Catherine Campbell

Some drawings I am currently working on. I have a solo show coming up at Kick Gallery, Collingwood in March 2011, which sounds like a while away now but I'm sure it will sneak up quickly. I'm going to need a lot of work for this one, the new Collingwood gallery has two largish rooms I will have to fill... all alone. (slightly nervous)

I'm starting with a series of six portraits of some of my favourite female characters. The first two above are Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre) and Antoinette Cosway (Wide Sargasso Sea). I've also got drawings planned for Lucy Honeychurch (A Room With A View), Sarah Woodruff (The French Lieutenant's Woman), Edna (The Awakening) and of course my younger self would never forgive me if I didn't include Anne (Anne Of Green Gables).

Draw on...

Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Curvy are now launching their latest book at The Galeries in Sydney. Artists from the book have created a major exhibition but a few others who have been in Curvy previously (myself included) have also been asked to submit work to be displayed in various shops. So for the months of December and January you will be able to find some large scale limited edition prints of mine at Incu. Looks good, if you're wandering around the city doing some Christmas shopping go take a look!

“Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters — sometimes very hastily — but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, “Dear Jim: I loved your card.” Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, “Jim loved your card so much he ate it.” That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.”

- Maurice Sendak

Would you like to meet our goats? This is Lucy and Maud (I named them after Lucy Maud Montgomery who wrote Anne of Green Gables) and just incase you're wondering they're not inner city goats, they live with my lovely fellow just outside of Melbourne where they have lots of land and even a small unused quarry to climb about on. We adopted them when they were only a few days old and had to bottle feed them for the first three months as they each came from a litter of four and weren't getting the attention they needed. They are now very tame, they follow us around and come when called, that is when they're not too distracted by what they're munching on. I can not speak highly enough of goats, they really are the most beautiful animals you could ever care to meet.

Thank you Indie Fixx for interviewing me for your Wednesday Indie Artist Fix! Thank you also to Amy over at the beautiful Pikaland for mentioning my 2011 Calendar.

I can't help but think that the greatest responsibility of working high up in the city is not to let anything fall out the window!

I'm sure nobody on Little Collins Street would appreciate a pot of Windsor and Newton ink landing on their head.

This is an illustration I recently completed for an English speaking newspaper in the United Arab Emirates. It was used to illustrate a beautiful story about an expat living in London.

Guess what… I got myself a new studio! It’s an excellent studio, right in the middle of the city, up many winding stairs at the very top of this amazing building. I haven’t had a studio since I moved out of the little gallery/studio in Northcote last June so it is great to sit at my old desk again and feel like I have my own nook.

When I get to the top of all the stairs and open the door I’m greeted by a whole range of interesting characters.

That’s because the most talented Cat Rabbit is here too! Also, soon to move in are Andrea Innocent and Nior.

I am studio happy.

P.S. Do you live in Brisbane? If so you should go and meet Cat Rabbit and these little fellows in person at the Finders Keepers market this weekend!

Anke Linz and Andreas Oettinger take amazing photographs. They work together under the name Billy and Hells. Big inspiration.