Melissa Tshikampabo Kamba: Recognizing the Beauty Within

Segullah: Welcome to Segullah, Melissa! We’re excited to highlight your illustrations and share your unique gifts with our readers. First off, can you tell us about your name?
Melissa: My name is Melissa Tshikampabo Kamba-Boggs. For my website Tshikamba.com and professional work, I use a shortened version: Tshikamba. That’s pronounced “Chee-Kam-ba.” “Tshika” derives from my middle name Tshikampabo, which translates to mean “a gift” or “what I was given”. It originates from the tribal language Tshiluba, in central Kasai, DRC Congo. It’s the name of my aunt, so I am her namesake. Kamba is a name that has been passed down for generations from my father’s side and is my maiden/given name. I thought it was fitting to have “Tshika” at the beginning of Tshikamba which also includes the women in my ancestral heritage.

Segullah: What a rich heritage and vision your name conveys! While you obviously have treasured African heritage, your website – www.tshikamba.com – says that you were raised in Alberta, Canada. Tell us more about your family and roots. Are there any other artists among you?

Melissa: I grew up in a small city in rural Alberta Canada, though my father is from the Democratic Republic of Congo and my mother grew up in New England. I take pride in my multi-cultural background. Both of my parents worked as teachers in the past, although my father is now retired.

I grew up in a large family as the youngest of eight siblings, none of whom are artists! I’m the only one in my extended family as well…as far as I know! I’m grateful for parents who supported my artistic interests when I was younger. It made me confident in pursuing it when I was older, despite the stereotype of being a “starving artist”.

I’ve been married to the love of my life for two and a half years. His name is Kenneth Boggs, but usually goes by his nickname KB. And he is also involved in the arts – in a way. He is a suit designer! He currently has his own business making and designing custom suits; his company is called Kenneth Boggs Custom. It’s amazing to have a partner who appreciates and values the art world as much as I do.

Segullah: Are racial tensions as rough and awkward in Canada as they are in the US?

Melissa: I can’t speak for everyone’s experience or Canada as a whole, but in my experience growing up, racial tensions (although present), were not nearly as rough and divided as they are here. I think in the US, it’s partly due to not learning history fully, and in turn developing a lack of remorse…or just feeling entitled.

I think people lack proximity in certain places here, compared to the area where I grew up. I love how accepting people are in Canada. Because we don’t have as big a racially tense past (although it’s there) – we don’t have as many residual effects of it today, so people are not as divisive. That being said, there are many wonderful things about both places, and I’m grateful to have dual citizenship.

Segullah: Does your art bridge the divides sometimes?

Melissa: Having a mixed heritage has given me an awareness of seeing different perspectives. One of my objectives within my art has been to bridge that gap, and deliver a message of love, enlightenment and acceptance to all.

My mom was a huge influence growing up because she cultivated my interests, and was constantly giving me materials to experiment. As a child, if I wasn’t drawing or painting, I was in my back yard building tree forts or making mud pies! I’ve always had a drive to be creative, I never questioned what I wanted to do “when I grew up”, because I innately just knew.

I didn’t have artistic mentors until I attended BYU. I was able to develop my artistic abilities because of the care and hard work of the illustration faculty. I definitely credit them for helping me develop my technical artistic skills.

Segullah: Can you tell us about your education in art (and other passions) with some highlights or lowlights thrown in?

Melissa: I graduated from BYU with a Bachelor of Fine arts in illustration. Some highlights were definitely meeting and gaining life-long friends in the program. They are extremely supportive and creative. Being surrounded by them each day pushed me to be better, as they gave me a lot of good critiques on my work, and uplifted me when I was feeling discouraged with my progress.

A particular low was when I didn’t gain immediate acceptance into the BA program, and then later the BFA program. You are only allowed to apply twice, so I was extremely worried I wouldn’t get into the illustration major at all.

Fortunately, not gaining acceptance into the program right away helped me be resilient, and pushed my work ethic. I recognized the faults in my portfolio and pushed myself to work harder, which eventually paid off! I gained acceptance the second time around.

I experienced many ‘aha’ moments. A quote by Elder Ashton states that we never fail until
we give up and stop trying. Stumbling blocks become stepping-stones of success.

Segullah: Did you have to create a final project at BYU? If so, what was it and what was that process like?

Melissa: Yes, I did create a final project! Our final project was to pick a topic, whether it be creating a series of book covers, children’s book, concept art, landscape painting, etc. Then we created a final show based off of that.

You were supposed to pick a topic that you would want to work in after graduation and market your work towards it. I decided to do paintings for historical fiction book covers for young adult and late teens. My show was called, “Be a Voice, Not an Echo”. Here’s a little explanation from
my show:

As Einstein’s quote implies, the diverse main characters I featured from historical fiction novels, are not blind followers of their times; but rather they act authentically, in search of freedom and equality, navigating their respective worlds of social justice. These are cultural classics, tales of self-discovery, strong women, and youth that become leaders as they come of age through the ages. Although these paintings can stand alone as works of art, I chose figurative book cover illustrations, hoping to connect my audience to the motivating undertones and emotions evoked, even for those unfamiliar with the literature itself. Find your voice, share your voice.

 

The process was exciting, but stressful. Planning, researching and painting thirteen paintings within 4-5 months was difficult but rewarding. I think the hardest part was coming up with unique ideas for a cover that’s already been done before. I reread a lot of the books to gain ideas and capture the essence of the novels.

Segullah: That sounds both grueling and exciting! What courses besides artistic ones did you love?

Melissa: By far, my favorite course was called Study of Race and Ethnicity 323 with Dr. Jacob Rugh. Everyone at BYU should be required to take his class! It felt like a place where I could fully be myself on campus and share my thoughts openly and be understood. That was rare if you’re a minority on campus. He really is passionate about social justice and even opened my eyes to vital and relevant topics occurring in our society today.

Segullah: On your website you describe yourself as a “designer and illustrator.” How do you see those distinctions as different from the broader term of “artist”?

Melissa: To illustrate literally means, “to bring to light”. So you’re telling a story with your artwork. I have designed wedding invitations as well as business cards in the past, so that’s why I have “designer” as a title as well.

Segullah: What were the most satisfying projects you have done so far – and why were they so satisfying?

Melissa: I’ve done so many projects that I’ve loved! One of the most recent was finishing a painting for McArthur Krishna’s forthcoming book about Heavenly Mother. This one was close to me because I had been think a lot about Heavenly Mother and discouraged that no one ever acknowledged or talked about her – and that they were completely unbothered by it. It felt extremely off and imbalanced in my heart. Soon after, I received a call from McArthur saying she was planning on creating a children’s book about her to inform people on all we know about our Heavenly Mother. She asked me, as well as several other artists to paint heavenly mother in our own ethnicities. The book is to come out this coming Mother’s Day!

Segullah: Are there genre or media you’d like to try your hand at and haven’t yet?

Melissa: I feel as if I’ve been trying everything I can get my hands on! One of the recent mediums have been alcohol inks and resin, which I discovered I love. I love the glassy smooth surface that resin creates over my artwork. A recent piece I created called, “separation of land and water” was made with these materials. I also still consistently use oil paints and watercolor.

Segullah: Apparently you live in Utah now. Has that been a cultural adjustment? How would you describe your community and social networks?

Melissa: I live in Orem! In a way, yes it has been a cultural adjustment because I grew up in a town where there weren’t many members of the LDS church. But now that I’ve been here five and half years I’m definitely used to it and love certain aspects of it. I have a small community of really amazing friends here that I met through college, mostly through the illustration department and black student union. They’re an amazing support system. I also have extended family in Bountiful and the Kaysville area, so it’s great to have supportive family members nearby as well.

Segullah: Besides being an artist, what keeps you happy and busy?

Melissa: Exercising, reading and hanging out with my husband and friends are what I’m usually doing if I’m not creating and marketing! Working out has been part of my routine my whole life. I played a lot of sports during high school and intermural sports at BYU. It’s super important to me because it makes me feel better mentally and physically. This puts me in positive and balanced mindset when I’m creating. Taking a break from creating and focusing on other things besides art, gives me a chance to recharge and come back to it refreshed and excited to start again.

Segullah: Regarding life as an illustrator and designer, how do you land assignments?

Melissa: Social media is probably the biggest way I’ve received clients and commissions. It’s where I do the majority of my marketing to sell paintings, fine art prints, and receive commissions. My website is linked to my instagram account so my audience has a direct link to my online shop.

Segullah: In creating your artwork, do you work from photos, live models, pure imagination – or a combo of the above?

Melissa: I work from a combination of all of the above. Pure imagination and photos of models are what I commonly use now that I’ve graduated and don’t have as much access to live models. I would love to work more from live models because you can capture the essence and colors of the model more than a camera can.

Segullah: I see that you’ve embellished some of your art with gold leaf. What is your aim in adding those highlights?

Melissa: Yes, I have an “embellishment option” for certain prints on my website. I wanted to find a way to make my prints completely unique and better reflect the original paintings. I select prints to individually enhance them with gold leaf, or iridescent paint depending on the nature of the painting. This makes every print appear as close as possible to the original painting.

Segullah: Do you have a particular philosophy or drive behind the kinds of art you create? If there Is a unifying theme that ties your work together?

Melissa: I often depict strong female characters in my work. It’s important to me to uplift women and show them as strong, divine, and important. I want to empower, and educate people who come across my work. It’s always good to see people and society from different perspectives, and I aim to illustrate those perspectives. I want to help people recognize the beauty within themselves.

I know first-hand that this makes a difference. I’ve had a couple of different experiences where
people have reached out to me and were moved by the interpretation of some of my paintings.

On one occasion, an African American girl reached out me saying she cried when she saw the
image of my painting Eve portrayed as an African woman. She was moved by it because she had
never considered her skin or hair to be considered beautiful. We place value on fine art as a
society. By representing marginalized groups in paintings, I can show them they are valued.
Our diversity and uniqueness makes all parts of the whole stronger.

Segullah: How does your faith enhance your work?

Melissa: My spiritual connection definitely enhances and impacts my art. Praying, pondering/meditating and exercising are some vital parts of my routine that help me feel fulfilled, inspired, confident, creative and most importantly, happy. My most successful pieces reflect this.

To me, being an illustrator is practicing our divine role of creation. Our heavenly parents are
creators, and have made epic colors, landscapes and worlds just for the purpose of us to
experience beauty, feel joy and aid in our progression through eternity. The idea and feeling of
creation is what drives me, and I want to share that wonder and beauty with those who appreciate art.

Segullah: Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and art with us. We’re thrilled to spread the word!

 

“I often depict strong female characters in my work.

It’s important to me to uplift women and show them as strong, divine, and important.”

Melissa Tshikampabo Kamba