The Journey Takes Effort
To be really…..really good at something, it takes efforts that no one ever sees. I follow a blogger whose name is Iain Crockart. He recently shared a film that he directed about the artist Vincent Kamp. Kamp lives in England and his efforts to paint the ordinary people that he finds in barber shops or in a more seedy side of London are quite amazing.
Artist Vincent Kamp
It is not the subject matter that makes me want to write about Vincent Kamp. It is his passion at what he does and the great wealth of study that he has put into his artistic efforts that no one will ever truly understand, but the artist himself.
I am a writer, photographer…and sometimes artist. I know that I shy away from anything that is realistic basically because I don’t have the skills to produce such works. The closest to realism that I come is when I photograph something special and then use my paints to paint and enhance certain sections of the photograph. Some have turned out to be quite interesting, but if it becomes too much of an effort, the whole thing may turn into an abstract. It is the colors in abstracts that often fascinates me. Painting artistic realism is as much of a dream as I have at becoming a great pianist.
Vincent Kamp worked on his talent. Never having a degree in art, he became self-taught by looking at books and pictures painted by the great art Masters or sitting in on living artists’ demonstrations that he admires. His depth of study when painting a portrait takes more effort than most would ever attempt…bone structure and anatomy being some of his research.
Art subject in a barber shop by Vincent Kamp
This is what is written on Vincent’s website.: “Vincent’s arresting portraits are built on the assumption that society will always identify with rebels and the gritty underground world of urban subculture. For his latest work he has traveled around the UK visiting barber shops and events to gather material in a setting which transcends social class and makes everyone feel like ‘one of the boys’. These mesmerizing oil paintings evoke emotion, fascination and intrigue about both the backstory and the future of a character. He seeks out moments of tension, and explains: “My paintings are all quite dark, subtle and intense. I’m always imagining there’s something surreptitious going on in a potentially innocent situation.” He is heavily influenced by cinematography and its impact on storytelling, believing that by manipulating the composition, light and color you can completely change the feel of scene.”
Below is a film that I am sharing from the blog by Iain Crockart mentioned above and shown on Vincent’s website. Whatever your passion may be, decide that you will put the effort into learning and improving your skill, as Vincent Kamp has done. Hopefully, his words on the video below will be your inspiration.
Click and give video a moment to start: See video on Vincent Kamp’s website
Video Credits: Directed by Iain Crockart
Camera and Sound: Iain Crockart and Patrick Spilsbury
Edited by Iain Crockart and Dan Crinnion
Music composed by Olli Cunningham ollicunningham.com
Vincent Kamp is represented by clarendonfineart.com
MMXVII
iaincrockart.com
