Hot News – Jubilee Jazz Festival; New Roses Highland Views

Happy Jubilee M’am

HRH Diamond Jubilee oil on canvas Lee Campbell

Haven’t done any portraits in ages but couldn’t resist this one. What a heroine she is – in this age of self self publicity and power seeking, a woman who had power thrust upon her at a early age, she accepted the role with grace and carried out her considerable duties with dignity and charm worldwide for all these years. A national treasure and a real diamond!

Jubilee Jazz Festival at Strawberry Hill House 3 -4 June

Jubilee Jazz at Strawberry Hill – oil on canvas Lee Campbell

Delighted to be invited to show paintings at the Strawberry Hill Arts Village and have produced some new paintings especially for the event.

Jazz 1 – oil on canvas- Lee Campbell

Jazz II- oil on canvas Lee Campbell

See link to site:  www.jubileejazzfestival.com

Art Workshop at Warren House - 14th July 2012

In collaboration with Warren House I will be holding a one day Drawing and Water Colour Workshop. This an ideal place to explore drawing and painting skills in a fabulous location with a highly experienced professional artist – it is ideal for both complete beginners and those with some experience. Participants will be given a set of materials to keep and all techniques will be demonstrated. Buffet lunch, tea and coffee provided.

The Rose Room Warren House

Spaces are limited – to  book please contact Warren House; 
http://www.warrenhouse.com/event.php?id=163

Other exciting news this month was collaborating with Mike of Asana Health in Kingston to provide artwork for the purpose built yoga and therapy centre on London Road, Kingston. There are now two of my larger pieces in the centre – see below:

Revelation oil on canvas Lee Campbell

Petersham Dusk – oil on canvas Lee Campbell

News from Asana Health

A new series of monthly “Optimum Health Evenings” commencing on Monday 21st May 2012 @ 7.30pm which Mike and his team of therapists and yoga teachers think would be of benefit to you.

For more info please  visit the web site: www.asanahealth.co.uk

New Roses (or neurosis?)

Heart of Gold – Lee Campbell

Heart of Rose oil on linen Lee Campbell

Peonies oil on canvas Lee Campbell

Deep Red oil on canvas Lee Campbell

At least once every year I feel the need to paint roses and these are the latest ones. This began with a commission to paint a single red rose and reached it’s peak with the design of Union Jack comprised of roses on a baby grand piano during a public art project in Soho 3 years ago. May have been generated by growing up surrounded by rose patterned wall paper perhaps..they would ‘swirl’ in a disturbing way if I stared at them too long.

Since then I have produced several paintings of this design and it also available as a giclee print.

Union Jack/Roses – Lee Campbell

Highland Views

Loch Morar Sunset oil on linen Lee Campbell

Highland Cow – oil on canvas -Lee Campbell

Loch Morar – The Red Boat -Lee Campbell

 Loch Morar – Oil on linen – Lee Campbell

Delighted to be commissioned by Edinburgh Arts who produce quality Giclee prints of my work to do some painting of the  Scottish Highlands. This area is so similar to the South Island of New Zealand – an area I know very well having hiked both the Routeburn and Milford Tracks in Fjordland – that I feel a real resonance with these places.

For some superb scenery watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2kzFIXzFGk&feature=related

Romantic Paintings:

Coer de Luminiere – Lee Campbell Oil on canvas 24″ x 36″

This piece (Heart of Light) has a trompe l’oeil painted frame and is something of a departure from recent work which has been mostly landscapes.

Borne on the Mist – Lee Campbell oil on canvas

Tall Roses – Lee Campbell oil on canvas 40″ x 12″

Red & Gold – Lee Campbell oil on panel 8″ x 10″

Pansies – Lee Campbell oil on panel 4″ x 6″

Richmond Gold II – Lee Campbell oil on canvas 16″ x 22″

Winter Exhibition 2010- Hampton Hill Playhouse

'Embankment' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

Been frantic getting work ready for my new Hampton Hill Playhouse  Exhibition and what a delight to finally hang it today! I finished the last piece yesterday. This painting re-visits my old haunts in Pimlico. I lived in Dolphin Square and worked as Resident Artist on Grosvenor Dock during the week then Tate Britain in the weekends so I used to spend a lot of time cycling  along this stretch of the Embankment.
I managed to get 12 fairly large pieces hung in the space without it looking crowded.

The Exhibition is at 90 High St. Hampton Hill and will run till 24th January. For opening times please contact the Hampton Hill Playhouse  – 0208 4104541 or myself  – 07900 242997

'From Above' - oil on canvas Lee Campbell

'Battersea Glow- - Lee Campbell

'Revelation' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

Time now to concentrate on the on-going Shard/Savoy commissions for the Byrne Group and private commissions with Xmas deadlines.

Oil on paper study of the extraction tube at the Savoy - Sept '10

It’s been so good having Holly (Dog) and Huey (DJ) Morgan (Fun Lovin’ Criminal) to keep me company. I always try and get to the studio by 10 in time to catch the beginning of his show on Radio 6. He brings a gritty rock n’ roll reality to the station and has a genuine camaraderie with the musicians he interviews.

Twickenham Riverside

The Autumn colours have been fabulous and having a dog allows for much more time to appreciate them on the way to work and lurk in cemeteries (Holly’s favourite squirrel hunting ground) on the way home at dusk.

It’s also the time of the ‘draw off’ when the Thames is effectively shut down between Richmond and Teddington Locks so the river edges can be cleaned of debris – shopping trollies and the like. The boat dwellers complain of sloping floors as their home ‘bottoms out’ and things slide off tables.

Other news since the last blog was an e mail from my artist friend in Sweden, known simply as ‘Denis’ he sent me this amazing image of the painting that documents his battle with cancer.
He explains:
“I didn’t paint a face consciously. But rather worked on the whole painting in ‘one movement’ over a period of about six months. So the size (over 3mtrs) prevented me from making a deliberate choice of any specific image as such.(too close.. to physically see it.. I mean).

The work changed as I changed my acceptance and understanding of my illness and its psychological effect on my being as a male.(Penile Cancer does that to a man). I have worked on a version of ‘mind’ projection (sic: physiogenomic projection) method for over twenty years- now and over the last decade or so I have made efforts in integrating both emotional and spiritual content into an image relevant to my feelings and experiences of the world and life.”

What a journey and what a fine way of dealing with the battle.

Networking and enjoying my new role as Secretary /Treasurer of BNI Hammersmith, we have an all girl leadership team and with over 40 members are the most successful group in central London.

Breakfast networking people

One of the new members is the charming Dereck Celis who visited my studio with his girlfriend Georgina and entertained me with travellers tales and this great picture of himself with Johnny Depp  channelling Keith Richards.

I took some great photos of Keith off the telle of him during an interview and although I haven’t done a portrait for many moons his face is such an inspiration that I’m really tempted.

Shocking News from New Zealand

Update December 2010

More earthquakes! Poor old Christchurch has had nearly 4,000 aftershocks since the big one. Another big one 2 days ago.

Poor old Christchurch is still being rocked by aftershocks and according to my friend Bev, who lives there, they have had over 150 of them- follow this link to see them recorded as they happen.

http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/recent_quakes.html

So much damage and apparently there was a terrific roaring sound as it was happening – what a horror -  however the true NZ spirit – thriving on adversity is illustrated well below:

On a happier note  – fabulous weather last week and off to Brighton to deliver a painting to a customer – lovely excuse for an outing to the seaside – fish n’ chips on the beach and the countryside looking lush in the last bloom of summer. Coincidentally, within the last few weeks I’ve been contacted by 2 customers from the Claremont Gallery in Brighton which was run by the lovely Pat Dodd until 2001 and who I’ve sadly lost touch with. It’s so good to hear from people who have my paintings particularly people who had bought them many years ago. Although they’re sold they still continue to be an integral part of my creative evolution and it’s been an excellent reminder.

Holly at the beach

Another delightful piece of news: ‘Rosie’ The Patriotic Piano finally has a new home – she was purchased by a father for his daughter and is now residing in North Yorkshire having raised money for the charity in the process. What a lovely end to her long journey. A very big ‘Thank you’ to all who helped to make that happen and you can hear her being played beautifully by her new owner

Went to a reunion on Frid night held at my old art college in (KIAD as it was then) Canterbury and the only people I saw there that I knew were my old art tutor Tony Mott, who taught me to draw at The Heatherley School of Art in Chelsea long before I went to Canterbury, and a fellow student from the year below me, Sue Fisher, who didn’t even know it was happening but had popped in to see the MA show which was also on. Lovely to see her though and made it all worthwhile. Good also to see Ted Harrison’s MA paintings, very thoughtful spiritual work. So weird though seeing my old studio space all empty and bare – I felt like a ghost – an invisible memory echoing down distant hallways. After all it has been 20 years since I graduated and I would really like to contact Sarah Dodman who graduated with me in 1991. Sarah are you out there?

Finally finished this painting I’ve been working on all summer, it’s part of a series of river paintings like this one

'Submerged' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

More young talent in the form of Danica who is 16 years old and has auditioned for the famous Berwick St Studio in Soho in London and she has just got a recording deal with a record company
Check our this link – you’ll be amazed

What a sensational voice!

SAVOY RE-FIT NEWS

Also last week, a visit to the Savoy to gather more images for the project I’m working on for The Byrne Group – overwhelming, sumptuous, hyper-decorative, fantastic – like a series of film sets – especially so as there was no furniture in place yet – waiting for all the actors to appear. A real privilege to have a  preview as it doesn’t open till 10/10/10 – very auspicious I’m sure.

The blue feet are to protect the newly laid flooring – some carpets still had covers on.

The Italian Job – votes please?

'Suspended' - Lee Campbell

The Italian Job – votes please

The deadline for the Florence Biennale is fast approaching and I have to let the couriers know the sizes of the 3 painting that I’m sending to the show. (I was invited to exhibit last year and it has cost me nearly all my savings – because of the greater worlds’ financial crisis I was unable to find a sponsor, so am funding it myself.

The problem I have is to find a good cheap courier to freight my paintings to Florence in December but in order to get a quote I must first decide which of the above 2 paintings to send ??? 1st or 2nd…all preferences gladly accepted ….

Other issues in this frustrating week have been my favourite yoga teacher has decamped to greener pastures – so after seeing him nearly every Mon night for 3 years – he’s gone! No more big deep voice counting down the breathes and finishing the session with a resounding OOOOHHHHMMMMMMM. The sessions used to set me up for the week.

Also, finding that my professional teaching skills are not appreciated or valued has been mildly annoying – hired to run a painting class I had assumed that my students would like to learn something, however according to some very selective feedback, this is not the case of an annoying minority.

I have never had this trouble before and I have been teaching successfully for over 20 years. I tend to think it is due to excessive interference and insecurity on the part of the organiser.

Some lovely customers – who had commissioned me to do a painting of the view from Richmond Hill including the hotel which has special memories for them- collected their painting this week and were really enthusiastic and pleased.
What a delight to be able to use my skill to make people happy – can there be any better way to earn a living!

For a fantastic image of cloud-porn check out this link -http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/gallery