«In some ways, life on the Island is similar to that of Australia. We like to spend a lot of time outside, on the beach. And the light; I fell in love with the light of Mallorca. Here blue has many shades. This is how he describes Octavia Campbell-Davys (London, 1980) his perception of the Island that, since 2018, he immortalizes in his paintings. On his Instagram, @octaviasart, you can see beach scenes and coastal, natural and urban landscapes; animals and details with a Mediterranean essence, as well as buildings and vehicles that transport the observer to a near past.
In his work we can see echoes of the painters Edward Hooper and David Hockneyas well as the American photographer Slims Aarons, known for his photographs of high society and American and European celebrities between the 1950s and 1970s. «Things have changed a lot in Mallorca; “I am very interested in old photographs and how the tourist boom transformed the Island,” explains the artist, who usually paints with acrylic in a detailed style. «I like classic boats, like llaüts; It is like a symbol of how the traditional meets the new. I feel like I’m also painting the end of an era. I think everything is going to change and tourism as we know it will end,” she reasons.
The painter grew up in Canberra, Perth and Sydney, and He doesn’t remember a stage of his life in which he didn’t paint. «Art has always been very present; “My mother is an art curator and she had a gallery in London.” In parallel to painting, her passion is horses and polo, a sport she discovered while living in New Zealand. «I dedicated myself to painting horses and being a polo referee for years. “I think I am the only female referee in the world,” says Octavia, who adds, “if art and refereeing are similar in one thing, it is that, in both cases, you must have faith and believe in your decisions.” The artist has lived in places as diverse as Hungary or Argentina, and she arrived on the island when her former partner died, “she needed a change of scenery and overcome the loss; she couldn’t be sad in a place like this. “I always discover something new.”
The last few months have not been easy for the artist. At the end of November last year, Octavia was diagnosed with leukemia. She has undergone five cycles of chemotherapy and, in the 133 days she spent in isolation, the canvas “was like a portal to another world. I painted when I had some energy, it encouraged me a lot,” explains the painter, very grateful for the treatment received at the Son Espases Hospital. «It has been a very difficult experience, but luckily I am recovering. “The work of the doctors and nurses was incredible.” Now Octavia’s goal is to dedicate herself completely to painting – she combines this by teleworking as a software developer for an American company – in addition to organizing an exhibition with other artists from the Island.
