Meet the Artist: Kumpa Tawornprom

Name: Kumpa Tawornprom

Age: 44

Preferred Medium: Industrial size Styrofoam sculpture 

Bio:

Tawornprom, or Kumpa as he is commonly known, moved from Thailand to the United States when he was 21 years old. He planned to become a civil engineer before his sister “kind of forced” him to become an artist.

He went on to study graphic design and fine art at SPC in Clearwater before getting his first big break in Safety Harbor. 

“About 15 years ago, a guy from Safety Harbor asked me if I would help him with a dragon sculpture he was working on,” he recalls. "I said sure, and I told him I'd do it for free."

“Ten years later I saw him again and I told him I had never done anything like that before. He was shocked. I told him I can see everything in my head, that’s how I know how to do it.” 

Did you know:

Kumpa has been educated in the arts, but when it comes to many of his creations, he is self-taught. 

“I learned art in school, but I was an F and D student,” he admits. “I just say, 'How can I make it happen?'. That’s my way of looking at it. I take on projects with confidence. I know in my head and my heart I can do anything I want.” 

Kumpa has utilized his talents to create incredible pieces in a variety of mediums, including paint, chalk, metal, wood, stone and pencil. He now primarily works with large scale industrial Styrofoam. 

Where you can see his work:

Kumpa’s creations can be found all around Safety Harbor, the greater Tampa Bay area and even at numerous Disney and Warner Brothers theme parks throughout the country. 

His BB King guitar sits on the ceiling of Brady’s Backyard Barbeque; a mural he painted adorns the wall of Green Springs Bistro; a pack of his bulls protects the USF campus; and one of his giant iguanas sits on the roof of the Green Iguana in Tampa.

But for all of his talent, Kumpa may be best known for his engaging personality and incredible generosity; he regularly creates pieces for friends, neighbors and organizations he is fond of, usually in his spare time.

For instance, he’s currently in the process of creating a couple of life-sized elephants for the Sarasota Chalk Festival in October – for free.

“All the art I’ve done downtown is to help friends. I like to help out,” he says. “What am I going to do, go home, sleep and watch TV? I’d rather work."