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The relationship between artist and collector is an important one, and one that can create a working relationship for years to come. For Peter Campbell that is what happened with a Colorado couple that have collected and commissioned a number of his paintings over the years for their Arts and Crafts style home.
The story between Campbell and his collectors is featured in September’s Plein Air Magazine, on newsstands now.
Campbell started out as a photographer and moved to painting in 1997. He says his photographic background comes in handy when he’s working on his landscapes, which are often abstracted views of nature. “Photographers are able to look at the world and imagine a frame around it, seeing the shapes interact with each other,” he says. As a photographer he also learned that the best time of day to shoot most subjects is at the beginning or end of the day. This has carried into Campbell’s paintings, with many of his landscapes captured in morning or evening light.
A plein air artist, Campbell enjoys working on site, and says, “I work mainly on location to get a direct connection with the landscape. I believe this gets the ‘outside’ into a painting, giving it elements that make it alive.”
So what is Campbell’s secret to success? He explains, “The real artistry of painting is being able to instill a personal, emotional quality in a landscape. In my experience, that is essential for engaging viewers who might become collectors of my work.” He goes on to explain that his paintings have an enduring quality. “My best clients say they really enjoy my paintings because the images seem timeless. That is, they could have been painted 100 years ago or yesterday. Because of that, the owners don’t get tired of the paintings.”
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Peter Campbell’s landscapes are on view in our current exhibition, “Out of the West–Landscapes” on view September 10-October 31.
