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″

Royal Ballet School/White Lodge Project

'White Lodge' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

‘Light Fantastic’ at The Portland Gallery

e mail: gallery@portland-gas.com                      Tel: 0208 3321200

'Frozen Light' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

Since August I have been working with The Royal Ballet School at their White Lodge site in Richmond Park.  Feeling at a bit of a loss since the Byrne Bros project was completed, I approached the Ballet School and was delighted when they agreed to allow me access to White Lodge over the summer. The exhibition at The Portland Gallery will contain over 20 paintings produced as I immersed myself in this fabulous environment.

I was given access to the archive where I was allowed to photograph the old ballet shoes worn by Dame Margot Fonteyn. It was a real privilege and I could only imagine how her feet would have felt at the end of a performance.

'Dame Margot's Shoes' - oil on canvas Lee Campbell

The forest surrounding the lodge contains many ancient oak trees and these have become part of the body of work along with the resident deer that inhabit Richmond Park. It was gloriously hot August day in Richmond Park as I navigated my way slowly past a heard of fallow bucks who were camped on the roadside and munching happily in the morning sun and flicking away flies with their antlered heads. There are over 300 fallow deer in the park and approximately the same number of red deer.

'Majesty' oil on canvas Lee Campbell

The view of the Lodge from the bottom of the hill was magnificent and I paused to admire the ancient oaks rising in a stately fashion form the bracken but I wanted to imagine how it would look dressed in autumn colours and late afternoon shadows.

'Autumnal' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

The interior was equally fabulous and the first image I concentrated on was the main ballroom’s chandeliers and I attempted to capture this spectacle using mirrors and an unusual format:

'Paradox' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

Continuing on a the theme of paradoxes I used ornate railings as a device to separate the dimensions within Le Reflet de la Lune which was given it’s title by my clever  student Sandra who speaks French fluently.

'Le Reflet de la Lune' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

I have also used tiny shoes as a means to return to still life painting, I find this to be a necessary balance to working from my imagination. With several weeks to go now to the opening I have still to complete a painting of floating feathers and hopefully one of oak leaves.

'Satin & Velvet' oil on panel - Lee Campbell

‘Tiny Dancer’ oil on panel – Lee Campbell

The show has also given me a chance to explore  the mixed media collages that I enjoy in between paintings:

'Connections' mixed media - Lee Campbell

and to revisit the theme of bubbles:

'The Entrance' Oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

and works that simply suggested the ethereal atmosphere:

'Borne on the Mist' oil on canvas - Lee Campbell

However it was the Costume Room that provided the most colourful and rich cacophony of textures and vibrancy. I found rows of tutus stacked kebab fashion and hanging joyfully, hats, props and shoes patiently awaiting the next performance so I have returned to a technique of oil on paper to capture the delicacy and transparency of the fabrics:

'Costumes II' oil on paper-Lee Campbell

'Costumes III' oil on paper-Lee Campbell

'Costumes IV' oil on paper-Lee Campbell

White Lodge is a neo-Classical Palladian building and a rich history dating back to 1727 and built for George II. Since 1955 it has been home to the Royal Ballet Lower School which was founded by Dame Ninette de Valois and has just had a £22 million refurbishment.
The students are comprised of 120 11-16 year olds and among the allumni is Darcy Bussell and there are approximately the same number of staff attached to the complex.

There is a Museum in the crescent wing which has been imaginatively and instructionally designed to trace the history of ballet parallel with the history of White Lodge – museum@royalballetschool.co.uk Tel. 0208 3928440

Richmond Park has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve. The royal connections to this park probably go back further than any of the others, beginning with Edward (1272-1307), when the area was known as the Manor of Sheen. The name was changed to Richmond during Henry VII’s reign.

'Park Light II' - oil on paper Lee Campbell

'Park Light III' - oil on paper Lee Campbell

'Park Light IV' oil on paper -Lee Campbell

Exploring the building I enter through the rear of the building to discover it almost deserted except for some workmen and the security guard -
What a delight to have the freedom to explore this extraordinary interior alone. Beginning in the lower brick tunnels which link the classrooms and dance studios I crept respectfully through taking photos of all before me.

'Light Pools' - photo - Lee Campbell

Light effects ….on the shiny floors seemed to echo with the steps of dancers past and the kids artwork.
Moving through to the spectacular front of the house I noticed the ornate details and the statue of a dancer:

Looking out across the park to the lake I could see tiny figures moving slowly in the distant heat. The Shard which I had painted during my last project was visible trusting upwards through the heat-haze on my way up the hill.

'Allegory' oil on canvas -Lee Campbell

The garden  had a display of gorgeous old roses which smelled heavenly and sculptured trees statues and a summer house.

'Misty Forest' oil on panel -Lee Campbell

Holly the 'muse hound' dreams of being a dancer