Campbell Wallace | Party Paintings: Life of the Party in Narrative Portraiture

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Campbell Wallace, "Sipper," 2009

acrylic and oil on canvas, 30 x 36 in. Courtesy of the gallery.

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 29, 2022, 7:00 – 9:00 PM

I choose the subjects for my paintings from a growing collection of “found” images. As I’ve worked intuitively selecting from thousands of photos, certain themes and recurring motifs within this body of paintings have made themselves known to me. This series of paintings consists of a large sub-group of pictures I’ve come to think of as the “Party Paintings.” Some are straight-up portraits of people in the act of partying — going to, enjoying, or leaving a social gathering — while others contain unique narratives which shift based on what the individual viewer brings to it.

This shifting narrative has been the focus of this group of paintings since I began working on them. These images and people seem important to me, and I feel compelled to separate them from the “pack” and elevate them for the viewer’s contemplation. The best way for me to accomplish this is to recreate the original image with traditional painting methods, while still referencing the original photo and its flaws – flash, heavy shadow, or “red-eye.” I use a combination of acrylics and oils to best capture the moods, lighting, and textures that would constitute the memory of a moment.  This slower painting process allows me time to understand what inspires me about the source material and what symbols and/or art-historical references I need to emphasize in the final painting.  - Campbell Wallace