| biography | Robin Woodsworth Campbell was a Canadian artist born in Paris, July 10, 1949, to Sylvia Woodsworth Campbell (1917-1988) and Henry Cummings Campbell (1919-2009). Campbell spent his first seven years in post-war France and travelled extensively across Europe, which had an indelible effect on him from an early age.
The Campbell's moved to Toronto, Canada in 1956. Robin Campbell began his career in the television industry in the production department in 1967. His formal education was completed at St. Andrew's College in Ontario (1968) and graduated with Honours in the Fine Arts Program at York University in Toronto (1970-1971). The same year in which he graduated from St. Andrew's, Campbell begins a career as an artist: painting and sculpting. By 1972 into 1975, Campbell begins working in the film and entertainment industry again, this time acting as Producer and Director at Rogers Communications (1972-1975) and as Producer at the CBC (1972-1975). Within 1972-1975, Campbell also acted as private and public consultant and worked with TV Ontario's Ontario Youth Theatre.
In 1973, Campbell starts his own production company, Espial Productions, and serves as Independent Producer in the company. The company existed until 1976.
In 1971, Campbell began his film venture in producing a film based on Shizuye Takashima's book, "A Child in Prison Camp." Robin met the author, spent many months during the period of 1971 to 1975 on the project, and had the commitment of a well-known Japanese film director and tried very hard to secure funding for the film. The project entailed rebuilding the camps and filming in different seasons. Although the project was quite advanced, in the end Robin was unfortunately not able to gather the funds necessary. As the correspondence reveals, at the time it was not a subject at all favoured by the federal government, who proved to be a major obstacle to obtain support from federal sources of funding. The project never materialized and ended in 1975.
In 1978, Campbell moved to Hornby Island, British Columbia and began work as a builder and as a fisherman (1978-1982). By 1982, Campbell destroyed most of his art works, only to begin a career as a sculptor three years later (1985), where Campbell begins exhibiting his pieces and starts working extensively on his craft. His home and studio was situated on Hornby Island, surrounded by rare and natural beauty. Sculpting the human form is his sacred gift; awakening the spirit within. In 1994, major exhibitions of his work were held in Tokyo, Kyoto and Kobe, Japan. By 1995, Campbell completes his 50th bronze casting. In 1996, a large marble project commenced. From 1985 to 2001, Campbell exhibits at numerous shows: Arts Alliance for Contemporary Art (1984), Pit International (1984), Open Space (1985), Hornby Island (1986), Shidoni Bronze Gallery (1990), Cerrillos (1991), Galery Louise Smith (1991), Shidoni Sculpture Garden (1992), The Banff Centre for the Arts (1992), Perry House International (1993), Art Asia (1993), Canadian Embassy (1994), Kyoto and Kobe (1994), Whistler (1995), Hollycroft International (1996), Toronto Internation Airport (1996), International Sculpture Conference (1996), Vancouver International Art Exhibition (1997), Peace Arch Park (2000), Canadian Sculpture Centre (2000), and ARC Gallery (2009).
Regarding Campbell's personal life, he married Denise Fenwick on September 29, 2001. Campbell was an active member of the Sculptors Society of Canada, National Sculptors Society in the USA and the International Sculpture Centre in Washington, DC. Campbell shortly passes away on July 24, 2002 at the age of 53. In 2009, a retrospective art exhibit of Campbell's work was on display at the ARC Gallery in Hornby Island, from July 10 to 13. It consisted of his bronze, stone and cast resin works. |