Will Kemp

Will Kemp (b. 1977, Kent) is a British painter celebrated for his instinctive, contemporary approach to landscape and architectural subjects. He studied Fine Art at Staffordshire University before pursuing classical training at the Angel Academy of Art and Charles Cecil Studios in Florence. Kemp was later awarded the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Scholarship, which enabled him to refine his practice in sight-size portraiture.

His work bridges the classical and the modern, blending 17th-century techniques of light, tone, and form with a fresh, immediate style that resonates with today’s audiences. Kemp’s landscapes and still lifes are marked by bold colour contrasts, clean compositions, and an economy of line that gives each piece a sense of energy and clarity. His coastal and village scenes, in particular, are distinguished by their ability to capture atmosphere and place with both intimacy and impact.

Alongside his studio practice, Kemp is widely recognised as the founder of the Will Kemp Art School, an online learning platform with over 280,000 subscribers and millions of views. His teaching brings classical painting and drawing principles to a broad, international audience, further establishing him as both a practitioner and an educator of the highest calibre.

Kemp’s work has been exhibited in the UK and abroad and is held in private collections worldwide. From the stillness of Venetian canals to the raw beauty of Scottish shores, his paintings reveal a fascination with light, colour, and the fleeting moments of the natural and built environment. Today, working from his studio in St Ives, Cornwall, Kemp continues to explore the tension between tradition and modernity, ensuring his work remains both technically rigorous and immediately accessible.