Kemp began his art training at Northern Vocational & Technical Institute in Toronto, graduating in 1946.
He continued his study of art by correspondence in the Famous Artists Course in Westport, Connecticut receiving feedback from Norman Rockwell.
His paintings have won 5 awards and can be found in the collections of the Tom Thomson Memorial Gallery in Owen Sound, Ontario and Princess Anne of the British royal family.
In addition to 2 self-published books; "Places and Faces"(1972) and "Country Charms"(1976), the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts published a 25-year retrospective of the artist's works titled "Robert G. Kemp's Paintings and Drawings of Rural Ontario"(1983).
[1] In 1990, following his death from a kidney disease, the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts created a trust fund for the annual Robert G. Kemp Arts Award to recognize and encourage artists in the southern Georgian Bay, Ontario region.