Portraits, landscapes merge in artist's work

Rosemary -Campbell

COLOURFUL CREATIONS: Woodbury artists Rosemary Campbell with one of her works on display at Geraldine's McAtamney Gallery.



Works of art featuring colour and light are among the latest pieces adorning the walls of Geraldine's McAtamney Gallery. The art is the work of Woodbury woman Rosemary Campbell, who has been inspired by colour since she was a young girl. Some of her earliest memories include a colouring book she was given, which illustrated a yellow paint pot and a blue paint pot tipping together to create a "glorious cascade" of green.

For Ms Campbell, the magic of that image has never left her, and the juxtaposition of colour and light has been a hallmark of her paintings ever since. In her latest exhibition, Ms Campbell has combined her two great loves - portraits and landscapes. She describes her style as being "evocational" rather than "topographical" - her paintings are her personal responses to her subject, rather than a reproduction of them.

Her exhibition features works that combine portraits in her landscapes. However, the portraits are a main component of her overall works.
For some of her works there is a relationship between the place and the face, she said. One example is a portrait of her grandmother.

Ms Campbell also combines her love of music into her works. She had qualified as a music teacher before she left school and funded her art schooling by teaching music.

Gallery director Carolyn McAtamney-Rasch describes the exhibition as "a homage to colour and form, painted in Rosie's distinctive responsive style". The exhibition will remain on show for the remainder of this month.

 
The Timaru Herald