Today we’d like to introduce you to Kev Von Holt

Hi Kev Von , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

It started out by me Finding paint in the trash on the streets of Philadelphia and hauling it back to my apartment where I began to experiment. At the time, I was also working in various hair salons trying to find my footing as a hairstylist. I was working at a salon called vertigo on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia and I had a good friend Charles, who saw my art that i was hiding in my apartment and he quickly started persuading me to hang up a couple of pieces in the salon . The first paintings that I made were with that found paint and I would use old cassette tape cases and break them and use the broken pieces as pallet knives for some of the first creations. That salon shortly after closed down and I found a new job at another salon across the city called Ground Zero salons. I was working for a woman named Wendy and her and I quickly became friends. I was working at the salon for about six months when one day she dropped me off at my apartment and saw about 25 paintings that I had been hoarding scattered throughout that apartment. She said you need to bring these to the salon and put them up for sale and have a little gallery within… I took her up on that offer and began to curate the salon with my paintings and some photography that I had started printing out. It wasn’t long before I was starting to sell those paintings to the clients of the salon and started to save some money from those sales. About two years later, I was still selling art and still creating art while working in the salon as a hairstylist and juggling my duties as a singer songwriter With a band with my brother Scott . As the demand for my art grew, the music kind of took a backseat, but I was OK with that because it was the first time in my life that I was actually making real money for my creative abilities other than doing hair. I wasn’t particularly happy doing hair and Wendy started to notice that and came to me with an offer. She said I’m going to let you keep 100% of what you make for the next Year then at the end of that year, I’ll be closing the salon and moving, but her deal was that I save the 50% that she normally would take from me and use that to springboard a career as an artist full-time… That’s what I did

I was living in Philadelphia and after a course of events, I found myself being forced to move back to my hometown of Flemington, New Jersey… I found a small gallery within the town that I had for a year… One day, a guy by the name of Frank walked in and said what’s it gonna take for me to get over to our new space called the Stangl factory?? Then met his friend George, who owned the factory along with Frank and they made me a deal that I couldn’t refuse and I packed my things and opened up the official Kev Von Holt Gallery at the Stangl factory in Flemington, New Jersey, which I have now had 10 years.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

Art and creativity always have their ups and downs and struggles .
Factor in trying to sustain as a creative as your full time job and that is a whole separate thing hahaha

The pandemic seemed to forever change things , the economy and all is definitely a factor in the “buisness “ side of things.

Also health issues and the aftermath of cancer have been a bumpy road mentally which is a double edge sword in the grand scheme of things… on one side it is an inspiration of positivity and gratefulness and on the other hand it is a dark and lonely road full of fear and uncertainty.

So no the road has never been “smooth “ and I don’t ever expect it to be .

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

What do I do … I am a creative human being exploring the feelings and energy inside my soul and mind … looking for something I am always finding and quickly rediscovering .

I specialize in just being myself .
I don’t know how to be anything else :)

I am known for having a station wagon and painted clothing ;) hahaha

I don’t like to feel set apart from others .
We are all in bloom together

What does success mean to you?

Success is doing what you feel you were put on earth to do .
And also being able to go to the grocery store and not look at the prices :) hahaha

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.kevvonholt.com
• Instagram: @kevvonholt / @kvhgallery
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/s9vD5FJDcQvZ5yDW/?mibextid=LQQJ4d