The King of Kings - On David Kampmann's exhibition at the Kings Gallery, Unitarian Universalist Church on Geary St. in San Francisco....(runs June10 - July 11, 2005!!!)

"...Remembering the need to speak out when something remarkable happens, I recall the day that both David and myself 'got up with God' in the early morning light and proceeded to our painting destination along the Pacific coast off Highway 1 near Año Nuevo. We were going to paint outside for the day, pack off the results in our respective vehicles by late afternoon, and hope that 'something happened!' Maybe even a picture!!

"...I write you this to remind you about the sources of David Kampmann's exhilarating and enlivening exhibition, paintings that come hard fought and hard won over many, many years of being a painter. He has risen, gone out to meet the day, and followed a pathway. His repeated efforts have commonly come together and are united in 'a vision' now -- and he now helps us all to 'see' more clearly by offering these paintings from Life!!!

"...He is a fellow artist, not unlike a lot of us out there, yet there is a special and rewarding value present in the pictures in this exhibition. These paintings are carved out of a desire to communicate a dedication to art history, to express his gratitude for lessons learned, and to evoke his love of the personal stories and friendships that are inside these pictures now showing at Kings Gallery.

"...Simply stated, the viewers of this exhibition are certainly moved, maybe even startled, by the passionate presentation of David's installed work inside the Unitarian Universalist Church's space, and the relevance and perfection of this location to his ideas is clearly seen in the pictures. They glow with light. They are meaningful statements about living a life. They are clearly honest. They represent the unrepresentable because they evoke emotional states and outbursts. I laughed and cried inside this exhibition. I loved David Kampmann's willingness to say things he 'knows,' to not hesitate to admit confusion, to be that real man who pushes the paint brush for our betterment. I cried in this exhibition because I was so happy to see someone forge a Truth that both soared toward the heavens, but remained humbly bound to the land. His 'landscape' undulates and moves us to do the same with our eyes, but mostly with our hearts. As Albert Hofstadter, a very beloved American philosopher once wrote: 'Art surely does silence our Speech into its proper Stillness.'

"...So these pictures do at the Kings Gallery, moving me to write to you and ask for your attention and service to yourself in going 'out there' to experience this remarkable show by a truly genuine artist.

"...GO SEE! Look for yourself!

"...See what happens."

Richard Shaffer
Santa Cruz, California 2005