Eye Candy featuring Walter Campbell
Well, we may have finished singing Santa Claus is coming to town, but we sure aren’t tired of singing Walter Campbell is back in town. That’s right, Walter Campbell and his lovely wife Lynn have moved back to Sunderland after an 8 year sojourn to Niagara on the Lake. As happy as we are to welcome them back, it appears no one is happier than they are.
Walter explains their move; “In life you often find yourself at a fork in the road. You see an opportunity but you are always seconding guessing your decision.” That is what happened when they moved to Niagara. “But we always kept our attachments and connections to Sunderland. We always came back for the Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival, for birthdays and special occasions.” Father of 4 and grandfather of six most of whom live in the area and feeling homesick they made the decision to “come home”. Walter explains there is a wonderful sense of community and an artistic spirit here in Sunderland. “One doesn’t always see that until you leave it. It became clear where we belonged. In a sense we never really left”.
Walter Campbell with one of his paintings
Walter describes his style, “I try to take my painting to the next level, to express what I want the viewer to see. My paintings tell a story. I don’t just see a house. There is usually an anecdote or reason for painting them. It is often a memory of the way it was, something that is not there anymore. I paint to express that. My kids were often inspiration, either for a skating pond or a special occasion. My paintings are always of a real place, I just embellish the story with people.”
Not every painting is successful according to Walter. Sometimes he finds a painting is not expressing what he wanted to say to the viewer. Walter has worked in many mediums over the years but his first choice is watercolours. They react for me and help me with what I want to achieve. Walter is still producing new work. “I have a lot of ideas for paintings. I don’t think that will ever go away. The struggle now is to compete with myself. There are so many paintings and so many memories. The paintings are very personal and meaningful to me. When people purchase them I am always so gratified that they enjoy them. I don’t ever want to let them down.”
Now that they have resettled, Walter’s home studio is open to the public by appointment. He also has teaching workshops starting in January. He has taught for many years. “I am not going to teach you how to paint like me. What I will do is show you some of the ways you can express yourself and how to go about it, because you are your own painter.”
Welcome home Walter! We are so thrilled to have you back. For further information on upcoming shows and events check out Walter Campbell’s website at www.artofwaltercampbell.com/
As published in the January issue of CAPS newspaper