts, Tim combined his classical training from the Boston School with the new vision of the Impressionists and Spaniard Joaquin Sorolla. While studying the works at Sorolla’s studio in Madrid, Chambers remarked, “Sorolla had an uncanny ability to know what was important. He also had a great sense of humanity. I see similarities between his work and that of Hemingway. They both had what Hemingway called a good ‘shit detector.’ They knew what was essential to communicate the essence of the story they were writing or painting.”

WHAT SETS TIM APART

Throughout history there have been thousands of great artists. But why is it that relatively few are household names and exhibited in museums? Tim posed the question to the director of a Philadelphia museum, who said, “Many could paint, but few were poets.” Adds Tim, “I chewed on this for years, trying to understand what the director knew. It wasn’t until I began writing that I understood. There is craft, and there is essence. Poetry effectively combines the two. A good painting is a good story. Everyone has a story, and this story is gotten by digging, but it is not merely digging. You have to dig with heart, with believing in the people, in the person. You have to believe in human dignity. We are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. There is so much beneath the surface to paint and to write about.” It is Tim’s empathy and respect that comes out of his brush and pen that sets him apart from most.

Empathy. Not as easy to come by. “I had some empathetic sense due to being quite deaf all my life,” Tim says, “but it wasn’t until I was diagnosed with Usher syndrome that empathy hooked me.” Usher syndrome touches an artist’s most valuable asset: his vision. In 1993, at the age of thirty, Tim was told he was going to end up blind and deaf. “Find a new profession,” the doctor told him. Thirty years later, Tim is still producing the best portraits in the country, despite working with less than 1% of working retina! “Yeah, I am well aware that even the best of plans go awry,” he says. “

Perhaps it has been Tim’s disabilities that have forced him to delve beneath the surface. Tim has less than 10% of normal vision and hearing (read the full story here), yet he sees beyond the obvious to the hidden beauty of the soul. Says author and artist Joni Eareckson Tada, “Tim Chambers is a fellow artist who creates beautiful paintings not in spite of- but because of- his weakness.”

INSPIRATION

Tim was privileged to learn from his father William Chambers, also a professional portrait painter. From his dad, Tim learned the importance of passion and excellence in one’s work. “Deliberate thought gives purpose to every brushstroke,” Dad would say. Tim has found this wisdom carries over to life, and therefore, imparts depth to his portraits.

APPRENTICESHIP STUDIES

In addition to his father, Tim also studied with notable American portraitists Cedric Egeli, Joanette Hoffman Egeli, and Richard Lack, and was notably influenced by American Impressionist Henry Hensche. He also studied with Sebastian Capella, Irving Shapiro, and Vince Sebastian. Each teacher has left an indelible impression on Tim’s approach to painting.

FORMAL EDUCATION

Tim has a BA in Art from Southern New Hampshire University and an MFA in Creative Writing from University of California.

MOTIVATION

Years ago, while in his teens, a friend remarked that Tim was easily amused. “I am not so sure that I am easily amused as much as I am intrigued by life, both in the simple and the complex,” Tim says. “My dad taught me that there is a purpose to everything, and my mother taught me to enjoy the moment, to laugh easily. Robert Henri, a century earlier, said it is the artist’s job to show the beauty in the commonplace. Life is hard; we’re all coping in one way or another. I am learning that it’s not about attaining success, but about helping each other find meaning and enjoy the journey together. Seeing and painting the beauty along the way is one way I can contribute.”

HELPING OTHERS

Tim founded Iguana Art Academy, to teach others the joy of creating. He also offers workshops to adults and children.

AUTHORED BOOKS

Tim has written and illustrated a beautiful book, Seeing Beautiful Through the Journey of Life (Amazon). He has also authored Oil and Acrylic Portraits (Amazon) and Strong and Courageous (self-published).

FEATURED IN…

Tim was featured in the NY Times bestseller Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by bestselling authors Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant.