This painting is of a small plant box with flowers growing in it, recreated from paper. The planter sits in an otherwise empty landscape. I wanted to capture the way that memories are often triggered by small details and that when we remember an event it is often separated in time, so we might not remember what came before or what might have happened next. Sometimes a memory can be lost until it is triggered by something we haven't seen in a long time or when we revisit a place we haven't been to in years.
The title of this painting is 'Tomorrow' because I was thinking about time and small acts of hope. It is a painting about importance of preserving stories but also about preserving the landscape and places where stories live.
Before I start to work on a painting I always begin by making drawings. With this series of paintings I recreated details from my drawings using simple paper models which then act as miniature sets for my paintings.
I use oil paint on wooden panels. Before I begin a painting I lay down what is called a 'ground', which is a colour that sits underneath all the other colours so that I never begin with a white background. My 'ground' is usually a bright orange or pink colour. I let the ground dry completely before I begin my painting. When I work with such a bright colour underneath, it helps keep the other colours I use bright and lively too.
The light in each of my paintings is important because it helps to set the tone or the mood of the painting and suggests a sense of time. We instinctively understand natural light - warm light and long shadows suggests dawn or evening time, where as whiter, bluish light suggests mid-morning or mid afternoon. The lighting then combined with the colours used in a painting can also give clues to what time of year it is, cool-toned, dramatic shadows can suggest winter, while bright, warm, golden light with vibrant colours often indicates summer or late afternoon.
When I am setting up a scene to paint I like to experiment with the lighting and the colour of the papers I use to make the models so that I can create a particular mood. I think there is something special about the way that paintings, like music can communicate ideas and even feelings without the use of words.
ARTISTS BIOGRAPHY
Edel Campbell is a Dublin based visual artist. She holds a B.A. in Fine Art from The National College of Art and Design, Dublin and an M.Sc in Multimedia Systems from Trinity College Dublin. Edel has exhibited her work in Ireland and abroad. Her paintings are held in many corporate and private collections. Recent selected exhibitions include; The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London (2025,2024,2023), The Royal Hibernian Academy of Art Annual Exhibition, Dublin (2025,2023,2022), The Courthouse Gallery, Co. Clare (2025), The Royal College of Physicians, Dublin (2023), The Dunamaise Art Centre, Portlaoise (2025,2024) and The Ranelagh Art Festival, Dublin (2024). Previous solo exhibitions in Ireland include, Custom House Studios and Gallery (2025), Cavan County Museum (2008), The Torah Gallery, Co. Meath (2007), and The United Arts Club, Dublin (2004)