Welcome to my blog, featuring various pieces from my collection of Oz books, artwork and memorabilia!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Landscapes





Here are a pair of pastel landscapes by John R. Neill. The first is a simple piece, showing a bit of unidentified countryside with some of his typical fluffy clouds, while the second is a more elaborate drawing. The original mounting board on the second piece is labeled and dated "Beach near Avon, N.J. Sep 1922".

Both of these pieces show Neill's characteristic use of blue, particularly a bright cerulean blue. This tone pops up in many of his color pieces, often paired with a sienna brown.

Neill clearly enjoyed working in pastels. I was not aware of this but it doesn't surprise me, now that I realize how many different mediums he employed.

2 comments:

Artist Anika said...

Your landscapes are beautiful. Very serene. I love that you just used a hint of color. With the subtle color and the paper shade, the whole landscapes make me think of the Sahara at dusk. Very well done.

And I absolutely love your header. I don't know if your love of Oz extends to the Broadway play Wicked (I love that musical) but did you hear that they are making it into a movie?! I am stoked.

Bill Campbell said...

Thank you - the landscapes aren't my work, but the work of John R. Neill, who illustrated the majority of the Oz books. The header was drawn by Dick Martin, copying original artwork by W. W. Denslow from The Wizard of Oz.

I have seen and enjoyed Wicked, and I imagine a movie will be made of it, considering its popularity - but I haven't heard anything definite about it.