Marlena Campbell’s paintings reflect the dance of nature. Her signature style includes vibrant colors, thick layers of paint, and rhythmic brushstrokes that convey a sense of motion, vitality, and liveliness. She is known for painting flowers, gardens, and landscapes that reveal her passion for capturing the spirit of a life in perpetual bloom and the beauty of every season.
The importance of color, texture, and movement is at the heart of Marlena’s moniker technique. Hallmarks of her creativity include rich hues that evoke emotion – usually joy; texture that is tactile, visually interesting, and achieved by sanding back many layers of paint; and movement realized through spontaneous, expressive brushstrokes that imply a sort of flora and fauna symphony or cotillion.
Born and raised in Southern California, Marlena attended Marlborough School for Girls, Tulane University for her BA, and Pepperdine University for her master’s degree. She currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband, Mark, their two Golden Doodles, Bodie and Jack, and their two horses, Stoney and Honey.
Marlena is currently represented by The Signature Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. View the gallery collection here.
Santa Fe, NM, 05/23 to present; 15th Anniversary Group Show, August 16, 2024; Flower Bed , September 20, 2024
Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA; Brushes and Bytes, 11/15-12/17/14; In the Garden, 06/13-09/03/09; Indian Summer, Palisadian Post and Beverly Hills Courier feature stories, 10/13-11/13/07; Monet's Garden and Palisadian Post feature story, 06/03-30/06
Pasadena, CA, 09/13-10/15
Madrid, NM, 07/07-03/10
Beverly Hills, CA, Community art festival winner, second place for painting, 05/16-17/09
Atlanta, GA, 02/07-11/08
Santa Monica, CA, California Open Exhibition 2008, Juror D.J. Hall, 08/13-30/08
Scottsdale, AZ, 07/06-06/08
Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA, 11/20/05
Salla dell' affresco of the Centro Congressi San Micheletto in Lucca, Italy, 09/01/04
Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery's summertime All-City Art Festival, Los Angeles, CA, 07/18-08/14/04