Born in 1947 in Palo Alto, California, Dave Chapple found his artistic talents at a young age, winning art contests in grammar school, including the Langtham Foundation Award. Chapple attended Arcadia High School and went on to the University of California at Santa Barbara earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology. During this time, he worked as a taxidermist for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

Chapple was an All-American in football at UCSB, and played professionally in the National Football League from 1969 to 1975 as a punter, winning All-Pro honors with the Los Angeles Rams in 1972. Beginning in 1970, Chapple started his professional career as an artist while continuing to play football for the Los Angeles Rams. He retired from football in 1975 to pursue his art career on a full time basis.

During the late 1970's, Chapple began producing hand-colored and multi- plate wildlife etchings. This popular gallery product led to over 200 sold-out editions at art shows throughout the country.

Chapple has also won numerous stamp contests for conservation groups including Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, and various State Stamp programs. Chapple has been honored by Ducks Unlimited for raising over one million dollars in California and over three million dollars nationally through the sales of his art work.

His life-long passion for golf has translated into painting commissions for Jack Nicklaus, Fred Couples, ABC Sports, U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open, PGA Tour events and various country clubs and golf courses around the country.

Further extending his artistic talents into sculpture in the 1980's, Chapple has created a diverse body of commission work for many corporations and collections including a life-size bronze for the Florence Griffith Joyner Memorial and Olympic Park. Additional corporate commissions include: Chiron Corporation, Laguna Audubon, Dupont Center, Foremost Insurance, the Bert McKee Award, Ameriflex Corporate Collection, Cornerstone University, the City of Arcadia, Claremont College, and the Santa Cruz Island Foundation.

Because of his interest as a collector of the early California artists, he has spent the majority of the last twenty years focused on California landscape painting. He continues to offer a cooperative experience creating commissions for his collectors.

For the past twenty years, I’ve spent the majority of my time focused on California landscape painting. I was fortunate to work with De McCall of DeRu's Fine Arts in Laguna Beach, California for eighteen years prior to his passing. My growth as an artist during this time has been from a combination of plein air fieldwork, critiques, and realizing that I learn more from my misses than from my hits.

I have been a full time, self taught artist since my retirement from professional football in 1975.  My subject matter reflects my varied interests; including nature, wildlife, golf, fly fishing, and landscapes.  I have done over two hundred one man gallery shows, working with Frame House Galleries and Peterson Prints, and have multiple works in  permanent museum collections. Additionally, I have completed over eighty commissioned bronze projects, forty golf commissions nationally, and raised over four million dollars for various conservation groups through the sale of my artwork.  None of this would have been possible without the help, advice, and support of clients, collectors, gallery owners, museum staff, and the many artists and artisans I have been fortunate enough to work with over the years.