Campbell working on “Apsaalooke”. Photos – Campbell Dosch’s archive ©
Coming off a fresh second place win at this year’s Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale in Cody WY, Campbell Dosch is catching the eyes of a lot of western art collectors. Hailing from Salt Lake City Utah, Campbell has only been sculpting bronze sculptures a few short years, but you wouldn’t guess it looking at his work. His artistic inspiration and subject matter focus on Native Americans and the American West. His interest in Native Americans lies in their culture and spirituality. “Their close tie to nature and respect for what God has created is inspiring.” When asked about the show Campbell said, “This was my first art show, and I am very appreciative to have been selected to participate. The Buffalo Bill Art show is very prestigious and draws a lot of attention from collectors, patreons, galleries and lovers of art from all over the world. This year was its 40th anniversary. There are many excellent artists that were in the show, this year and previously. I did better than I thought I would taking second in the three-dimensional category and receiving the judges award of excellence. I’m very happy to have had the opportunity and experience.”
“Apsaalooke” bronze sculpture
Casting in bronze is a multi-step process that takes weeks to accomplish and involves many different people. After the sculpture is created in clay, the artist takes it to a foundry to be replicated in bronze. The final step is putting the colour’ patina’ on the bronze which is applied chemically using a blowtorch. Campbell takes pride in doing his own patina. “Patina is very tricky; it can make or break the sculpture. Making the colours too dark or too light, applying it with too much heat or not enough can give it the wrong tone and colour and ruin the look. Because sculptures are three denominational, shadows are what create the ‘lines’ used to construct the image. It’s imperative that those shadows are represented correctly with the patina, or the sculpture looks off. I’ve had to sandblast the sculptures a few times and start over.”
When asked which artists inspire Campbell he says, “Howard Terpning, Alexander Proctor and C.M. Russell to name a few. To be able to capture the emotion and feel of the subject matter like they do is no easy task. They transcend their subject matter into another realm of reality making them almost immortal. I try to portray that in my work as well. I believe if art doesn’t convey an emotion to the viewer then the artist has failed at their attempt. Evoking an emotional response, whatever that may be is important.”
Campbell’s artwork is very exclusive and cannot be found in galleries. The only way to purchase his pieces is directly through his studio. To see all his work visit www.CampbellDoschArt.com.
