Artist in Residence: Julia Campbell's Proverbial Flower Shop is Planting Daisies in the Mountains

A simple game of “loves me, loves me not” is what sparked the fire in Julia Campbell to set down her traditional canvas and lay some paint on something new. The Nelson, British Columbia-based artist has been leaving a trail of her signature daisies on the outerwear of many over the last few years. After crafting a recipe for a paint that would adhere to the technical fabrics we rely on to get us through the winter, Julia painted her own kit, and quickly began painting for others. With daisies being her signature design, she creates unique custom artwork on outerwear, so let’s say the proverbial flower shop is open for business. You’ve seen her work on the likes of Marie-France Roy, Jared Elston, Danimals, and the rider bibs of Robin Van Gyn’s inaugural event Research and Development held at Julia’s home mountain, Whitewater Resort in Nelson, BC. With a hype like no other and an unfettered enthusiasm to progress both her riding and her artistic style, Julia is one to watch. The off season has arrived, it’s time to ship your outerwear north and get yourself some daisies. - Ally Watson

Hometown: Nelson, Bristish Columbia

Instagram: @juliacampbe11

Home mountain: That would be a toss up between my childhood backyard where we used to pile snow up to the garbage bin and drop in, or the corner of a farmer's field aka Brimacombe Ski Club. For all the years living out West, I've considered Whitewater Ski Resort as my home mountain.

Preferred medium(s): I work mainly with chalk-based acrylics. Depending on the project, I either add a fabric medium for thrifted finds and vintage denim or an additive that bonds the paint to technical waterproof fabrics, such as your snowpants or your well-loved snowboard jacket. It took me a few years of trial and error to create the right mix that can withstand a season of wear, and I found that the chalk-based paint works the best!

One tool of your craft you cannot do without: My thrifted Conair blow dryer! Each design has been heat set with this dryer since day one and it has more than paid its dues.

Favorite subject matter (in general or currently): Currently I've been really interested in tattoo flash and screen printing. In another life, I feel I'd be covered head-to-toe in traditional-style tattoos and love the designs of the graphics, but for now I live vicariously through my friends' eclectic styles. I'd eventually love to learn how to make my own screens and have a small setup to design a new collection mixing tattoo graphics onto outerwear.

All-time favorite snowboard graphic: Oh, that's a hard one! There are so many amazing graphics that I could make a long list of for different reasons of loving them. However, I want to give a shout out to my friend, Nikki Goodwin , for her attention to detail and line work on her Niche topsheet graphic, and Emily Hamilton who killed the design for her DWD BilBored graphic. These are two women I look up to as artists and friends that I love to snowboard with. Big shouts!

Do you listen to music when you make art? If so, what do you listen to: I usually like to have the music very loud when I'm working in the studio, and depending on the vibe of the day and what project I'm working on, the music will often change. If I'm starting something new and need some confidence or inspiration, it'll usually be A Tribe Called Quest radio on Spotify and most likely I’ll be dancing around my drafting table. I had a few late nights finishing up the R&D bibs and noticed I was blasting house music to keep me awake, haha! Other than that, I like to plug in an old AM/FM radio I found at the studio. There is something about the radio that gives a “workday” vibe that often helps me focus to finish up small orders.

What is your workspace like? Do you create art in multiple places/spaces? For years I would always paint at my kitchen table, in my living room watching TV, or even on the floor of my laundry room (it helped buffer the blowdryer late at night). I had this old wooden crate full of paint bottles and a brush holder that would move around the house to whatever surface was free. Recently, I've been fortunate enough to move into a big art studio space that I share with two of my closest friends. With a 180-degree view overlooking Kootenay Lake and massive windows with ample natural light, this is one of my favorite places to spend my time. It's so sick!

For you, where is the intersection of snowboarding and making art? Snowboarding has influenced who I am and has provided a safe space for expression and confidence-building through unique experiences and meeting so many different inspirational people in the industry. Through heartbreak and injury is where I find a lot of my artwork begins. “Love Me, Love Me Not” was created at the end of a messy winter season that inevitably started my art career with outerwear, so to speak. The paint stayed, the heartbreak subsided, and it inspired me to create designs of how I feel on the inside, onto outerwear. I also feel that personal style through fashion and how we all ride and express ourselves on board is a large inspiration for making art.

Do you have a favorite gallery or art space? My studio. I feel I had manifested this space and it was quite serendipitous on how it all came about! It was previously owned by a mining hoarder (much of what is still left there) and between my friend, Marianne and I, we spent the better part of three months clearing, cleaning, and repainting the whole space. It was a labor of love. What was an unassuming room filled with junk is now an inviting, bright creative space that I love sharing with my friends and feel so fortunate to have!

Any upcoming projects? I'm in the works of starting a new line of snowpants design for this next season. I've also been working on a few fun creative projects with my friend, Max, who lives in Revelstoke. He owns Mountain Archives so be sure to check his website for our vintage collabs!

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