“It was in 2012, when my uncle (a popular west coast artist) passed away, that it started, his obituary said in lieu of flowers go out and paint something instead, and so I did.”
While Tom Campbell’s adventure into the art world was by happenstance, it has proved quite fortuitous. Tom has since been accepted into multiple All-Media Shows and continues to expand his artistic horizons. Working primarily in acrylic, Tom’s style lends itself toward abstract expressionism. “I want to create this serendipity in my paintings – I like to add paint until it speaks to me and an image starts to emerge that I want to enhance.” Only then will Tom show a painting to his “lovely bride”, who he says is his main art critic, for her feedback.
Tom enjoys hearing what people see in his abstract paintings, which is one reason why he prefers to number rather than name each piece. “If I tell you what to look for in a painting, then that’s the only thing you’ll see. I want my art to speak to you personally”, Tom says. Only rarely will he name his artworks.
You can see these practices put to work in his painting PA-22. This piece is from a series of acrylic and graphite on paper, hand-built onto plyboard. Tom says he will start with an image drawn in graphite, then will add iridescent paint and gradually build the color. There are a lot of isolation coats between colors, so it is very well sealed. For this series of works, Tom says “you kind of have to create until you run out of it, and then think about trying something else.”
For Tom, painting has served as a way to honor loved ones, and explore new creative horizons. “I hope to enrich people with my art. If the viewer sees something personal in my work, we are both enriched.”