Chadwick was born in Hawera, South Taranaki in 1962.In his formative art years Chadwick was taught by artists Cliff Whiting, Paul Dibble and Frank Davis.

In the early 1990s he led a group known as the Scarecrow Committee who unsuccessfully campaigned to prevent KFC from bulldozing the Hawera house of New Zealand author Ronald Hugh Morrieson and replacing it with a fast food outlet. This is detailed in Julia Millen's book, Ronald Hugh Morrieson: A Biography. In 2008 Chadwick set foot in the Hawera KFC outlet for the first time since the Morrieson house campaign of the early 1990s,at Hawera, to read a chapter from The Scarecrow by Ronald Hugh Morrieson as part of artist Liz Allens 'One Day Sculpture' art happening.

On the 9 September 2009 ( 09 09 09 )Tim Chadwick released his own CAL postage stamp through New Zealand Post Ltd, a stamp known as the 'Pink Beetle Post' stamp, featuring a pink Volkswagen Beetle car. Only 1000 stamps were ordered and printed. Some were used on Chadwick's official First Day Cover ( FDC) which featured his caricature of pink beetle insects and a pink Beetle car.

Chadwick had two children and lived in New Plymouth. He taught art at Inglewood High School in Taranaki. He was killed on 17 March 2010 when his car failed to take a bend on State Highway 3 near Piopio.