-paintings by jerry campbell-

Lovely winter weather. Finally.

2012-01-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

Steel VI oil on panel, 11"x14"

To all the security guards...

2012-01-09T16:37:00.001-08:00

As an urban plein air painter I have frequent encounters with the security sector. Two days ago I was turfed from a prime spot by an older gentleman of authority. Unlike my earlier days, I don't argue (much, anyway), and move on if I must. There is no point challenging them, cajoling with them, they're just doing their job, so why make them miserable? They're really in no position to cut you slack. In the fall I was painting in Windsor and had my mind set on a location along the Detroit River, a locale that produced successful work in the past. My 'secret spot' was at the end of a long deserted gravel road. Not another soul in sight, right? Nope. A woman jumps out of a van as I'm unloading the gear and tells me to pack up and move on, this area was no longer accessible to the public. After my initial shock and disappointment faded, I was disturbed by how vulnerable this woman was out here, miles away from anyone and alone. The last thing I was going to do was give her a hard time.
So, just an opportunity to give props to those often-maligned security workers.

Steel V 11"x14"

De Luca Gallery exhibition

2011-11-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

There are three recent paintings of mine at the De Luca Gallery for the month of December, as part of a group show. Reception is December 3, 2-6 pm. www.delucafineart.com

Occupy Toronto

2011-11-16T14:27:00.000-08:00

This painting was done on the site of Occupy Toronto. I met a lot of good people there- idealists, realists, hippies, young and old. Very cool.

Occupy Toronto, 10x8, oil on panel

Salt

2011-11-04T16:11:00.001-07:00

Salt, 10"x12"

Skyline

2011-10-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Skyline, 10"x12", oil on panel

Plein air in the city

2011-09-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

Walmer, 8x10, oil on panel

Pharmacy Faculty Building 8x10, oil on panel

Lot 11x14 oil on panel

2011-08-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying painting in a storage yard for steel products lately. Like Monet studying light on lilypads, this steelyard has become my Giverny. Until I get chased out.

Little Henge 8"x10", oil on panel

Steel II 11"x14", oil on panel

Dufferin Grove 11"x14", oil on panel

Steel

2011-07-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

Steel, 11x14

Thank you to all that came out to the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. It was a hot weekend, but so many braved the heat and came by my tent to visit, that it was really a pleasure.
This was the fiftieth anniversary of the TOAE, and I was happy to be involved. There was so much intriguing work on display that I want to extend special gratitude to those that chose to support me and my work. Thank you!

New nocturne

2011-05-08T07:07:00.001-07:00

Boiler Shop, 8"x10", oil on panel SOLD

A couple of watercolours from around the city. The bottom one is an Eldon Garnet sculpture.

2011-04-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

Below is a plein air painting of a bus employed as a sign for a school uniform company.
McCarthy's Bus, 10"x10", oil on panel SOLD

Recent plein air work

2011-03-03T13:04:00.001-08:00

Crosstown, 8x10, oil on panel

Waterway, 11x14, oil on panel

Winter in the city

2011-01-30T14:17:00.000-08:00

Lawren Harris, member of the Group of Seven, had this house built in 1931. I liked the way the landscaping echoed the pines seen in many of the G07's work.

Lawren Harris House, 11"x12", oil on panel

Below is a car dealership seen through steady rain. I was sheltered in a doorway.

Dealership, 8"v10", oil on panel

It was very cold and windy, standing in a field painting this pumping station and skatepark.

Ashbridges Bay, 13"x14", oil on panel

All quiet...

2011-01-11T16:27:00.000-08:00

Painting at night is something I really enjoy. It was cold enough on this night to keep most people indoors, and in three hours not a single soul passed by.

January Night, 11 1/4" x 11 1/4", oil on panel SOLD

Brutalism brings a smile on a gray day

2011-01-06T14:58:00.000-08:00

Below is an example of Brutalist architecture. Usually distinguished by board-marked poured concrete, this exterior shows coloured resin-impregnated boards in the blocky form that also defines Brutalism. It's a real standout in this neighbourhood of prosaic late Victorians. The other side features a thirty foot bridge to the front door.

Moncur Park, 12"x10", oil on panel

I'll be included in the Best of 2011 TOAE show at FCP Gallery, January 17 to February 25, 100 King West here in Toronto. Check it out!

Christmas cards

2010-12-16T15:36:00.001-08:00

If you celebrate this season, however you celebrate this season, I wish you a happy and peaceful time. My family celebrates Christmas, and for innumerable years I've enjoyed making Christmas cards. They're usually linoleum prints, though not always. I'm no printmaker, but thought I'd share some of the few that remain from over the years. Below is this year's card, a view of our back yard:

Below are a few random samples from years gone by. In most cases I made just enough to give away. The first one is a lino cut with gold leaf underneath and is a hand lighting a lantern. The second, another lino, was done the year my mother passed on, and features a lone doe walking away across the snow.
The third is my studio window at the time and shows my cat looking out the window. Her speech bubble was filled in with various messages. Beside that is Santa's list with the caption, "Aha! Just as I suspected...". Inside, the message was "...you've been good!", or "...you've been bad!", depending on the recipient. The fifth was an experiment with stippling, something I never tried again. It features an illustration of the tree that produces frankincense. The final image is my neighbourhood at the time.

2010-11-16T06:26:00.000-08:00

Twenty one plein air paintings were hung last night at the Cowbell, a very fine and funky restaurant here in Toronto. It's at 1564 Queen Street West, so do drop in, won't you?

I am really pleased to see that this ad from my Toronto representative, Canadian Fine Arts Gallery, features a colour repro of my painting, Boxing Gloves. It's in November's Slate gallery guide. Thank you, CFA!

Painting the city

2010-10-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

A few recent endeavors:

Satellite Dishes, 8"x10", oil on panel. I had set up and was an hour into this painting, when a running marathon began to pass by. A lot of breathless "Watcha doing?"s as a seemingly endless stream of runners went past. Plein air has its comic moments.

Billboards, 8"x10", oil on panel.

Rowing Club, 11"x14", oil on panel. SOLD

Air Show

2010-09-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

Fighter jets were roaring around over my head during this painting. Drove me nuts! Oil on panel, 7"x7" SOLD

Recent plein air work

2010-09-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of recent plein air paintings.

Skatepark In The Rain, 7"x7", oil on panel

Canadian National Exhibition, 8 1/2"x11", oil on panel

My work can now be found at Canadian Fine Arts gallery (stay tuned for their updated website).

Urban plein air tips

2010-08-22T07:58:00.001-07:00

The trio of Towns Road paintings is now finished, with the watertower below being the last. For now. I also added another image to my Unseen series, plein airs done at 'haunted' locations, the painting of Grenadier Pond being the third in that group. Soldiers drowned after breaking through the ice on Grenadier Pond during the War of 1812, and are still reportedly haunting the place.

Towns Road: Watertower, 8"x10", oil on panel SOLD

Unseen: Grenadier Pond, 10"x10", oil on panel

Skatepark, 8"x10", oil on panel

The following are a few urban plein tips I've sussed during my years 'on the streets':

* Solve drawing issues first. Complex urban scenes can be like a puzzle, and proportion and perspective are key to making it all fit.

* Be prepared for disruptions. A truck will park in front of you, and the driver will refuse to budge. And if those parked cars are important to your concept/composition, paint them in first. Because odds are very good they'll drive away before you finish.

* Be aware of the path of the sun. If you set up at 9:00 am facing east to paint a building, by 10:15 will the sun be above the roofline and blazing into your eyes?

* Some may claim that music on headphones enhances the experience of painting, but I don't recommend it, especially for urban work. I've been approached by dogs, friendly and otherwise, and people, friendly and not, and believe that awareness = safety. Further, the sounds of the city provide ample enhancement to the plein air experience.

* There are many things that attract the eye when choosing an urban subject. If you really want to capture that old Ford in the parking lot, or the faded Union Menswear sign, remember that context is part of what drew you to the scene. Portraying the car with little of the surrounding information is leaving a good part of the story out of the picture. Keep the image contemporary by recording the context and avoid nostalgia. That's all for now.

2010-08-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

Visiting a friend's west end music studio introduced me to Towns Road, a funky area of assorted light industry that I never would have found on my own.

Towns Road: Trailer By The Sand, 8"x10", oil on panel SOLD

Towns Road: Tour Bus, 10"x10", oil on panel

2010-07-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of new plein air paintings:

Houses under construction, 8"x10", oil on panel

The Fountain In The Grove, 10"x7 3/4", oil on panel

I wrote a song several years ago about my father's passing called The Fountain In The Grove. The image of a neglected fountain burbling away in the woods came from the song, and I've painted it a few times. In this case I painted the simple fountain at home, then searched for an appropriately gloomy setting in the woods nearby to set the scene.

Thank you to all that came out to the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition this month. It was a pleasure to make new connections, meet online acquaintences in person, and to see old friends again. J

Cars. A lot of cars.

2010-07-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

These cars were continually shuffled around during my stay in the alley. What a challenge!

Oil on panel, 8"x10" SOLD

G20

2010-06-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This is a small (6"X7 1/2") oil sketch executed from inside the first security perimeter of the G20 conference here in Toronto. I was thoroughly searched, my paint box rifled through, and I endured the intense glares of the many police officers in order to get this one-hour sketch done. And it rained on me, too. The cops were polite, though edgy and intense. All hell broke loose shortly after I left. Sold

Railroaded

2010-06-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

After all the frame making (see below) I was eager to get out and do some image making.
Here's a 10X10 oil-on-panel of construction near the railway tracks. En plein air, of course.

I'll take this opportunity to mention my participation in the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition at Nathan Phillips Square, on July 9, 10 and 11. I'll be the one in the chair, with the hat, in the shade, at booth #567.

Frames

2010-06-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while as I've been preparing for some shows this summer. My frugal nature dictates that I make my own frames. This is time consuming, the show currently on display at the North York library gallery consisting of thirty nine paintings. That's a lot of framing!
Below are a few of the frame profiles I've come up with. Changing profiles keeps it from becoming too tedious a job.

Any comments on the success (or lack of) of these frames are welcome as I'm still learning the craft.

2010-04-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

A few more recent plein air attempts:

South a very quick 6"x7", oil on panel

Cherryblossom oil on panel, 8"x10"

The name refers to the street on which it was painted, not the tree type.

2010-04-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

A recent stay in Windsor, Ontario produced some plein air paintings. Here are two:

A muddy bus. 8"x10", oil on panel, near Chatham, Ontario. Sold

The old Hiram Walker's stables, Windsor, Ontario. 8"x10", oil on panel.

Doll Castle

2010-03-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome.
This is my daughter's Barbie castle set up in the garage on a cold night last week. It was a real challenge painting this thing, and I learned a lot by seeing it through to the end. 10"x8", oil on panel.

Wallace Avenue, again

2010-03-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I wanted to record this building again before it met its doom on Monday. I got out in the drizzle early Sunday morning for this 8x10 oil-on-panel. You can see the shovel is now in the yard ready to work the next day. SOLD

2010-03-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

This old building has been roughly painted with potential names for an old neighbourhood here in Toronto. The residents are voting for a name themselves, rather than leave it to developers and end up with a title like Wispy Heather Cloudway or Foggy Meadow Village:) The building will soon be torn down to make way for condos.

8"x10", oil on panel, en plein air of course! SOLD

I love winter

2010-02-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you for dropping by. Below are a few recent plein air paintings. Hope you like them.

General Electric, 8"x10", oil on panel SOLD

Water Slide, oil on panel, 8"x10" SOLD

Garage At Night, oil on panel, 10"x8"

Scanning from slides

2010-02-27T07:06:00.000-08:00

I recently bought a very inexpensive slide scanner, hoping to record some older work digitally. You get what you pay for. Below are some mixed media pieces.

Monkey Man, oil, varnish, lacquer on canvas, 48"x54" SOLD

Uproad, oil, shellac, photo emulsion on canvas, 60"x55"

Square, oil, varnish, photo emulsion on canvas, 66"x56"

Oil Lamp, oil, varnish, shellac on canvas, 72"x66" SOLD

Orbis Tertius, oil, ink, collage on two linen panels, 42"x84"

2010-01-30T03:09:00.000-08:00

Thank you for dropping by. My family recently returned from New York City, and I had the opportunity to do a few very quick oil sketches. There are endless painting temptations there for an urban painter! I used the small cigar box pochade pictured below and, because my good-quality paints were confiscated at the border, some cheap oils bought in Manhattan. Not ideal for me, but these were good opportunities to learn. All are 6"x7", oil on panel, each completed in about a half-hour.
Franklin Place, in Tribeca:

Chelsea Morning:

From the Chelsea Hotel.

Pink truck!

2010-01-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my humble domain.
The painting below was done in an area here in Toronto that I've just discovered- an area rich in old junk yards and the like. In short, heaven! A sudden deluge of heavy snow put an end to my session, but I think I was about done anyway. Oil on panel, 8"x10". SOLD

Below is a sweet pochade box my friend Brian Gravestock put together for me. Brian's an excellent sculptor in his own right- google him. I'm still tweaking it a bit for my personal painting habits, but it's going to be a great travelling companion when my regular gear is too bulky.

Abandoned church

2009-12-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

This church, the back of which is on the left in the painting, has been vacant for some time. On the front, gaping holes where the leaded windows once were let in all manner of weather and creature. Rotting from the inside out, sadly. I wasn't able to finish alla prima (in one go) because the sun burst through my heavy clouds and, well, ruined everything. Luckily the gloom returned a few days later and I wrapped it up. Below are scans of the interrupted start and the completed piece.

2009-11-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

Hello, and welcome. Below is my latest plein air, of the infamous Screaming Tunnel of St. Catherines. Nearby (with some digging in the brush) the foundation of a house can be found that burned over a century ago. All perished in the fire except a young girl who escaped, only to collapse and die in this tunnel. Lighting a match is said to make audible her distant screams. Didn't work for me. Oil on panel, 10"x10". SOLD

2009-10-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

Zug Island from Windsor, 8"x10", oil on panel, plein air. SOLD

2009-10-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

_______________________________________________________Texas Road. Two words that sent a chill down many a young spine back in the day. It was a place to prove to your friends, to your self, that you weren't scared, weren't a chicken. Texas Road differed from all the other county roads that crossed the flat tree-less farmland near Amherstberg; it was swallowed by a dense copse of trees, turned sharply right and crossed a bridge before emerging at a graveyard and eventually joining with another county road. Stories about the area included the ghost of a man killed by his wife (with an iron!) and spectral horsemen. Where better to set up for a plein air in late October? I painted from the bank of the little rill that flowed under the bridge. I can report no supernatural activity, sorry. Oil on panel, 10"x10".

2009-10-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

A Dead End. Pretty much what my 'art career' will be if I stick to these mundane and banal scenes. Can't help it though. This is what draws my attention. Oil on panel, 8"x10", plein air. Thanks for looking. SOLD

2009-09-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

Thank you for taking the time to check out my work. Below are two oil-on-panel plein airs from last weekend. If you've seen my previous nocturnes you will recognize the alley scene, a view I have yet to tire of. oil on panel, 8"x10" SOLD

oil on panel, 8"x8"

2009-09-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

Summer is on the wane and I look forward to a fruitful autumn of painting. I wouldn't be happy living in a climate with minimal change, no winter, or spring.
The end of an alley here in westend Toronto: SOLD

2009-09-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

I painted this en plein air last Sunday morning. Just an average urban scene. With twelve foot fibreglass boxing gloves. 8" X 10", oil on panel.

2009-08-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

I started skateboarding in 1975. There were no skateparks then, only streets and parking lots. I don't skate much anymore, except to get to work, and occasionally session one of the great local parks, like "The Hoof", Vanderhoof, here in Toronto. To commemorate these local parks, I began painting plein air images on the bottoms of used skateboards. Below is Vanderhoof park. I painted in the lettering at home before venturing out to do the landscape, so it was tricky working out the composition and not tightening up around the letters. Click to enlarge.

2009-08-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome. Find below a random collection of plein air paintings from Toronto, excepting the harbour scene, which was done in Port Colborne. I hope you enjoy them. Sold

SOLD

2009-08-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of the coming Junction Arts Festival http://www.junctionartsfest.com/ , I'll post some plein air images from the Junction and nearby area. I'll be participating in the juried exhibition, so if you're in Toronto on September 9-13, please drop by. I hope you enjoy.

SOLD

SOLD

This is a truck used in the Caribana Parade, still laden with beautiful costumes. Back to the warehouse!

2009-08-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

Gas stations. I love gas stations. Why? I don't know.
In the first one, the gentleman in the red sweater and black hat showed up about an hour into the painting, and proceeded to tear the small shed down. I worked like a maniac to get the information down. By the time I'd finished the painting he and the the shed were gone. SOLD

This Esso station closed some time ago. Another business, car detailing or something, occupied the building for a short time and erected the neon yellow signs. They vacated and now it's empty again.

Nocturne Gallery

2009-08-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome. In an effort to post a backlog of my work I have opted to present them in small galleries. These are all nocturnes, all plein air. After experimenting with a few lights I have come to rely on a bicycle lamp attached to my head, in tandem with a double-headed lamp designed for musicians reading sheetmusic in an orchestra pit. The latter clamps to my easel but is a tad bluish in tone to be used on its own. The bicycle lamp is very white, and moves with my vision, from panel to palette, without intruding on the scene before me.

SOLD

This painting was done in Montreal and shows the effect of relying on only the orchestra pit light. My eyes compensated for the blue tint by casting an orange glow over everything. A bit of a shock when I saw the picture in natural light! In the lower centre there's a cat loitering beneath a birdhouse. SOLD

SOLD

2009-08-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my humble domain. All paintings are plein air unless otherwise noted.
Here's a winter themed gallery. I hope you enjoy.

SOLD