John Campbell |
Hi...I'm John and thanks for dropping in. In the South when you first meet someone, they generally want to know "Who's your people?" or better translated, "Who are you exactly? Are you connected? And, should I take you seriously?" Some call it - "who's ya' Momma n' 'em?" In my intro, I'll tell you who I am. The question of me being "connected" to someone of major influence or to someone who can make your horse or dog disappear must remain unanswered at this time, but I think you can rest easy on that one. That leaves, "should you take me seriously"? I only ask that you make that judgment after exploring my site.
Now, about question number one...
I'm native to Mississippi, born in Columbus in 1947. I grew-up in the 50's (Leave It to Beaver), the 60's (Happy Days, Viet Nam, drugs, The Beatles and The Stones), the 70's (Disco, Disco more Disco), the 80's (working for the Man), the 90's (still working for the Man) and the 00's...(I discovered that I may be the only Man in my life that counts). I have a Bachelor's of Fine Arts Degree in Painting from Delta State University, Cleveland, MS, am a Series 7 Broker with a Certificate in Financial Planning from Christian Brothers University, Memphis, TN and I maintain a working art studio in Memphis.
Some Art background...
One point of interest is that I was one of seven or so artists who studied and worked with Katherine Manzo, instructor and passionate, realist artist, to found The Contemporary Realists Academy here in Memphis in the late 90's. I think that we all felt that most American artists had not developed their skills in drawing and painting to a true professional level. In keeping with that philosophy and by studying the regime of painters of the 19th century French Ateliers, the CRA was founded and continues to operate under Kate's expert tutelage. Some artists of that discipline included John Singer Sargent, William A. Bouguereau and William Merritt Chase, to mention three of the more well known. My own technical painting interests have been influenced by Henry Hensche, Sam Britt, Daniel Greene, Wolf Khan, Mark Rothko, Andrew Wythe, Katherine Manzo and pretty much "all" of those artists who have been labeled "Impressionist". The most grueling part of my training years beginning in 1972 was taken directly from the inside/outside studio exercises of Henry Hensche (Provincetown, MA), known as the last American Impressionist. I was instructed to "paint what I saw" when I looked at a still-life that was composed of different groupings of primary-colored wooden blocks that my instructor, professional artist and Hensche student Sam Britt had arranged out-doors and under various natural lighting conditions. I had only a thin bladed, 4 inch palette knife to use to transfer the paint from my palette to a gesso'd piece of masonite-board. "Sammy" would exclaim, "Don't try to create a painting...just paint what you see! Just paint what you see!" I'm positive he'd heard that same exclamation - many times. I'm afraid that my "Seeing" gene was a little slow back then, and it's taken me some 35 odd years to even begin to understand what that simple statement meant much less put it into action. Hey! It's Art, and we "Artists" have to suffer for it, but I can think of no better way to learn to "see" and paint color. I still pick up that same palette knife from time to time. It feels much different now. The word "Familiar" comes to mind.
The Mississippi Delta has definitely impacted my life. I moved there in 1963 only leaving for the military, and then moving to Memphis in 1989. Some of my current Painting projects include translating my "Feelings" of my Delta experiences. Color helps translate the "Feelings" much like a Blues note on a guitar or harmonica helps create emotion. Many people have asked me "Why paint the Delta"? "What the Hell for"? "It's UGLY". I propose that we see what we look for. I see what I consider to be the "Beauty" which is enhanced by my "Feelings" of it; much like the Blues music spawned there is simply a collection of feelings spun together to create one "Feeling". Ultimately it may be painted by guitar chords that are sometimes over-laid by a "juice-harp" and a raspy voice telling a story. In simplest terms, I strive to tell a story - with paint.
My Delta...
To me, the "Delta" is the colors seen in that seemingly "flat" landscape under the influence of differing weather conditions, the smell of diesel fuel, cotton defoliant, insecticides, fresh picked cotton being dumped in a trailer, wet soy beans still in the hopper - "whew", bacon frying at 6:00 in the morning, the "pinging" sound of hand-slung machetes cutting off the tops of invasive coffee-bean plants that have "volunteered" in a soy bean field too big to plow, the laughter around the "headquarters" when all the workers get ready to man the tractors and begin to break ground, a burning tire marking the wind for a crop-duster. It's the hard work and sweat coupled with the sound of dominos hitting the table in the back room of the "Half-Way Grocery" on a rainy afternoon - laughter and beer bottles clinking. Turn-row drunk! - The White Front Cafe, The Shady Nook and "Mr. Denny", Poor Monkey's Lounge and Mr. "Monkey" Seaberry "his-self", hot tamales floating in Louisiana Hot Sauce, fried catfish, Beulah Lake, dancing at the Conservation League and the Rosedale Country Club, a road-trip to Ole Miss, and "Son" Thomas' blues guitar. It's a "Feeling" that now resides in the ghostly presence of what used-to-be. I can remember the "Cotton Choppers", the songs they sang while slinging an educated hoe at $3 a day, the train's lonely but urgent whistle as it approached a rail crossing - NO electronic "Warning Signals" guarding the road then, a lunch of sardines n' crackers and a Peach or Strawberry Soda to wash it down. All I can say is it's an "acquired taste". Then there's the summer air - humid, sticky, oppressive and hot. Mosquitoes! Good Lord at the mosquitoes! Most of the Blues Men packed-up and left in search of better times and bigger audiences, but some of the old buildings and most of the dirt stayed behind. Place like Zumbro, River Bend and Dockery Plantations mostly rented-out 'cause the "land's still good". It's about "Makin'-Do" and "Livin' Large" no matter what end of the stick you're on.
The Delta continues birthing "characters", and they'll continue to pass along the Delta persona. There are those who want to experience that "Feeling" of the Delta, and I want to try and help them have that through my paintings. Maybe they can hear the "Delta" music, too. How silly; of course they can. It's the backbone of virtually every song played on the radio today. A traceable "gene pool" mutated from a shot-gun shack front porch to a BMW sound-around. There are certainly those who could care less about that thing called the "Delta". I guess they won't be taking me "seriously". Or, maybe they'll like my other paintings and reconsider. Oh...If you want to know about my "Momma'n'em" or question number two, drop me a line. Email doesn't need stamps.
Fortunately, I've known some wonderful people in my life. A few of those people are still in touch, some of those people have gone their own way and, regretfully, there are some I've left behind for reasons that don't make much sense anymore. With all that in mind, I'll conclude with a line taken from Lennon and McCartney and an old Beatle's song - "All these places have their moments ... With lover's and friends ... I still can re-call ... Some are dead and some are living ... In my life ... I've loved them all".