Robert Chaplin (born January 17, 1968) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

artist and publisher, currently based in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. His practice includes carving gem stones, making sculptures, drawing and painting pictures, writing stories, and publishing books. He holds the Guinness World Record for publishing the world's smallest book.

Career

Born in

Smithers, British Columbia Smithers is a town in northwestern British Columbia, approximately halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert. With a population of 5,351 in 2016, Smithers provides service coverage for most of the Bulkley Valley. History Region First Nation ...

, Chaplin studied Fine Art at the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

, and was elected to the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

in 2004. His obsidian carving representing the North Wind was awarded third place in the Objects of Art category of the 2002 AGTA Cutting Edge Awards. In 2010 his book ''Brussels Sprouts & Unicorns'' was awarded first place in the

Alcuin Society A voluntary association established in 1965 by Geoff Spencer, the Alcuin Society is a non-profit organisation founded for the book arts. It is located in Canada. It should not be confused with the Alcuin Club, an Anglican publishing society. Among ...

Awards for "excellence in book design in Canada". In 2006 his book ''Ten Counting Cat'' was awarded second place in the Alcuin Awards. ''

Teeny Ted from Turnip Town ''Teeny Ted from Turnip Town'' (2007), published by Robert Chaplin, is certified by ''Guinness World Records'' as the world's smallest reproduction of a printed book. The book was produced in the Nano Imaging Laboratory at Simon Fraser University ...

'' (2007), created in association with nanoscientists at

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

, and written by Malcolm Chaplin, is the world's smallest book, at 69 x 97 micrometres square. Chaplin's other books include ''Alien Alphabet'' (1994), ''The Matchbook-a fireside fable'', '' Ten Counting Cat'', ''The Elephant Book'', ''Delicious Chicken Soup'', and ''Brussels Sprouts & Unicorns''.

References

External links

Robert Chaplin's blog, with artwork and photos
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"As it Happens" CBC Radio interview

''Globe & Mail''

"North by Northwest" CBC Radio Interview

Teeny Ted from Turnip Town review
1968 births Artists from British Columbia Canadian sculptors Canadian male sculptors Living people Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts People from Smithers, British Columbia University of Victoria alumni {{Canada-sculptor-stub