occupied while stationed in South East Asia, he used black ink on white paper to draw the detailed landscapes he experienced. Ai explains, “The drawings were super detailed and very graphic. They were really beautiful, so I was interested in making black and white work.” Feeling like she had discovered who she was, she no longer needed the process of discovery that figurative painting provided. She began to feel that when you look at portraits, “you think about the story behind this person, and you won’t go beyond that.” This is when she started to turn to monochromatic abstract work, because when you look at
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abstraction, “it could be anything, and it engages more interpretations…more possibilities, and that’s more exciting.” Ai’s love of nature and organic things influences her work. She likes to work with simple shapes that are often found in nature. She draws inspiration from things as varied as water, the sky, and water stained peeling walls. This spontaneous emergence is carried into her process. She starts with a wet surface and drops the ink onto the surface with a dropper and watches the natural shape appear. She shares, “I can’t really control how the ink settles on the surface, but that’s kind of my intention. I let it create its own shape.” In the second layer, she
adds the detail. She describes, “The first layer is all about spontaneity. The second layer is more about intentionality.” It is these forces combined that adds depth to her paintings. She said that she is fascinated by transient moments. These are moments in life that don’t last, like lightning’s intense flash, or the way milk moves in coffee cups. She knows it disappears, but that is why it draws her attention. With a sense of wonder in her voice she explains, “When I pour milk…the way the liquid moves is really beautiful. Then I forget about the crazy busy morning and stare for a minute. I know
it will be gone in a second, that’s why I feel it is really precious and beautiful. I guess I am trying to capture that type of movement in my work, attempting to preserve those beautiful scenes…trying to make it last. In paying attention to one particular moment, that kind of makes me appreciate each moment within life.” Ultimately, Ai Campbell’s work invites us to enjoy the mystery of life’s fleeting moments that are and never will be again. Her work broadens our possibilities of ways to view our life that is ever changing.