May at Sutter Creek Gallery: Sandra Campbell

Color and experimentation characterize Sandra Campbell’s art.  Variety plays a part as well in the type of images she produces as she switches between pastels and collage, her main art media. She enjoys trying new techniques whether punching up pastel colors to make an impact or creating a collage from maps.  Campbell’s artwork will be featured at Sutter Creek Gallery during the month of May.

Most of Campbell’s pieces reflect the natural world:  landscapes, trees, florals, and animals, especially birds.  “I’m inspired by the world around me,” she says, “but do not always express it in a straightforward manner.”  Landscapes are generally rendered in pastels and tend to be fairly realistic, with occasional abstraction.  Soft pastels are applied to sanded paper to allow for layering.  This is where her art journey began, after retiring from teaching, with a three-year stint with master pastelist Thelma Davis.

Campbell’s collages of trees, flowers and birds are abstracted and occasionally employ the use of watercolor, acrylic or ink as part of the process. “It’s fun to tear or cut up paper to create a bird or tree.”  A variety of papers are used including those she hand paints, as well as commercial rice or mulberry papers and discarded atlases and picture books.

“I make art to express myself and share my vision with others,” she says.  “The playful nature of collage is especially appealing.” Campbell is a member of the Amador County Artists Association (ACAA) and the Arts Council.  She participates in the ACAA’s Art in Public Places program through which artists exhibit in restaurants and other businesses throughout the county. 

Sandra Campbell is one of twenty artists represented by the Sutter Creek Gallery, located at 40 Main Street in the heart of Sutter Creek.  The business is open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  On display are original paintings of all types, prints and cards, photographs, jewelry, pottery, gourds, and fiber arts.  The gallery also provides some of the best framing services in the area with competitive prices utilizing about 75 different styles of frames and a variety of mat colors.  While the gallery is currently unable to hold receptions for show openings, the public is invited to come by during open hours in May to view this show and all the other art on display.

"Bowl of Flowers"

"In the Pink"

"Mt. Shasta Sunrise"

"Darwin Sunset"