JILL CAMPBELL: FELL WALKS
10th September - 9th October 2021

Jill Campbell is an abstract painter based in County Durham. Her expressive paintings are inspired by the striking landscapes of the North East, specifically the changing light and weather of an ancient mining landscape called Cockfield Fell where she regularly walks.

While out walking, Jill often sketches and takes photographs. Later in her studio she uses these to make quick, small studies on paper which form the foundation for her abstract expressionist paintings. They are built up gradually through layers of drawing and paint, using loose and gestural marks to create a harmonic balance inspired by the fell, which has a strange, other-worldly quality. The abstract shapes created by early morning shadows and framed by big dramatic skies, give her a limitless source of material for her work. The pools, pathways, mounds, dips and curves of the fell become motifs which form the composition of her paintings.

The historic Cockfield Fell is one of the most important early industrial landscapes in Britain and is England’s largest Scheduled Ancient Monument. In addition to four Iron Age settlements, there is evidence within the landscape of coal mines at least as early as 1303, medieval agricultural field patterns, and centuries of quarrying activity, all of which have altered the land and scenery of the fell, abstracting it through layers of historical industry.

This solo exhibition predominantly features paintings Jill has completed in the last 18 months. During these lockdown months walking has become more important than ever for overall wellbeing and making sense of the world. The lines and marks in her current works, as in ‘Fell Walk’ and ‘Golden Day’, symbolise this walking experience. Her paintings are influenced by emotions evoked by her early morning walks. The common thread in her work is the idea of a new day representing a new beginning, a hopeful and emotional moment. This searching for hope was undoubtedly a subconscious response to an extraordinary time and her paintings celebrate the joy and freedom of being out in the landscape.

Jill came to painting later in life after a career in law. When she moved to the North East, she fell in love with the beauty of the landscape and it inspired her to go back to university. She graduated from Sunderland University with a first class degree in Fine Art in 2014 and since then has exhibited throughout the UK, including at The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Prize Exhibition, The Great North Art Show, The BEEP Painting Biennial, The Ferens Open and the New Light Art Prize.

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