Which came first--- the artist or the inspiration? For Kevin Chambers, the artist was intrinsic, but inspiration came at age 12. That is when he started formal art training in Blairsville, Georgia with famed artist Colleen Sterling. “She was the first person I found that was making a living being an artist,” he says, “It’s the first time I realized it might be possible.”
Today, his works and collaborations are widely exhibited and displayed in public, national, international, corporate and private collections around the world, from Trinidad to Japan, Canada and China.
Chambers received a BFA in Media Arts and Animation from the Art Institute of Atlanta, a program that allowed him the latitude to develop his own personal style while he apprenticed for talented artists. He studied the figure with Master Draftsman, Glenn Vilppu in Naples, Italy and also worked with painter and illustrator Elio Guevara on his first public commission--- a project to produce ten large murals for Zoo Atlanta.
Renowned sculptor Martin Dawe then invited Chambers to work with him in his midtown Atlanta sculpture studio, Cherrylion. He also began collaborating with Polish sculptor, Przemek Kordys, and his company Pshimi Studios. Over the past three years, Chambers has advanced to head apprentice and continues to gain recognition for his work. Some of Chambers’ most significant commissions, in concert with Cherrylion and Pshimi studios include: a bronze composite of Georgia legacy Vera Jackson, a sculpture for the Georgia Baptist convention center, and the Battlehouse Hotel sign in Mobile, Alabama.
Chambers has a gift for expressing emotions, gestures and personal stories in his art. He says, “I am constantly inspired by everything around me and try to bring that to my work.” With his use of diverse materials—bronze, resin, fiberglass and metal composite—he creates sculptures that command attention and elicit introspection. Chambers’ signature pieces are nuanced with sensuality, rhythm and motion. Chambers’ mastery of the three dimensional form inspired him to teach, catering his instruction to each unique sculpture student. His three figurative sculpture classes have a strong base in anatomy and cover armature building and work on fired clay pieces.
Chambers’ collection also includes life drawings, paintings and relief abstractions. He says, “I plan to continue to build my career as a figurative sculptor and painter here in Atlanta.”