Capetonian painter Kevin Atkinson dies after a long illness. Medina Morphet pays tribute.
Cape Town-based painter Kevin Atkinson died last week at the age of 67 from a debilitating illness. Atkinson graduated from Michaelis in 1962 and lectured there for many years.
Kevin Atkinson
by Medina Morphet
'You are in a gallery. There is nothing on the walls. You look up into the corner of the ceiling and there is a crack. What does it mean? You don't know. But the artist knows, the artist knows what it means.'
Or alternatively: 'You walk into a gallery. Suddenly you are surrounded by balls of coloured wool hanging at different heights. Red ball at your shoulder, blue ball at your head, yellow ball at your knee.'
Delivered with passion, these are two of the clearest memories I have of Kevin's teaching. He managed to convey to me how important it is to work with conviction, intensity, and focus. And how powerful it can be to be totally submerged in the experience of beautiful and powerful art.
What I really loved though, was his recommendation to reward a full day's creative achievement with a glass of red wine. This conformed exactly to my idea of what a bohemian, colourful, creative life was supposed to be.
Kevin is fondly remembered by the many he taught, inspired, and encouraged.
Medina Morphet is a Cape Town-based painter who sudied under Kevin Atkinson at UCT Michaelis School of Fine Art
