Bob Camblin

We do not know exactly what moved Bob Camblin toward painting, but we do know he was influenced by reading Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, and Lao-tzu. He also had a calling to impart direct, personal, and unmediated experiences into his artwork. A writer at heart, he nevertheless discovered his original relation to the universe was through painting. He believed that literature and art were not separate, but rather intertwined in a seamless whole that included science and religion. In his journal he wrote, “Some say Picasso said, ‘paintings are not to decorate the walls of a room or apartment, but are instruments of war against brutality and darkness’.” Camblin sought to unite art, literature, and philosophy in his battle with brutality and darkness as well. He chose the only weapon he had training in – the paintbrush.

The publication of an artist's oeuvre is always an interesting endeavor. This retrospective catalog takes us from the 1940s when Camblin began to discover his artistic talent, through his fusion of philosophy and drawing shortly before his death in 2010. Beginning at an early age with both parents interested in painting and drawing, he inadvertently began his career as the art director of his local high-school newsletter. Attending the Kansas City Art Institute gave him the intellectual expansion and opportunity to take advantage of a variety of professors, among whom was Tom Cavanaugh who was instrumental in urging him to give a try at new techniques and mediums. Both were awarded Fulbright Scholarships to Italy. After being awestruck by what he saw at the Uffizi Gallery and at The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, he began a career as an artist and teacher that spanned an ever-evolving creative lifetime. Anyone interested in the development of late 20th century art will enjoy viewing Bob Camblin's A Sixty Year Retrospective 1950 - 2010.