Nancy Campbell
Artist Statement
When Nancy Campbell paints the early evening light, as seen in the snowy shadows of Winter Bright, or the stunning color and mysterious transcendence of Evening Light at Taos, the artist conveys a sense of awe that transports us to that precious, fleeting, twilight time.
Nancy Campbell works in watercolor, oils and experiments with monotype printing. She considers herself primarily a landscape painter influenced by the Catskill range, in particular Overlook Mountain, which serves as the backdrop to her daily life in Saugerties, New York. She has always portrayed her surroundings -- the village streets and the mountain. Returning to her Italian roots, every year she sits and sketches and paints the hills and valleys of Lazio while conducting a landscape painting workshop in Ciociaria. During the early 1980s Nancy studied watercolor with Staats Fasoldt at the Woodstock School of Art. “It was during that time that the long process/challenge of learning to simplify painting began. In the early 90s, while living in Europe with my family, I discovered the "Nabis"...Bonnard, Vuillard, Denis and was struck by the oil painting bug, and have never turned back.” She adds that one consistent voice in her head while painting is her son Jon, who always reminds her to "stop!" She believes that the elusive key to good painting is to know when a work is finished.
Former executive director of the Woodstock School of Art, Nancy currently serves as co-president of the school with Staats Fasoldt. The artist is also an active member of the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum where she received an award of excellence for landscape painting. She has participated in residencies in Ireland and created the painting workshop in Ciociaria, Italy, in 2012. Nancy has been in selected solo and group exhibits from New York City to Ulster County to California. Born in Brooklyn, she has lived many years in Saugerties with her husband Michael. They have three adult sons.