Wild at Heart: How Rebecca Campbell’s Art Inspires and Protects Wildlife
We caught up with The Great Elephant Migration artist, Rebecca Campbell, to dive into her world of vibrant art, majestic elephants, and her passionate commitment to conservation with Elephant Family.
Known for her intricate paintings filled with lush landscapes, exotic creatures, and rich narratives, Rebecca Campbell is an artist whose work beautifully weaves together her love for nature, storytelling, and wildlife conservation. At Love Brand we’ve been fans for a long time and recently collaborated with her for our exclusive The Great Elephant Migration capsule collection. We sat down with Rebecca to chat about her artistic journey, her lifelong love for elephants, and how she channels her creativity into making a difference for wildlife and conservation.
Can you share a bit about your upbringing and how your journey into the world of art began?
I grew up in the Irish countryside, it was here that my love of nature took hold with a menagerie of animals and birds, as well as being surrounded by the most beautiful gardens. My mother painted, she always encouraged my sister and me to be creative. At school, we kept nature diaries with drawings. There was a brilliant art teacher at my secondary school, could be pretty scary but she got the results! From here I went to City and Guilds of London Art School where I did a one-year foundation course and then stayed on for another three years to study illustration. I absolutely loved my time there.
Left: Rebecca Campbell - A Beautiful Green Boat, Oil On Linen, 46 x 61 cm
Your artistic style is quite distinctive. How did it evolve over the years, and what key moments or influences shaped it?
It has taken time for my style to develop, indeed when I came out of art school I didn’t have one. The biggest impact came a couple of years later, seeing first-hand the Mughal miniature paintings with their rich earth colours, bold design and exquisite attention to detail. A huge key moment for me was when the art dealer Jonathan Cooper contacted me. He’d seen a panel that I had done in a magazine, it was a decorative design, filled with birds, plants and animals. He asked if I could produce more paintings in this style (which was already the way I liked to work). At the time, I was painting murals and hadn’t done any paintings, he gave me three months. Thankfully he loved the results and gave me my first show, which was in 2002, and I have been with him ever since.
Right: Rebecca Campbell - Reaching New Heights Oil On Linen, 46 x 36 cm.
Who or what has significantly influenced your work throughout your career? Are there particular artists, movements, wildlife or experiences that have left a lasting impact?
The first painting that created a huge impact on me was when I was nine seeing a postcard of Giotto’s fresco 'St. Francis Preaching to The Birds'. Years later, I visited the church where it is, and I cried, it was beyond beautiful - the colours and its simplicity in design giving such a wonderful narrative. I have always loved Henri Rousseau, hard to believe he never left France and yet created such exotic paintings. I love his compositions and vibrant colours. As mentioned in the previous question, Indian Mughal miniature paintings, also Chinoiserie, Persian rugs, Elizabethan tapestries… I have been lucky enough to have done a lot of travelling, all this has fed through to my work, the latest being a three-month art residency in Kenya.
What sparked your deep connection with elephants? Was there a particular moment or experience that ignited your love for these majestic creatures?
I have always loved elephants, as a child I collected ornaments of them. They really are such majestic, magnificent creatures and yet so gentle and caring. The first time I saw them in the wild was when I was backpacking around India many years ago. It was an absolute highlight of the trip. I caught a local bus which made its way across the Western Ghats, from Tamil Nadu to Kerala. As the bus descended down the mountains, it meandered through the forest and there in the river was a herd of elephants. I was completely mesmerised.
Above: Rebecca Campbell's artwork for The Great Elephant Migration
Can you tell us about your involvement with Elephant Family? How did this partnership begin, and what has it meant to you personally and professionally?
It began in 2009 when I received a highly unusual email from the Elephant Family asking if I would like to paint an elephant! Well, a sculpture of one. Having loved elephants since childhood, I immediately said yes.
Many years before receiving this email, I heard Mark Shand give a talk at the Royal Geographical Society about his fantastic journey riding Tara, an elephant across India. (It was after this epic trip, that he realised the plight of the Asian Elephant and set up Elephant Family). The elephant I painted, in fact, I painted two, were part of Elephant Parade London, which took place in 2010. I have taken part in numerous campaigns since then, and in 2015 I felt incredibly honoured when they invited me to be an ambassador.
What is wonderful about Elephant Family is that it has a massive reach and its resources are really spent on the ground, with local initiatives and conservationists who understand the situation. It is currently working with 200 field projects in six different Asian countries.As an artist, what I love about Elephant Family is its hugely imaginative and creative campaigns, all from the extraordinary vision and passion of (Elephant Family’s principal trustee) Ruth Ganesh. They capture people’s imaginations and through this, it makes them aware of the plight of the Asian elephant.
On a personal level I have met so many incredible people through the charity, Ruth Ganesh is the most inspiring woman I have ever had the good fortune to come across. It was wonderful to have met Mark Shand who sadly died far too soon. His passion and commitment was extraordinary. Professionally, it has been a privilege to work on so many projects with them and sales of my work have raised a huge amount of money for this amazing charity.
Left: Rebecca Campbell - A Cup Of Rosie Lee, Oil On Linen, 60 x 73 cm.
We’re thrilled with the incredible designs you’ve created for The Great Elephant Migration collection. Could you delve into the inspiration behind these new pieces and your collaboration with LOVE BRAND & Co.?
Thank you, that’s wonderful to hear! I’m delighted to be working with LOVE BRAND & Co. This whole project has such a celebratory feel to it and I wanted to reflect this in the map that I created and the extra illustrations. I’m lucky enough to have seen the amazingly decorated lorries in India. It’s wonderful to think of the beautiful lantana elephants being loaded up onto these highly decorated chariots and making their epic journey. And of course, they should be loaded up onto a ship decorated in a similar fashion!
Why is wildlife conservation, particularly for elephants, a cause close to your heart? How do you hope your art contributes to this important work?
I have always been passionate about nature, I have been lucky enough to have travelled, but sadly this means I have seen first-hand, the devastation and destruction. It has brought home how incredibly important it is to conserve and preserve for future generations. Aside from elephants being my favourite animal, by preserving them and their environment this helps the rest of the wildlife. It is crucial that we learn to coexist with these magnificent creatures as well as the rest of their animal kingdom neighbours in our fragile environment.
As an artist, my paintings celebrate the natural world and as I mentioned before the sales from my art projects with Elephant Family have raised lots of money to fund their vital work.
Your upcoming exhibition on Kenya with Jonathan Cooper on Park Walk sounds fascinating. Could you tell us more about the themes and inspirations behind it, and what visitors can expect to see?
'Safari Series', is a collection of 24 paintings inspired by my three-month art residency in the foothills of Mount Kenya. It was incredible to see an abundance of wildlife, especially elephants, (I’m happy to report there were so many!) every day and also to witness the transformation of the Lolldaiga Hills which, on arrival were completely parched. One month in, El Nino arrived, torrential downpours turned the landscape into a quagmire of terracotta mud. Then the sun came out, and over the next few weeks, it transformed to a lush green.
The exhibition will run from 16th October - 9th November 2024 at Jonathan Cooper, 20 Park Walk, London SW10 0AQ.
Rebecca Campbell’s art is more than just beautiful imagery—it’s a call to action, a celebration of nature, and a reminder of the delicate balance we must protect. Through her work, she not only captivates our imaginations but also highlights the importance of preserving our planet and its creatures. We can't wait to continue our partnership with Rebecca and see what exciting creations she comes up with next!
Above: Rebecca Campbell - All Aboard for The Great Elephant Migration
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