Lesley Alfred Campbell was born at Paddington, Sydney, in 1925 and at the age of 12 he began attending the National Art School in Sydney (most likely child art classes). Campbell served in the RAAF during World War II from 1943 to 1946 and then returned to the National Art School for more specific study of portraiture and landscape. The watercolours of planes and fortifications he painted at Hughes Field Airstrip in the Northern Territory during 1945 show his skills were already considerable (Davidson Auctions Sydney, 2008).
The titles of his paintings at auction indicate that he may have made painting trips to Central Australia from the 1950s onward. He visited Winton, Queensland, in 1968, and held an exhibition of his works in a local shop in November that same year. The Winton Council purchased his painting of Cawnpore Hills (Cawnpore Hills is a scenic lookout between Winton and Boulia). Campbell painted a number of landscapes in the country southwest of Winton and apparently he also painted some portraits of prominent locals. Campbell held an exhibition of his works at McDonnell & East, Brisbane, from 19 November 1969.
In 1970, artist Peter Williams invited Campbell to Gisborne, New Zealand, and he then began returning to New Zealand in the summer each year after spending the winters in Alice Springs. He finally took up permanent residence at Gisborne in 1978. Unfortunately Campbell rarely dated his work so it is difficult to track the time spent in Australia and New Zealand. Art auction records demonstrate that most of his works sold at auction have New Zealand subjects but only one, Mt Earlslaw, New Zealand , was dated – 1979. He held his first exhibition in New Zealand in 1970 and had work exhibited in Gisborne and the McGregor Wright Gallery (Auckland and Wellington) from 1974 until 1982.
- Writers:
- Cooke, Glenn R.
- Date written:
- 2009
- Last updated:
- 2011
