Remember when, as a child, you would curl up in front of the television with a bowl of cereal to watch Saturday morning cartoons? Those fond childhood memories are likely greatly influenced by the work of cartoonist Ron Campbell.
Campbell had a hand in cartoon classics including The Jetsons, The Flintstones, Winnie the Pooh, The Smurfs, Scooby Doo and Rugrats. His career spans 50 years and includes many accolades, such as a Peabody for Excellence in Broadcasting and an Emmy for Best Children’s Show of the Year for his contributions to ’70s-era Big Blue Marble.
Since retiring in 2008, Campbell has traded in his pens and pencils for a paint brush. He travels around the world, painting his classic cartoons, displaying them in galleries and selling them to the public. From Sept. 23-25, Campbell’s work will make its way to the ArtInsights Animation and Film Gallery in Reston. Admission is free.
The majority of the pieces in the exhibit depict the characters Campbell illustrated for the hit animated series The Beatles about the iconic British band, which aired from 1965 to ’69. The artist chose to paint the Fab Four with their longstanding, passionate fans in mind, however, the exhibit isn’t just for Beatles fans. Campbell says families enjoy the fun, colorful cartoons and watching him paint new pieces on-site.
Visitors also have the opportunity to purchase a painting—they can either choose a piece from the exhibit or ask Campbell to paint a custom piece. Once, after an exhibit in Long Island, a Beatles fan asked Campbell to paint the band in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, because he had seen them perform there years before. Campbell agreed.
“All through my life, when I was making cartoons for television shows, we’d get ratings, but the audience was always just numbers, not people,” he says. “Now, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting those audiences face to face.”
