Original Oils

Tonalism is an art historian’s term for painters of the late 19th and early 20th century that produced works of mystery, melancholy, and somewhat idealized romanticism, with soft muted colors and somber moods. Artists like James M. Whistler, Albert P. Ryder, Jean-Francoise Millet, Jules Breton, George Inness, Arthur Mathews, and many others, loosely fall under that description. These artists have been my personal inspiration. Though I consider my work to be a modern departure from theirs, the influence is undeniable and to call my work tonalsim is probably a fair assessment. The work has evolved over the past ten years, as I have experimented with different processes of putting paint to canvas. Some paintings are still made on location in the plein-aire style, but generally are reworked in the studio before they are considered finished. Others works are created solely from sketches, and fleeting ideas, translating scenes viewed out of the corner of the eye into full fledged paintings. For me, a good painting has a strong emotional quality to it and conveys a mood more than any actuality. Seeking to create works that quietly pull the viewer into a mysterious and subtle dialogue I find the landscape perfect subject matter. I never tire of the wonder it provides and the emotion it reflects. We are how we see the land. Living in the small (but growing) town of Durango, Colorado, I have found great inspiration in the Animas River Valley and the surrounding San Juan Mountain Range, as I hope to continue doing for a long time to come.

October 2004
Peter Campbell