Carel Pieter Brest van Kempen was born in Murray, Utah in 1958. He is an illustrative acrylic and watercolor painter who gives an air of academic realism to his wildlife and animal subjects as well as to his science fiction–like fantasy scenes. He lives in Salt Lake City.

Brest van Kempen attended the University of Utah as biology major. His work seeks to depict how an animal lives and interacts with its environment.

Brest van Kempen’s paintings have earned a number of awards.   In 1994, he was elected to membership in the Society of Animal Artists, which honored him with The Award of Excellence in 1994, 1996, 1997, 2004, and 2006. His work was awarded Best of Show at the 1995 Southeastern Wildlife Art Expo.

Lizard Relay: Jaguarundi with Green Iguanas and Bounded Baskilisks (1991) is part of Springville Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Great Helmeted Hornbill (1998) is another example of his work.  The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin and the Bennington Center for the Arts in Bennington, Vermont also have his art as part of their permanent collection.

Biographical information on this page was adapted from the Springville Museum of Art.