Carel Brest Van Kempen
Today I’m asking all of you to visit the weblog of my new friend Carel Brest Van Kempen, Rigor Vitae: Life Unyielding. I’ve known of Carel’s work for a number of years, but he showed up recently in my comments and a mutual admiration society soon developed. His work is exquisite! Even on my best days I could never handle pigment with his sensitivity. That wouldn’t be so bad, except he’s younger than me, and damn, if he isn’t an intelligent, eloquent writer also. Take your time and go back through his posts and the links to his gallery. It will be well worth it. He even has a gorgeous coffee table book for sale showcasing 140 paintings.
February 15th, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Holy crapamoly…
February 15th, 2006 at 10:11 pm
Carl, your color work does the job. It’s nothing to get hyperventilating about;, but hell, wonder and awe gets boring after awhile. A surfeit of richness tends to make you throw up.
Your pigments fit what you do, and in this world where dazzle and distract are the order of the day, that is something to celebrate.
February 16th, 2006 at 10:05 am
Yeah, but would he paint himself up like a Hershey’s kiss???
February 16th, 2006 at 10:38 am
What’s that you say, Will? “I wish I could write with the sensitivity of that Kip Marlowe”? Whatever.
Seriously, Van Kempen’s work is lovely, but me personally I’ll take your composition and lightheartedness over his pigment handling any day. Maybe it’s just the limitations of my computer screen (and I admit I didn’t fully get what was so great about O’Keefe until I saw her stuff hanging on a wall, so I’m willing to change my tune), but I actually don’t see the difference in pigment use between you two. But I’ve always been all about the composition anyway.
So, uh, when do you release a coffee table book?
February 16th, 2006 at 11:06 am
Thanks so much for the kind plug, Carl. My own personal favorite aspect of your work is your skill at reconstructing creatures from small pieces of fossil information and a vast wealth of knowledge. Lots of artists can recreate what’s in front of their face, but it’s a tiny fraction of those who have all the skills to do what you do.
…and yeah, when DO you release a coffee table book?
February 18th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Thanks for the link to Carel’s site. It was fun to see what he has been creating!!!
February 18th, 2006 at 10:17 pm
Carel,
I’ve been trying to get Carl to consider doing his (long delayed) elephant post as an art book, but he takes hints about as well as a performance artist takes criticism. I have the feeling the only way it’s going to happen is if we hack into his harddrive and download the contents.
February 20th, 2006 at 11:24 pm
no one could ever take your place in my heart, carl! especially since you sent your self-portrait as a kiss — in tights no less! — to ME FIRST!!!
February 20th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
besides, YOU have my phone number (a rare commodity in this world).