F. Lennox Campello, a Washington, D.C. based artist and blogger, participates in the Artists Interview Artists Project. Below Campello responds to another artist's five questions (Sean Hennessy). In order to participate, Campello had to provide me with five questions for some other artist to answer. The assigning of questions to artists is completely random. If you're an artist and interested in participating, let me know.
Pictish Warrior
2003
1. What, if anything, do you consistently draw inspiration from?
The human figure. It never ceases to amaze me how the body can be "new" at all times. All it takes is a shadow here and a curve there, and suddenly you see something that you have never seen before. I also draw a lot of inspiration from history and from legends and from myth and religion. And every once in a while, I get to marry a couple of those inspirations with a figurative study, as when I have done dozens and dozens of "St. Sebastian" drawings over the years. And I also have the obsession with some iconic faces. In 1975 I discovered Frida Kahlo while visiting Mexico City, and since then I have done maybe 1,000 portraits of her; I have similar obsessions with Che Guevara and a couple of other icons.
2. What came first for you, your desire to be an artist, or your knowledge of the materials you work with?
Definately the desire to be an artist; waaaay back when I was very small and didn't know the difference between acidic paper and pH-balanced, acid free conservation materials.
3. What does your work offer our society?
It depends what body of work (I guess). For example, I often get mentally stuck on creating artwork with historical references, such as my body of works dealing with the Pictish people of pre-Celtic Scotland. I have documented their artwork, their tattoos, their little-known history, etc. I often accompany that work with written descriptions and explanations. I have seen (many times) someone look at the drawings, then study the text with avid interest. It is followed by something along the "I didn't know fill-in-the-bank..." And sometimes, someone comes up to me and says: "I saw your drawings on the arrival of the Milesians to Ireland and I was so interested that I went to the library and got a bunch of books on that subject!" In conclusion, I think that some of my work offers a chance for the art lover to become enamoured of the history or facts behind (inspiring) the artwork itself.
4. In what ways do you stretch yourself to make your work grow?
I read a lot, and I experiment a lot with different materials, and generally with compositions, as the defining factor to "add" a psychological element to my drawings. Over the years (I would guess) I have created well over 10,000 pieces of original works of art - that includes prints, watercolors, oils, acrylics, sculptures, photographs (bad ones) and even videos (back in the 70s!).
5. What are your goals as an artist?
To leave behind so much work, that even if 99% of it is destroyed in one way or another, a substantial amount will always remain behind as a footprint of the fact that in between the 20th and 21st century, a man named Campello created artwork. I want the folks from the "Antiques Roadshow" of the year 2500 to struggle and have fun identifying one of my many portraits of Che or Frida or Saint Sebastian.
Kahlo Collage
1980
Previous Interviews:
Juno Doran (questions by James W. Bailey)
Josh Feldman (questions by Joseph Barbaccia)
Lisa Stephenson (questions by Whitney Lynn)
Joseph Barbaccia (questions by Josh Feldman)
James W. Bailey (questions by Matt Hollis)
Matt Hollis (questions by Juno Doran)
Carol Es (questions by James Leonard)
Alexandra Silverthorne (questions by Ami Lahoff)
Christine Buckton Tillman (questions by Carol Es)
Douglas Witmer (questions by Alexandra Silverthorne)
Sky Pape (questions by Douglas Witmer)
Whitney Lynn (questions by Lisa Stephenson)
Heather Levy (questions by Joanne Greenbaum)
Heather Lowe (questions by Samantha Wolov)
Samantha Wolov (questions by Heather Levy)
Timothy McClellan (questions by Heather Lowe)
James Leonard (questions by Sky Pape)
Joanne Greenbaum (questions by Timothy McClellan)
Richard Kooyman (questions by Robert Walton)
Candy Keegan (questions by Warren Craghead)
Robert Walton (questions by Candy Keegan)
John M. Adams (questions by Richard Kooyman)
Prescott Moore Lassman (questions by Mary Addison Hackett)
Mary Addison Hackett (questions by Prescott Moore Lassman)
Andrew Wodzianski (questions by Nathan Manuel & D.Billy)
Nathan Manuel & D.Billy (questions by Andrew Wodzianski)
Michael Janis (questions by Scott Listfield)
Scott Listfield (questions by Michael Janis)
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