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Peter Campbell, “Winter Morning,” oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches
This month’s Featured Painting is Winter Morning by Peter Campbell. We asked the Durango-based artist to tell us a little bit about the work and here’s his response:
Peter Campbell, Artist
“The painting “Winter Morning” is a studio painting that was inspired by a morning drive through the Animas Valley in mid-January 2016. Cold temperatures, blowing winds and shifting clouds made the morning light crisp and stark on an old homestead — it really caught my eye. With a few photos I was able to capture elements of what would become that painting. I started the work back in February and after several layers of paint that described the scene accurately, I realized that the drama of what I saw wasn’t coming through for some reason. So, it sat in the studio for several months untouched. Eventually, I decided to just put it on the easel and let the painting go where it wanted. By starting fresh I was able to enhance dynamic of the work as I took more chances with a loaded brush and a palette knife using thick paint. The palette knife made all the difference and redefined the mood of the painting. Now it is much more evocative of what I felt and saw at the time. Sometimes paintings have to sit around and percolate before they actualize. Maybe when it comes to a ‘do-or-die’ moment, chances are easier to take.” —Peter Campbell
