Dominic Kemp

Artistic background

Born in London. In 1982 Dominic completed his foundation in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, London. From 1983-86 he studied at Bath Academy of Art, Corsham. In 1988 he gained an MFA at City and Guilds of London School of Art.

Dominic’s Catholic education with the Benedictine monks at Worth Abbey, enabled him to focus on art having struggled severely with dyslexia. The power and history of images to communicate is central to his art practice. The coded messages within catholic art and religious iconography of the past has remained a strong influence within his work. He often codes symbols of life, death and resurrection into his still lives through the careful choice of flowers or fruit. Dominic has often returned to abstracted pastoral scenes of a mother and child. His catholic sensibility forms the base of a spiritual prism through which he considers his subjects; from still lives to land or seascapes.

After 10 years teaching art in schools in 2003 Dominic moved from London to Wiltshire. Here he established his home and studio. In 2007 he moved to Dorset. Deeply affected by his surroundings Dominic frames his canvases in wood collected on his daily walks through the Cranbourne chase. These pieces of the landscape, found objects, ground the canvas in the space they are made.

After a 20-year break from the commercial art world to focus on his family and art practice undisturbed, Dominic has reopened his studio.