Banner art, above, was designed by Alice Fredericy, using art created by OBA members.
We welcome and support artists of all levels of skill and knowledge, as well as supporters of botanical art and those who celebrate the importance of plants in the world.
OBA Artist Spotlight: Jane Levy Campbell (c) Jane Levy Campbell
The 2025 Spring OBA Artist Spotlight features Jane Levy Campbell. Jane is a prolific watercolorist and one of the founding members of Oregon Botanical Artists.
OBA: You grew up in West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. When did you first become interested in art? Jane: I first became focused on my art interest when I was about ten years old. The art teacher, who was also the science teacher, in my public grade school, suggested to my parents at parent/teacher conference time that I might have a special talent and that they might find some classes for me outside of school. They made it possible for me to take classes at the art museum and things kind of took off from there. We lived in what passed for a city in West Virginia, though most places would have called it a large town, population about 45,000. Rural countryside was a short walk away. We did have a wonderful art museum — the building was the last one designed by Walter Gropius. Interestingly enough, the painting of mine that the teacher showed my parents was a botanical piece!  Clematis (c) Jane Levy Campbell
OBA: Your website shows that you attended excellent schools: Philips Exeter Academy, Princeton, and Yale. Did you study art while in school?
Jane: I was an early reader, at age 3, so I was“college-tracked” in my public school years, which meant that after middle school there was no room in my school schedule for arts classes. Fortunately, my parents made it possible for me to take music and art classes outside school. I majored in psychology, intending to become a clinical psychologist. Greedy student that I was, I took as many classes for credit as was allowed and audited or took pass/fail many additional classes, which often included art and art history classes. OBA: Watercolor is clearly your favorite medium, at which you excel. What materials do you use, e.g. paper and pigments? Jane: I am an experimenter. I try pigments and papers by different manufacturers. The same name doesn’t always mean the same product. I almost always use 300-lb paper and don’t stretch it. I have occasionally used masking fluid in landscapes in the distant past, but not in botanicals. OBA: What is your process for creating a new artwork? Do you sketch in plein air, such as painting "alla prima" direct to paper? Or do you sketch and plan paintings first and use photos as reference? Jane: I tend to work directly. I sometimes do a few quick compositional sketches on the back of a piece of paper headed for recycling, but then plunge right in to drawing and painting directly on the watercolor paper. I never transfer a drawing. I try to work from life as much as possibly, but take photos because the subject doesn’t always last as long as the painting takes. OBA: How did you originally connect with the other founding members of OBA? Jane: I received an email from Janet Parker, who contacted local members of ASBA, and we gathered at a restaurant in NW Portland and things flew from there.  "Nora" movie still, trees (c) Jane Levy Campbell
OBA: Your drawings of trees were recently used in the film, "Nora," written, directed, and produced by your daughter, Anna Campbell. Is there somewhere we can see the film?
Jane: "Nora" was selected for the CineQuest Film Festival in San Jose, CA with showings at 6:45 Sat. March 15 and 12:20 Tuesday. March 18. It also may be showing soon at the Living Room Theater in Portland. You can view the trailer at: www.norathemovie.com Thank you, Jane for sharing a bit about yourself and your art! You can see more of Jane's work on her website: www.janelevycampbell.com 
"Nora" movie still, trees (c) Jane Levy Campbell
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Upcoming Educational Opportunities and Member Exhibitions:
For Educational Opportunities see Upcoming Events on the News/Calendar page: www.oba-artists.com/news--calendar.html To see the prospectus or apply for entry to a Member Exhibition, log in to the Members page: www.oba-artists.com/#register Vertical Divider
L I N K S
American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) ArtPlantae Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation Pacific NW Botanical Artists (PNBA) Native Plant Society of Oregon Hardy Plant Society of Oregon The Hoyt Arboretum The Audubon Society of Portland Tryon Creek Nature Center Leach Botanical Garden The Oregon Garden Portland Japanese Garden Portland Chinese Garden Fibonacci YouTube video Bosky Dell Native Plant Nursery |
OBA Sketchbook Exchange: Round 6
All images on this website are copyright of the artist.