Meet Chance Dunlap | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chance Dunlap and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chance, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I did not start off as an art student. I needed a class, and my mother suggested that I take an art class because I had enjoyed making things as a kid. That design class really changed my life. I became very serious about making art and because of the good teachers I had decided that teaching would be a good career. No other degree seemed to offer the unlimited potential of art. When parents ask what will my kid do with an art degree, I can only say that they can potentially do absolutely anything.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Imagination is always big in my art. Imagination, in a practical way. I like to be able to relate to things. I have huge respect for epically fantastic works, but I like to make things that fall just outside of reality. I like small sculpture. I was always told to work bigger, but I don’t enjoy that work. I like the closeness of small work. Petting a house cat is fun, petting a lion is scary. Big sculpture is not as warm and inviting. I like small work that hides on a shelf, and you get to rediscover it once in a while. Big art is always there. Kind of like a couch, you forget about liking it after a while. I was having a steady dose of exhibits before Covid, but I’m getting it back together. Maintaining a studio practice is tremendously important. I’m not the kind of person who says if I don’t work, I will die or something, but I do feel better when I’m working. Grinding on a piece of wood is a great time to think about stuff. I love making stuff, and like the community of other people who also love to make stuff.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In the Dallas area, I like the museums. The art museums are excellent. There are many excellent galleries to visit as well. I would have to include the Dallas Arboretum in a serious day trip. That big half price books warehouse is fun to visit before you go the Whole Foods off Lovers Lane. Just down the road from Whole Foods is the Fish Gallery, one of my favorite aquarium stores. There are great restaurants all over Dallas with lots of global cuisine to try. One of our favorite places is Kalachandji’s Restaurant inside the Radha Kalachandji Temple.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to recognize all the great teachers in my life. Not every teacher is employed in the education field. My parent, grandparents, aunts and uncles all taught me things. All the school teachers I had such as my kindergarten teacher, one of my third-grade teachers, a few middle school teachers, and high school teachers all deserve big shout outs. I had a lot of excellent college professors as well. I performed poorly in some of their classes, but I still have tremendous respect for them. As a professor myself, I understand the difficulties. I’ve learned so much from my peers, students, colleagues, and other artists. I have to shout out Phillip Guston, James Surls, H.C. Westermann, Alexander Calder, and David Smith who have all inspired me so much with their great art.

Instagram: @artachance

Image Credits
These are all my images.