Bout with eye disease helps inspire the work of painter

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Adam Kolp has never let his vision loss keep him from creating an optimistic perspective through his paintings.

Born and raised in Westerville, Kolp spent most of his younger days with a crayon in his hands and a sketch pad on his lap.

“My parents always tease me that as soon as I was able to control a crayon, they knew that I was going to be an artist,” he says. “Now it’s been so long that drawing is just part of me, and I don’t really have to think about it anymore.”

After his 1987 graduation from Westerville South High School, he continued his education in visual arts at Otterbein College, now Otterbein University. But he wasn’t far into his education when his artistic journey took an unexpected twist.

After being diagnosed with a cornea disease called keratoconus, Kolp lost his vision, putting a major halt in his education. He was placed on two cornea transplant lists over the following two years. His first transplant was completed in 1999, restoring sight in his right eye. The next year, his second transplant on his left eye was just as successful.  

“It’s kind of a cliché pun, but it was a very eye-opening experience for me,” Kolp says. “My educators, my professors and teachers have always been a solid support system to help me be successful during this time. In the end, it made me slow down and realize just how beautiful the world is.”

After his surgery, he doubled up on his classwork, graduated from Otterbein and became an art teacher at New Albany High School. When he’s not teaching, Kolp continues to paint as a professional artist with an emphasis on realism.

“I almost always have a subject that is very detailed and realistic, but with a background that is very textural and abstract to give it a nice contrast,” he says.

Many of Kolp’s ideas come from his everyday experiences. He looks at his art and sees his own life as an inspiration, including his wife, Heather, and his two sets of twins.

“My wife is my rock and my children are what bring me life every single day,” he says. “So, by default, they find their way into almost all of my artwork.”

Many of Kolp’s paintings are reflections of the era when his vision was at its worst, bringing out the optimistic side of his struggles.

“I have a lot of blurry scenes and night life pieces, but instead of dwelling on the negatives, I turn my struggles into a beautiful painted landscape,” he says. “It’s become a very therapeutic thing that I’ve started to do within the last couple of years, and it seems to be working for me.”

Kolp’s paintings were given a major spotlight when Hayley Deeter, owner of Hayley Gallery in New Albany, reached out to him a few years ago while he was teaching her seventh-grade daughter.

“I was just opening my gallery when I saw his work for the first time,” Deeter says. “So, every time I would see him, I would ask him if he wanted to put his art on display at the gallery. Of course, when he finally decided to let me feature his artwork in 2015, his work immediately sold.”

Kolp had a show at Hayley Gallery this fall, running through late October.

“Adam has a great story,” Deeter says. “I have had the pleasure of partnering with him at the Hayley Gallery. He’s an amazing artist, and you really can’t help but love him and what he’s accomplished.”

Kolp’s shows at the gallery quickly helped him forge connections to permanent exhibitions at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, among other spots. He has also donated his art to the annual Art for Life fundraiser, with his contribution being displayed at the Pizzuti Collection.  

“I didn’t expect my donation to actually go that far because at the time, I was just trying to help,” Kolp says. “So when I found out that they were choosing my painting to hang up in the collection, it made me realize that I really am doing something good.”  

Kolp is also recognized as an “artist in residence” for the New Albany Symphony Orchestra for the 2016-2017 season. The orchestra features Kolp and a painting of his wife’s violin in its posters and publicity advertisements. At the end of the season, the painting will be auctioned off, with the proceeds going back into the orchestra.

“It’s these types of recognitions that drive me to keep making art, and these are the beautiful things that we must slow down to appreciate in life,” Kolp says. “Hopefully, my artwork will let people see these positive influences that are over-looked every day.”

Amanda Fastuca is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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