Michele Del Campo Art

Paola, who has lived alone in Milan for many years, thinks back at how the pandemic has changed her: I can say that I have become a woman, a grown up. She now gives less importance to the relationship she was in, some guy whom she met during one of her numerous road trips around different countries, always alone and in search for emotions. She used to work just to pay for long travels, months of freedom and self-discovery. She met James in New Mexico, he also was doing a ro...ad trip alone on a motorcycle. The distance separated them but they kept in touch constantly and he was going to fly to Italy to see Paola in March 2020, just when travels got banned. With the passing of the time, they realised that it was the end of it. I cried so much. I missed embracing something alive, I went to hug the thin tree in the garden of my apartment building and walked barefoot on the grass to feel some life energy. The sun coming from the window helped too. I also got a small fish for company but after 3 months it died Paola recalls. She knows the extent of her suffering from 16 years of regular psychotherapy: I am too fragile, but throughout the time I have learned to accept it. Paola is also an artist and made a huge self-portrait using her tears to dilute blacks and greys and spread them on paper. As a way to make a living, she used to give English classes in a school, but when she asked for some time to recover from her lack of sleep in lockdown, after only 3 days her students had been assigned to other teachers. Paola's reaction came from a new awareness of an inner strength: she started to give online classes for free, while taking an official certificate to teach English online, and an intensive business course. She used her creative thinking to create entertaining classes with videos and audios, and to promote them to reach a wider audience. Some of her videos went viral and today she is not even spending anymore time advertising the classes because the word spreads and she even needs to share students with some colleagues because of the sheer number. Paola is reaching out to people from far away places now, and that fulfils a certain longing for freedom. @ Milan, Italy

Do you have a compelling story related with the pandemic and want to share it? I am interviewing and portraying people from all over the world from videoconference or from life, and I will eventually publish a book. I want to know stories of solidarity, courage, life-changing experiences and bold decisions. Have you been in the frontline to help against the virus? Have you found a new reason to live, having your circumstances suddenly changed in good or bad? Have you taken th...at step you never dared to take before the terrible shock of the pandemic, its economic consequences or after you lost somebody dear? Have you helped your neighbours or people in need? Have you found a very special friendship? We all get inspired by each other, so let’s get it out and share the humanity. DM me and let me know if you, somebody from your family or your friends have a beautiful or compelling story, I will pick up a few, thank you for participating! P.S.: I will give priority to those who come from different countries if I get too many applications from the same geographical areas, as I want to hear from different realities and cultures in the world. #pandemicstories #pandemicportraits #covidart #art #book #portrait #freeportrait #portraitfeature #portraitdrawing #sketch #sketchbook #sketchbookart #indigochild #pandemic #micheledelcampo

Exposing oneself in this age of edulcorated, filtered imaging is not for the weak. However, Sandra's background in art therapy and as a university teacher of nude life drawing, among other audiovisual disciplines, helped her find a purpose during the first quarantine. From March to May 2020, she exposed herself through daily self-portraits, experimenting with speed, colour and technique, and challenged her students to do the same and comment on each other. It became a kind of... group therapy, they had to explore deeply and objectively their own image in front of a mirror, without trying to appeal to the viewer or concealing any imperfection, the same with the drawings, no selection was allowed, they had to show the good and the bad ones. Usually we have an image of ourselves that is not how others see us. We will never be able to see our real image from outside, and a mirror deforms reality. For example, it reverses our asymmetries, and when we see them flipped over in the drawing of an artist, it causes an impact, she says. Sandra was required to spend 6 hours per week teaching life drawing, but ended up spending 8 hours per day commenting on each drawing sent by the 15 students who accepted the challenge, then doing her own self-portrait and all of them shared the results in social media. It opened a discussion, people made assumptions about my mood. They would say that I must be suffering in confinement, and that I look happier in real life. I was at my happiest but in the mirror it aches to smile. I just let them say whatever they projected. the drawing was an act of complete acceptance and free from judgement, just whatever we are. Some of the students said the work was very important to their process of self-esteem, the results were therapeutic. One of them had failed life drawing the year before, she was an introvert, would wear so much makeup, huge nails, and seek attention. The progress in her drawings was stunning, as if she had dropped a mask, her drawings seemed to have been made by somebody else. Less than half of the class participated, but those who did have found it a memorable experience of liberation and self-discovery. @ Lisbon

Virginia is deeply involved in caring for the elderly who live in her district in the south of Madrid. They are like my family, she says. Before the Covid came, she would give fitness classes to around 500 people in day centres for the elderly, almost all women: I am sorry, it seems that we females live longer than you guys, she says laughing. With the quarantine being declared, in March 2020, Virginia got in charge of calling 60 different people per day, totalling her 50...0 students, to make sure that they were all fine, to give them a little conversation and not make them feel lonely. I guess that for a few weeks I overdid it, I was told that I had to spend 5min with each person, but they are not numbers, they are people whom I know well. However, I ended up spending 10 hours a day on the phone and for my mental health I had to reduce it to 8 hours per day, says Virginia. She would also be the link between the elderly and the community of neighbours, who would make sure that the shopping and the medicines were regularly supplied to each of them. Virginia is remembered by many for probably saving the life of Carmen, who is 83. While on the phone with her, Virginia noticed that she began to say incongruities, so, in agitation, she called an emergency number and quickly an ambulance went to recover her. Virginia couldn't stop crying, she lives alone too and knows what that means. Later on Carmen's daughter called to thank her, it was a little ictus but she was now safe. Carmen, who looks much younger, with a smile said that she is a rose already withered. Virginia was shocked by the effect that the long lockdown had on many of her students. She crosses path with many of them in the street: Many people got a depression. In just a few months, physical deterioration, a line of sadness in their gaze, loss of confidence, I could hardly recognise some of them. The elderly have been robbed of the little life that was left for them: they were enjoying going for a coffee, being with their grandchildren, attending classes of dancing, embroidery, painting, ceramics, IT, book-reading, traveling, etc. Virginia has returned to teach fitness classes, but now online. @ Madrid, Spain

Today Jessica can sit down and talk about it. She is now more relaxed and fulfilled, as she leads the vaccine program as director of nursery in the hospital of The Bronx borough, NYC. She now deals with the prevention, and injects hope into the community, but this comes after a hell of a year in a smaller hospital of New Jersey, where 45% of the patients and some of the staff died from an early outbreak. It all started towards the end of February 2020, as she says: the adm...inistrator came into work coughing, his wife had just come back from a travel abroad. Other staff and patients got the same symptoms. They tested positive to Influenza A, they still didn't know how to distinguish the Covid. As the administrator died, by March 7th they recognised it was an outbreak, and before the CDC guidelines were issued, she found herself coping with a building of dying people. Jessica had been mentored for many years by the best professionals and she had just been appointed as director for the first time in January, but nobody had prepared her for something similar! Nobody was coming to work, and even when I got a fever, I kept working, as everybody had it already. I felt the responsibility to not make it horrible. I kept in touch with the families the best I could, there were no enough PPE, we didn't know much about the virus or that asintomatic people could carry it. The Department of Health shut us down and we worked with the epidemiologists to clean the building. The whole experience took a toll on all of us I cried the first 6 months, and in December I stepped down to work on the vaccine-leading program in The Bronx. This is a deprived and overpopulated area, morgues were full and deceased were stored in refrigerators. As vaccinations go up and deaths down, I feel like I'm recovering animically. At a certain point, the youngest of her 3 kids comes around with his pet hamster, eager to return to play with mum and dad. It's her day-off. She works 12-hour shifts, 6 days a week. When she feels overwhelmed, she says: it's better than Covid. @ The Bronx, NYC

Some cute visitors to my solo show today #visitor #soloshow #soloexhibition #painting #gallery #artexhibition #horseriding #horse #children #siblings #micheledelcampo

Visiting the Wasteground, oil on linen, 180x250cm. Beauty, grace and elegance can be found in everything. #oilpainting #oiloncanvas #painting #contemporaryart #figurativeart #figurativepainting #contemporaryartist #contemporaryrealism #peeing #peeinggirl #wasteground #micheledelcampo @ Madrid, Spain

I had been wanting to paint someone on a horse (well, actually, fallen from a horse) for a long time. Obviously one needs to find the right person who knows the horse well, because one never knows how a horse can react during a photo-shoot when a person is on the ground. Then, in Milan I saw in my social media Carolina, horse-riding. With Champ, her horse, she does horse-jumping tournaments all around Europe. Champ is quite a crazy character, but he is a champion, as the name... says, does his good job in competitions, but he just doesn’t like to be told to do extraordinary things like posing for a photo shoot out in the field... Carolina has such a special relationship with him, she can’t be a day without seeing him! She lives in the centre of Milan but bought a car to visit and ride Champ every day at the stable he is kept into. He has some days off training every once in a while, but Carolina will always go to pat him, cut his hair, wash him and just stay there for a while. A winning rider needs to develop a strong relationship of trust and empathy with the horse. The day I went along with Carolina to the stable, Champ did not expect a late-afternoon ride, and when Carolina started to lead him to the field that we had chosen for the shoot, he perfectly knew where she wanted to go, and got completely insane! I started to worry, I didn’t speak a word or take any photo while Carolina was dangerously dealing with a rearing up horse, jumping and trying to free himself. It became very risky as the ground became not so even, further afield. Eventually Carolina managed to soothe him, he is worried because there are mosquitoes in that area, she told me. I understood that I couldn’t make him pose wherever I wanted, and I only started to take photos when he calmed down in a more open and mosquitoes-free area. Nevertheless, I remained fascinated with that sense of unbalance and danger that I had witnessed before, so I changed my photographic reference quite a lot to express a moment of uncertainty, a girl holding on a horse gone mad. As I always point out, it’s about the idea and the intention, the reality captured in a photo is just a starting point... @ Milan, Italy See more

Being very serious while painting! The Deal, oil on linen, 200x270cm #soloshow #soloexhibition #madrid #oilpainting #thedeal #oldcars #oilonlinen #artist #artistpainting #art #contemporaryart #figurativeart #figurativepainting #contemporaryrealism #micheledelcampo

The Deal, oil on linen, 200x270cm. It was all born from playing with friends (see the previous video). When I see something interesting, in this case a group of old cars from the balcony of our borrowed studio in Lima, I feel like painting it. But I can’t just paint the cars, I let my imagination go, and imagine what could happen around that place, then I find friends who want to pose for me. I was always seeing @guillermo_oyaguez_montero with his sleeveless T-shirt dirty w...ith paint and I easily saw him as an auto-mechanic, they are always dirty with oil-stains! @brendaortizclarke came to visit us with these cute red booths and a black dress, she is a gallerist, and I immediately imagined her as a posh business woman wanting to buy one of the old cars. Finally, friend and artist @aishaasconiga could be helping out Guillermo during the impromptu visit of Brenda to clean the cars. Traveling and painting away from home gives me these opportunities to see new thing, cultivate good old friendships and make new ones. My paintings in my new solo show Nomad Souls in @ansorenagaleria are reminiscent of so many good memories of my travels. I know that we have a lockdown, but if you are in Madrid, and you don’t come in huge groups it should be ok, so don’t miss it! #oilpainting #oiloncanvas #oilonlinen #bigpainting #figurativeart #figurativepainting #contemporatyart #contemporarypainting #contemporaryrealism #lima #madrid #micheledelcampo @ Madrid, Spain See more

Many times people ask me how I find inspiration for my art. In this video I tell a little about how I conceived my big painting The Deal during my stay in Lima, Perú. #inspiration #art #contemporaryart #contemporaryartist #figurativeart #contemporaryfigurativeart #contemporaryrealism #bigcanvas #painting #oilpainting #oiloncanvas #oil #lima #artcollector #micheledelcampo

Sometimes people ask me where my inspiration for my art comes from. Here is an example of how I got the idea for my painting The Deal, an oil on linen of 200x270cm. #inspiration #painting #oilpainting #bigcanvas #figurativeart #contemporaryfigurativeart #contemporaryart #contemporaryrealism #art

I filmed this tour of the two-floor exhibition in the @ansorenagaleria for al of you who could not see it in locked-down Madrid. It’s not the same, as my paintings are big, have texture and fresh brushwork but this is the new times for now, I hope you enjoy the tour, and also to see all of you when times allow #soloshow #soloexhibition #tour #gallery #artgallery #contemporarypainting #contemporaryart #quarantinelife #artinquarantine #lockdownlife #lockdownart #oilpainting #oiloncanvas #artcollector #artcollection #madrid #galeriaansorena #micheledelcampo

I had a wonderful time yesterday night with the people who could visit te show, in times of lockdown when visitors from outside the city couldn’t travel. It was so nice to see great artists, collectors, friends and art lovers defying the odd times and be there to see the paintings which I have made in the last 2 years! Special thanks to @cristinamato1 and @lorenapizarroduran , directors of @ansorenagaleria for making things happen, colleague and great painter (also improvised... model) @guillermo_oyaguez_montero , the other wonderful artist @gabrielmorenoart , collector Agustín De Diego, and the models who have always supported my inspiration and offered their time. And thanks to @danielfernan for the video production, soon he will show you the best moments. And thanks to all the supportive friends who came, love you all! #soloshow #openingday #painting #soloexhibition #oilpainting #contemporarypainting #artgallery #artcollector #art #micheledelcampo @ Madrid, Spain See more

Detail of Today I regret all the times that I took shelter from summer storms", oil on linen, 150x200cm. Soon on show in @ansorenagaleria , Madrid, from 15Oct to 21Nov #oilpainting #oiloncanvas #figurativeart #figurativepainting #contemporaryrealism #summertime #summervibes #water #sea #wet #bathing #beauty #micheledelcampo

Today I regret all the times that I took shelter from summer storms, oil on linen, 150x200cm. My new solo exhibition, Nomadic Souls, is opening in Madrid on 15Oct and you can visit it until 21Nov. If you are in Madrid and plan to see the show during the first day, please let me know as I will be there to meet you from 5pm. Due to the Covid restrictions, the capacity of the gallery will be limited, but sure you will still be able to enter and enjoy! If you can't make it th...at day, the gallery will always be open at working times, and if you let me know in advance, I will see if I can meet you there any other day. I am so sorry for those of you who were planning to come from abroad and eventually couldn't, it is not a lucky year... However, if the new lockdown reduces the infection rate in Madrid, some travel restrictions might be lifted in November. I will be posting some videos in Instagram so you can see the show virtually. Thanks to @p.sketch for not minding getting into cold water to pose for me, and thanks to @maribela.la.la for inspiring this beautiful title with one of her posts with a quote by Patricia Benito @labenitoescribe #painting #art #contemporaryart #figurativeart #figurativepainting #oilpainting #oiloncanvas #summervibes #representationalart #wet #bath #micheledelcampo See more

I have been so busy preparing my new solo show in Madrid Almas nómadas. This is a preview from my artist studio. Apart from oil paintings, this year you will find drawings and also my first sculpture in bronze! I’m still working on it, as well as my last painting. The Private View is on 15 October, I hope to see you in @ansorenagaleria , let me know if you are visiting and hopefully I will meet you there #soloshow #soloexhibition #exposicion #painting #oilpainting #art #contemporaryart #contemporaryrealism #oiloncancas #artiststudio #exhibition #figurativeart #micheledelcampo

Summertime 2017, The Unicorn. One of the Ekaterina Paintings, a 180x300cm piece that was exhibited in my Two-Men Show in San Francisco @ckcontemporary . It’s a painting of a selfie, a girl striving to capture her instant of perceived perfection, so common today in the age of the social media. At the time I was spending a few months near Lake Como, one of the most beautiful lakes in Italy. I didn’t have a pump for the unicorn, but I had no intention of losing the opportuni...ty, so I slowly inflated it by blowing in it with my mouth, it was tiring but I managed to get it at a good pressure too! The floater would not stay still, slowly it would spin towards the opposite side because of the movement of the water, and it would ruin the very right moment when the pose worked at its best. Has it ever happened to you that by chance you find just what you need at the right moment, like magic? As if something was really meant to be, against all odds... I thought if only I had a rope!, then I looked down in the water, where I was standing in, and I found one just between my feet, old and dirty but the exact length!!! I tied the unicorn to two stones, in both ends of the float, so it could finally hold its position. I took many photos and then, back home, the second part of the work started: putting the photos together for the right composition, mounting the huge canvas on stretcher bars, sketching the general shape and finally... Painting time! #summervibes #summertime #lake #beachvibes #beachholiday #holidays #float #floating #unicorn #summerpainting #bathingsuit #bikini #selfietime #selfie #art #oilpainting #oiloncanvas #oilonlinen #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #contemporaryrealism #figurativeart #figurativepainting #artcollector #micheledelcampo @ Lake Como, Italy See more