One might expect an individual named Carel Pieter Brest van Kempen to be a foreign dignitary, a dress designer, or some sort of Dutch dandy. Instead, Brest van Kempen is an extraordinarily gifted Utah artist, known for detailed paintings of international flora and fauna. Through Feb. 2, Brest van Kempen will exhibit 30 hyper-realistic paintings in acrylic and watercolor at the Day-Riverside Library.
A recipient of widespread acclaim, Brest van Kempen explores the rich diversity of the natural world. His objective is to "say as much as I can about how an animal lives and interfaces with its environment and with other organisms."As a child growing up in Emigration Canyon, east of Salt Lake City, Brest van Kempen was a student of nature. He spent his youth exploring untracked backcountry, drawing, studying and collecting native plants and animals. Now he's an adult, his travels have taken him around the globe to such places as Cameroon, Central Africa, Madagascar, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Brazil, Costa Rica, Southeast Asia and New Guinea where he sketches and photographs the myriad species of wildlife and vegetation.
What strikes the viewer when looking at a Brest van Kempen painting is how exotic each scene is. The realistic interpretation of a lush rain forest, desiccated mud patch or rocky slope with its inhabitants is made more intriguing due to the artist's occasional inclusion of a incongruous species of plant or animal. This "fudging," as the artist refers to it, makes for amazing visuals if not completely accurate ecological statements.
The titles of Brest van Kempen's paintings are peculiar and yet accurate, helping viewers to understand something of what they're seeing: "Blue-headed Bee-eater," "Chestnut-backed Owlet & Red-billed Wood-hoopoe," "Gelada," "Drunken Hornbill," "Hoary Bat" and "Palm Nut Vulture & Pied Crows" to name just a few. Some paintings are as small as 3 by 5 inches, others as large as 30 by 20 inches.
Because Brest van Kempen uses painting techniques employed by commercial illustrators, some might grumble that he isn't a true "fine artist." But while he does paint on illustration board, the quality is so high and the imagery so unique that any discussion of whether he's an illustrator or fine artist becomes irrelevant. (Remember, Norman Rockwell was considered "just" an illustrator.) Brest van Kempen has exhibited his paintings throughout the world, garnering numerous awards, including Best of Show at the two largest wildlife art shows in America: the South Eastern Wildlife Expo in Charleston, S.C. (1995) and the Pacific Rim Wildlife Art Show in Seattle, Wash. (1995 and 1998). In 1994 he was elected to membership in the Society of Animal Artists, which bestowed its highest honor, the Award of Excellence, three times, in 1994, 1996 and 1997.
Brest van Kempen is represented by The Howard/Manville Gallery in Seattle, the Germanton Gallery in North Carolina and the Spanierman Gallery in New York City.
The Day-Riverside Library is located at 1575 W. 100 North. For hours call 524-8287.