Claes Kamp
Multidisciplinary artist
Sweden
Art is my day job, mixing street art, graphics and traditional woodcraft.
Illustrator by night. Album art, merch, posters, book covers etc.
Photographer at dawn. Documentary, Promo and portrait for cultural workers, magazines, events and small businesses.
Give me a holler! claeskamp@gmail.com
-
I grew up in a family where art in all forms always played a central role.
As a kid I spent time at moms job as a theatre teacher, helping out behind the scenes and I used to have “painting fridays” with my dad. He got a beer and I got something with a lot of sugar, we listened to rock n’ roll and painted all night. Never with any demands of certain results or progress, but for the fun of it. That’s where I found art.
A few years later, as a loud mouthed punk teen, with absolutely no grades to speak of I had the luck of having a few explosively passionate teachers who, with their own hands got me in to the fine arts program where I never found my medium but very much the way I wanted to make things. A huge turning point in my life. I would still skip math and anything else that didn’t interest me but spent the time in the arts department instead.
I later studied 3 years of industrial design focused on wood technology where I found out that I never want to be part of mass consumption but that I love to work with wood. That lead me down the line to woodcrafts and I got in to the “Träslöjd- och Smide” (Woodcrafts and Blacksmithing) program at Västerbergs Folkhögskola where I studied traditional woodcrafts and ended up with being the second person in Sweden examined with a Journeyman’s certificate in woodcrafts.
Two years later, in the late summer of 2020 I started up what I first called Claws Creations and went full time with this idea of making wooden art and bespoke furniture. In 2022 I changed pseudonym to Claes Kamp. My original name and idea of furniture and wooden sculpture work felt wrong, too narrow somehow for who I am as a person. I am an artist, no matter the medium. Claws Creations felt like a business name, not an artist name. The new name and a larger self-acceptance that I will never be what western society asks of me made everything fall into place. I do what I do, and if you are along for the ride, I am really fucking happy to have you here!PS. Free Palestine!
-Claes -
My main focus is to create. May it be traditional art in the form of paintings and sculptures or something else, an illustration, a photo project or a mural painting. The main driving force is an urge to make things come to life and explore creativity.
I sell existing pieces and take on commissions. See pricing and portfolio for more info or send an email with your idea.
I have an education within art, industrial design and a Journeyman’s certificate in traditional wood crafts (sloyd). I have worked both freelance and as an employee as a graphic designer / illustrator, letterpress print maker, woodcraftsman, musician, axe maker - You name it.
Photography was my passion on the side of all this for about 20 years before the inquires of hiring me as a photographer for different projects became so common that I started taking it on as a part of my business.
If you have an idea, I can offer you a mindset to figure it out. And if I don’t know the craft or skills needed I am the kind of person that will spend as much time as I have to, to learn it. Creative challenges is my absolute favourite thing.
-
I really want my work to be available to all no matter their income or whatever. I want my art to live in homes and spaces where they will be truly appreciated, that’s important to me. Because of that I don’t have set pricing. Instead I try to set my prices together with you in relation to what works for both of us. It takes trust to work this way, on both sides, but I believe it is an important step that we can do to bring economic equality in the forefront of business.
So if you are interested in a piece or making a commission or whatever, just send a DM on socials or an email to claeskamp@gmail.com and we’ll work it out.