Making His Mark: Artist Dennis Campay
by Stacey Paretti Rase
The northshore nearly missed out on Dennis Campay. When Susan Brunner found the Atlanta mixed-media artist’s work while scanning the Internet years ago, she knew immediately that she must pursue bringing his unique talent to Brunner Gallery in Covington. She called Dennis and shared her vision of expanding the local gallery to show nationally known artists. (She also told him just where the northshore was.)
“I had showed in New Orleans some years before her call, and she explained the proximity of the northshore to the city,” Dennis remembers. He also recalls being extremely impressed with Susan’s energy. “She said she felt that she could learn as much from me as I would from her. Since I consider the galleries I show in as partners, I found that refreshing. I packed up about eight or so pieces and was getting ready to ship them. Then came Katrina.”
Dennis didn’t hear back from Susan for nearly a year after the storm. “Her cell number was gone. I thought New Orleans was gone,” says the artist. But when Brunner Gallery got back on its feet, he received another call, prompting Dennis and his wife, Colette, to make the drive west to meet with Susan and her husband, Rick, who co-own the gallery. The rest, as they say, is history. Dennis says, “I have to trust the gallery owners, and that’s what I felt at Brunner.” (Landing Campay was quite an achievement for the northshore, considering the artist’s discriminating nature; the only other gallery to have a permanent display of his work is Mason Murer Fine Art in Atlanta.)
Another Near Miss
It is not just the northshore that nearly missed out on the work of Dennis Campay—so did the entire art world. During an early vocation in architecture, he found himself drawn more and more towards drawing and sketching. His professional art career began twenty years ago when he was 37, relatively late for an aspiring artist. At 42, Dennis graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Atlanta College of Art. He muses that in those early years of his career, much of his work was being shown in the same galleries as his collegiate instructors.
Having had little money for art supplies during his beginning years of painting, Dennis now insists on sharing his success with other up-and-coming artists by encouraging their studies. “It has always been my philosophy to give back what you have received,” he says. To that end, he and his wife established the Dennis and Colette Campay Studio Art Scholarship at the University of Florida’s School of Art and Art History. While he did not graduate from the school, he had long admired its professors and program.
Inimitable Style
Dennis’ rise to popularity was hastened by his work’s unique look. Features are brought to light in extensive visual detail and by the artist’s use of a multitude of material. The geometric lines and deliberate brushstrokes found throughout his images underscore his background and training in architecture. Dennis says that he began drawing at a very young age and still prefers the medium to all others. “I wanted to draw for MAD Magazine as a kid,” he divulges, laughing. “I do make a lot of marks on my work, and I pick up details that most people don’t see. I think articulation of your lines can convey a multitude of psychological aspects. When I teach, I tell my students to use a multiplicity of marks to develop their works.” Dennis even attributes his preference to paint in muted colors as a reflection of his early fondness to sketching. “I am just starting to evolve and try to work in more color. But even when I paint, I see it all in black and white.”
Just as interesting is the artist’s distinctive method for choosing methods and materials for each piece of artwork. “I feel that there are no accidents,” Dennis offers, detailing how he came up with one of his most interesting techniques. Years ago, he used plaster underneath thin paint, as he couldn’t afford thick paint at the time. The plaster began showing through the paint, begging him to etch on the exposed plaster. He would then scratch out bits of the plaster with razor blades to create a truly distinctive texture. “I get very physical with my work. I wrap canvas onto boards because I beat the hell out of it,” he says.
While he creates, Dennis walks around the piece, considering every possible angle of the observer. “I try to offer things that grab the viewer. Art is a major puzzle to me,” he explains. “My hope is to put it all together and to have people feel like they don’t want to be anywhere else but looking right where they are when they view it.”
Suggestive Symbolism
In looking through “Campay: New Paintings,” a stunning hardcover book featuring works created in the 10-year period preceding its 2002 publishing, the reader instantly notices recurring images. There are the notable columns, pediments and pilasters. The tilted boat. The black piano. And the white chair. The Greek Revival images are expected upon learning of the artist’s background and travels. But what to make of the boat, the piano, the chair?
Dennis explains that the boats reflect his heritage; his father and grandfather were both fishermen. “My grandfather would take me out fishing often. I found it very spiritual, as I saw the boats as a community. We all had to work together in them,” he remarks, also noting that the lean of each boat is an invitation for the viewer to hop inside.
The piano perhaps represents a lost childhood dream of wanting to master the ivories. “It’s interesting, because the piano has such an impact on viewers,” Dennis remarks. “So many people tell me that they identify with it, because they wish they would’ve stuck with piano lessons as a child.” At age 55, Dennis did decide to go back and study the instrument. “I’m good enough to chase people out of a Holiday Inn,” he laughs.
And then there’s the chair. As featured on this issue’s cover in the work titled “Profile,” the white chair is often represented as a singular image. Dennis offers that “Profile” is a self-portrait in many ways. “Creativity has such a solitary aspect,” he says. “There’s no one else truly with you during the creative process. There can’t be a lot of interaction with people around.”
He says the chairs are white because they represent humanity’s purity, innocence, love and supportive nature. “I like to see the beauty in humanity. I like to see the good in turmoil and decay.” He goes on to explain that the chairs are always facing outward, as he hopes to stimulate the viewer to “sit” in that chair, not unlike his approach with the boats and pianos, which seems to draw the observer into each scene and evoke personal memories.
“I have no idea if people will get that,” laughs Dennis. “But it’s more exciting to me when viewers make up their own story for a piece. I want people to imagine what they would see or could do if they entered the environment. That’s what’s so amazing about art. I can communicate with you, almost have a conversation with you, by not even being there.”
Brunner Gallery: Ten Years in Covington
Artist Rick Brunner and his wife, Susan, began Brunner Gallery ten years ago in a small space on Vermont St. in Covington. Now on N. Columbia St., the gallery also has a second location in the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge, and represents more than 30 artists.
“We began selling art from local artists who we believed were really talented and needed a gallery to showcase their work,” says Susan. The gallery will celebrate its 10th anniversary during the Three Rivers Art Festival, November 10-11.
“The past ten years have been incredibly fulfilling. We are blessed with a talented, creative and thriving art community that creates an unparalleled quality of life; a cultural industry that is a strong and vital asset to the community; and discerning and sophisticated clients who appreciate a local venue that offers nationally recognized artists from St. Tammany and beyond.”
Covington artist Linda Trappey Dautreuil’s “Mixed Media Paintings ‘Lines from Home’” is a perfect choice for the anniversary’s featured exhibition. Linda has been exclusively represented by Brunner Gallery in Louisiana since its inception. The nationally recognized painter is known for her narrative expression of Creole folklore based in the abstract technique.
Brunner Gallery looks forward to continuing exhibiting fine contemporary artwork, expanding awareness of cultural economy initiatives and educating its visitors about the importance of art.
For more information, visit www.brunnergallery.com.
