Dick Campbell's Biography
Art has always been a big part of my life. My mom, Miriam Lorraine "Rani" Campbell, is a skilled portrait painter like her mother, Ida Emma Keith. From early childhood, Mom encouraged me to draw and paint. We always had art supplies around and I was allowed unlimited access to them, even the good stuff!
Throughout grade school and middle school I drew constantly and loved modelling, primarily planes of WWI and cars of the 30's, 40's and 50's. In high school I discovered ceramics, specifically wheel thrown pottery, which became my major and primary focus in college.
My years at Cal State Long Beach were filled with a wonderful assortment of art lab classes and at least one art history class each semester. After graduation, I moved back to Hawaii, settling on the Big Island, where I worked in pottery, graphic design and sign painting, as well as airbrushed, hand-painted and silk-screened garments.
In 2001, following an unforgettable series of yearly surfing vacations, I returned to painting as a means of capturing the beauty of the world as I had experienced it. Painting became an extremely rewarding and satisfying alternative to my trusty camera. It enabled me to add more feeling and dimension to the visual record of my travels. When I began working in acrylic on canvas, I discovered a means of interpreting personal experiences in a more tangible and expressive manner. As subject matter, I chose memorable scenes from a variety of locations including Fiji, Indonesia and The Rocky Mountains.
My painting style is influenced by two of my favorite artists, Van Gogh and Monet, and I have immense respect for the influential, groundbreaking work of 60's artists like Frank Stella, Victor Vasarely and Piet Mondrian. "Op Art" of the 60's has always fascinated me with it's fearless, innovative use of color and spatial illusion. I enjoy bright, lively colors and my palette choices are designed to elicit an emotional response, a sharing of my personal feelings about each special place and time.
Currently, I have been working on blending my Impressionist leanings with a bit of Op Art flair. "Sumatra #1" and "Sumatra #2" explore this approach, using a combination of airbrushed and hand painted techniques. The West Basin Series, which began as a visual record of one memorable afternoon at Taos Ski Valley, culminates in "West Basin #8", a significant change of direction in style and composition from the earlier pieces in the series.
I've begun work on a new series of bird paintings and look forward to exploring this exciting subject. First in the series is "Raven Trio", a lively piece celebrating the beauty and character of the Common Raven (Corvus corax). Future paintings in the series will showcase birds of the Big Island of Hawaii such as the Hawaiian Hawk, Khalij Pheasant, Francolin Partridge and Barn Owl.
Life and the amazing world in which we live it are an endless source of inspiration for my work. I appreciate the opportunities I have had to travel and live in a variety of locations and feel blessed to be able to give back a small part of the infinite beauty our world has to offer.
Please enjoy the gallery of my work and feel free to contact me by phone or email.
Aloha, Dick Campbell