Cultivate Spring: Chatham Kemp

The inspiration behind these pieces ranges from wrought iron fencing in New Orleans to working on location in Hawaii. Chatham is drawn to Hawaii’s lush, tropical environment and spent time there to better understand its ecosystems. Ultimately, these references are blended with her own memories and emotions, synthesized into a world uniquely her own.

“I think of making paintings a bit like writing poems—the images are constructed to make the viewer feel rather than observe. I want them to bring color and movement into someone’s life.”

     

Chatham describes Cultivate Spring as a turning point in her work. The collection reflects a new level of focus and maturity. It helped her realize the importance of deep concentration after adjusting to motherhood. She began several of the pieces while traveling and working at the Mississippi Art Colony, and the ideas feel tied to reclaiming her identity as an individual—not just a mother.

“I think that life and art are inseparable. Having kids enhanced my understanding of what it means to live my life. I grew up around painters (my mother is also a painter), and I teach, so I work with painters every day. It’s nice to be able to fully immerse myself in my own work.”

The goal of this collection is experimentation and joy. Chatham explored how far she could push color in different combinations, even when they are not traditionally harmonious.

“Painting is a bit like a chess game where you play yourself, so I am always pushing for new ways to challenge myself and try things I haven’t done before. Color is what drives all of my paintings. I get excited to see how it works every time I paint. This collection is really an intersection of ideas, where I am finishing the Hawaii series—the bolder, busier paintings—while also working on newer, airier pieces with courtyard-inspired white space.”

“‘Til Human Voices Wake Us” is Chatham’s favorite painting in the collection. As both a gardener and a snorkeler, she has long created garden paintings but feels a strong pull toward abstract works inspired by being in the water. This piece represents an intersection of both. During COVID, the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, Mississippi, hosted an exhibition by Bill Scott, Chatham’s mentor and friend. She loved visiting the museum and experiencing his work—it was a meaningful time for her.

This painting is directly influenced by her admiration for Bill’s work, but she sought to expand upon it. She wanted to evoke the feeling of seagrass and currents so that the space would not read as a literal garden. Working on this painting became a kind of safe haven for Chatham, allowing her to focus on what matters most to her.

          

“I hope viewers experience the work almost like a snow globe, where everything within a particular painting feels complete in itself. My paintings are memories, feelings, and constructions through which I hope to bring joy to the viewer through color, rhythm, movement, and the organic natural world.”

This breathtaking collection offers something for every type of art lover. Fill your home with the color and harmony of Chatham Kemp’s Cultivate Spring collection—now available online and at both gallery locations.