McCampbell chosen as official Steeplechase Artist for 2012

(This is from the Iroquois Steeplechase Website, Nashville, TN)
http://mysteeplechase.com/about-us/featured-artist

2012 Featured Artist: Rachael McCampbell

“We are delighted to work with such a talented local artist who shares our passion for equestrian art, and look forward to sharing her work with the community,” said Dwight Hall, chairman of the Iroquois Steeplechase Race Committee.
Capturing the awe-inspiring beauty and movement of the horse is a difficult feat, but one that McCampbell does seamlessly. Drawing inspiration from her rural upbringing on a Knoxville, Tennessee farm, she creates by observing subjects in their natural habitat and focuses on highlighting both the motion and stillness of the wildlife she paints. McCampbell says, “For me, the horses I have painted symbolize the wildness in ourselves that we have perhaps lost and are trying to recapture.”
She is known for her tactile approach to painting that involves sanding layers of paint off, then repainting them until the story she envisions gets told. “I take an emotive, action-based approach to the application of paint, working as much with splashes and drips of color as with carefully rendered line,” said McCampbell. “My interest in drawing also plays into my paintings. As I like to show the ‘artist’s hand,’ I often work backwards, drawing on top of a finished painting and exposing the line work that provided the painting’s original armature.”

McCampbell studied fine art at the University of Georgia, worked in Florence, Italy under fashion designer Emilio Pucci, then studied at Christie’s in London before beginning her art career on both coasts.
After years of urban living in New York, Europe and Los Angeles, McCampbell moved to the hamlet of Leiper’s Fork,Tennessee in 2009 to reconnect with the nature that inspires her work. She has garnered local success most recently with exhibits at the Tinney Contemporary Gallery, Nashville Parthenon Museum and she has exhibited and sold her art to the Tennessee State Museum. She also shows nationally and is collected internationally.

The 2012 featured painting titled Flight will be revealed at the spring luncheon on March 26 and auctioned at the Jockey Club Party on May 11.

Party at Belle Meade Plantation Introducing Rachael McCampbell as 2012 Steeplechase Artist - September 22, 2011

Albert and Theresa Menafee with Rachael McCampbell








Lake and John Eakin, Nashville, TN














Dorene and Steve Pearson, Leiper's Fork, TN














Jim Munro, Beth Ingram, Anne Goetze and Trish Munro, Leiper's Fork, TN











Sarajo and Don Gill























Libby Cheek, Deborah Lovett and Carol McDaniel














Kirsten and Matt Wilder, Willamson County

















Lindsay and Mike Wells, Leiper's Fork, TN











Peg Morris and Rachael McCampbell
















Steven Heard and Mary and Alex Wade












John and Nancy Dillon and the Koonces

Steeplechase Party at Belle Meade Plantation - September 22,2011

Albert, Theresa Menafee and Rachael McCampbell






Lake and John Eakin, Nashville, TN














Dorene and Steve Pearson, Leiper's Fork, TN
















Jim Munro, Beth Ingram, Anne Goetze and Trish Munro, Leiper's Fork, TN















Sarajo and Don Gill























Libby Cheek, Deborah Lovett and











Kirsten and Matt Wilder, Willamson County

















Lindsay and Mike Wells, Leiper's Fork, TN













Peg Morris and Rachael McCampbell



















Steven Heard and Mary and Alex Wade












John and Nancy Dillon and the Koonces

Record Crowd Attends "Women in Mythology" exhibit at the Parthenon Museum, Nashville, Tennessee

"Women in Mythology: The Power of the Feminine in Ancient Tales" is on view at the Parthenon Museum in Nashville, Tennessee from July 17th through November 30, 2010.















Artist:
Rachael McCampbell Opening Night


Fine artist Rachael McCampbell's large scale paintings illustrate some of the poignant moments in Greek myths when women made powerful decisions that would change their fate. "What better venue to exhibit a show about Greek goddesses than in the Parthenon -- the temple to Athena?" McCampbell asks. "I was thrilled when Susan Shockley, the curator, suggested the show to me."

The opening night, July 23rd, was a festive affair which brought in a record number for the Parthenon at 400 guests. Anne Christeson, the academic advisor to the show, and Latin and French teacher at Montgomery Bell Academy, gave an awe-inspiring speech about women's roles in Greek myths and how the themes of a mother's love, sexual love and the power of feminine beauty are timeless and affect us today.

"Anne was hugely instrumental in the creation of this show," McCampbell says. "Greek myths are vast and complicated. She helped me discover what elements in the stories were the most important to me as a woman and an artist. I wanted to not only depict women at their best, but also at their worst. That's life after all."

Anne speaks at the opening. Her speech can be found on the "Publications" page on this website. Her text discussing each painting can be found in the show and in the catalogue which is for sale in the Museum Gift Shop.


SunTrust Bank generously provided the invitations, mailings, wall paint and text, photographer and opening reception with a bar and catered food from Kalamata's. McCampbell and the Parthenon Museum were thrilled with their support. "It's wonderful in this economic downturn to see an institution like SunTrust come forward and support the arts in this way," McCampbell said.


Anne Christeson and Rachael McCampbell

McCampbell will be painting a triptych on site at the Parthenon at various times but is scheduled to paint on Friday afternoons from 1 - 4:30 pm."This gives me a chance to talk to people about the art and mythology. I've been pleasantly surprised by the children-- they know so much about mythology it's amazing. I think the "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" books and movie have been a great influence on the kids. It's really brought these classic tales to life for them."





Naomi Judd who posed for as "Aphrodite" for "The Judgement of Paris."









Kem Hinton talks to Bruce Baker and a friend.









Rachael McCampbell introduces Anne Christeson, the keynote speaker.













Lake and John Eakin.
















Paul Polycarpou with a friend posing in front of the painting he modeled for.













Opening night guests.















A guest reading the text.
















Eugenia Winwood who modeled as "Atalanta."


















More pictures to be posted soon.

Endangered Heritage: Nature in the Balance

Rachael McCampbell is partnering with Tinney Contemporary and The Land Trust for Tennessee for an inspiring and insightful exhibit entitled: Endangered Heritage: Nature in the Balance.

A native Tennessean, McCampbell recently returned from Los Angeles to Nashville (Leiper's Fork) to be near the source of her inspiration—Nature. This connection is strongly evident in her body of large-scale, highly textured paintings of North American endangered species, such as the Whooping Crane, Red Wolf, Florida Cougar, Big Horned Sheep, Stellar Sea Lion, Ivory-Billed Woodpecker and the Nashville Crayfish, among others. A central element of the show, designed to further challenge the viewer, is a sculptural monument comprised of actual bird and animal parts—a memorial to extinct species that have been eliminated primarily due to habitat encroachment. The painterly representations of endangered species surrounding the monument act as a hopeful contrast to the macabre sculpture as they uplift and inspire the viewer to action, shining a spotlight on the urgency surrounding our quickly disappearing natural endowment.
A percentage of sales will benefit The Land Trust for Tennessee, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the unique character of Tennessee's natural and historic landscapes and sites for future generations—land that by default preserves birds, animals and marine life from the danger of extinction. www.landtrusttn.org. McCampbell finds
herself personally drawn to the Land Trust’s cause, having seen her family’s 425-acre farm condemned by county officials to build an industrial park. Taking a stand in partnership
with this organization, McCampbell hopes to illustrate the importance of preserving our land for birds and animals. “It’s alarming,” McCampbell says. “1,050 species are endangered and another 309 threatened in the United States alone. Everywhere you turn there is more information about the endangerment and near extinction of yet another species. As an artist, I am inspired to not only honor these beautiful creatures by painting them, but to also raise awareness and incite action among the general public. There is no time left for complacency.”