When reflecting on her practice, Cressida Campbell cites Edgar Degas’s maxim that you should never paint anything you don’t love – “it doesn’t have to be beautiful in any way, but it has to be something you love to examine,” Campbell concludes.

In ‘Resting Butterfly’ she inspects a swallowtail butterfly. The regal creature rests on a leaf, its extravagant wings blinking, undisturbed by Campbells presence. The fruit of labour and time intensive processes, this work is the embodiment of patience – reminiscent of Japanese woodblock printing, Campbell’s friend Margaret Olley and the hazy bliss of a spring day, metamorphosis in the air.

A master in her field, Campbell is represented across national and international collections, including at the National Gallery of Victoria and British Museum. She has a devout collector following, is a multi-award winner and the subject of a major retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and National Gallery of Australia.

‘Resting Butterfly’ is a quiet revelation, born in Campbells belief “Art is the best way to restore one’s spirit."

Cressida CAMPBELL (1960 - )
'Resting Butterfly' 2006
Watercolour on incised woodblock
Image Size: 31 x 25 cm
Dimensions: 42 x 36 x 5 cm
Signed: Cressida Campbell lower left
Comes with Letter of Provenance
 
Condition: Very Good: Describes a work of art's image as Excellent, but may show some small signs of surrounding wear to paper or frame. There are no tears to paper margin or disruption to the paint surface.
 
© Cressida Campbell / Copyright Agency 2022