“Dennis Campay is a true original, whose gift pulled him out of his travails to where he is today; the most consistently exciting painter in the south, one of the best Americans in years. He went through an unending apprenticeship such as no one does today, yet none of those lessons were lost or useless. His age old themes have never been more urgently felt; this is why his paintings are new...” John T. Spike, Florence, Italy, Art Historian, Curator, Author Dennis Campay was born in 1950 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Campay began his artistic career at the age of 37. He received his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from the Atlanta College of Art at 42. Considered one of the most classic visual story tellers, Campay invites the viewer into his languorous, richly colored worlds of reverie, reality, intimacy and spiritual journey. His kaleidoscopic mixed media scenes present a mesmerizing mix of columns, water towers, bridges, and silvery bodies of water, all of which were inspired by his travels. The solitary pianos and ubiquitous chairs take their place where interiors and exteriors blend and beckon, evoking memories, illusions and dreams. Campay takes a question or observation and connects those principals and theories with emblems, symbols and signs creating the imagery represented in many of his architectural compositions. This philosophy combined with his passion for drawing enables him to build and construct pictures that embody proportion, harmony, inspiration and spiritually….evidence that leaves much for the viewer to feel, reason and reflect upon. Campay has participated in numerous solo and group shows throughout his career and is the recipient of many awards. EDUCATIONUniversity of New Mexico, School of Architecture, Albuquerque, New MexicoAtlanta College of Art, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Atlanta, GeorgiaCOLLECTIONSMuscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VAMuseum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, GAHigh Museum of Art, Atlanta, GAHarn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FLOgden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LAMorris Museum of Art, Augusta, GATelfair Museum of Art, Savannah GAUniversity of Florida, College of Fine Arts, Gainesville, FLBrenau University, Gainesville, GAImagery Estate Winery, Sonoma, CAJohn S. Burd Center for the Performing Arts, Brenau University, Gainesville, GAAtlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, 1996, Atlanta, GAFlorida State University, Tallahassee , FLState of Florida Capitol Building, Tallahassee, FLQuinlan Visual Arts Center, Gainesville, GADelta Airlines Corporate Collection, Atlanta, GAU. S. Airways, Charlotte International Airport, Charlotte, NCKing and Spalding, LLP, Atlanta, GAEXHIBITIONS2015 Hubert Gallery, New York2014 Shain Gallery, Charlotte, NC2013 “InTandem” Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA2013 “The City Abstracted” Group Show, Hubert Gallery, New York, NY2013 “Georgia Artists Selecting Georgia Artists”, The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, GA2012 “Lost Parts Found”, Paintings and Sculpture, Exhibit & Lecture, Pryor Fine Art, Atlanta, GA2012 “Orly Tragedy Through the Eyes of Artists” Millennium Gate Museum, Atlanta, GA2011 “Gallery Exhibit” and Lecture, Brenau University, Gainesville, GA2010Pryor Fine Art, Atlanta, GA2010Shain Gallery, Charlotte, NC2009 “Transitions”, The Brunner Gallery, Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA2009 “Images”, Quinlan Visual Arts Center, Gainesville. GA2008 “Salon du Musee” Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO2008 “New Paintings” Anne Loucks Gallery, Chicago, IL2007 “Works on Paper” Mason Murer Fine Art, Atlanta, GA2007Group Exhibition, Brunner Gallery, New Orleans, LA2006 “Salon d' Arts” Colorado History Museum, Denver, CO2006Mason Murer "Projects", Atlanta, GA2005 “Summer Salon” Anne Loucks Gallery, Chicago, IL2005 "New Works" Mason Murer Fine Art, Atlanta, GA2005Quinlan Visual Arts Center, Gainesville, GA2004 "Emblems" Mason Murer Fine Art, Atlanta, GA2003 "Emblems" Spiller-Vincenty Gallery, Jacksonville, FL2003 Quinlan Visual Arts Center, Gainesville, GA2002"Campay 2002" Lagerquist Gallery, Atlanta, GA2001 Biennale Internazionale Dell' Arte Contemporanea, Florence, Italy2001"A Ten Year Retrospective", Ponte Vedra Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra, FL2000"A Painters View" Lagerquist Gallery, Atlanta, GA1999 Biennale Internazionale Dell' Arte Contemporanea, Florence, Italy1999 JSL Fine Art, San Francisco, CA1998 Quinlan Visual Arts Center, Gainesville, GA1997"Peregrination" Lagerquist Gallery, Atlanta, GA1994 Montgomery Museum of Art, Montgomery, AL1993 Crawford Long Benefit for Woman's Cancer Wing, Atlanta, GA1992 Spotlight on Southeastern Artists, Atlanta, GA1991 Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta, GA1990 - 1992 Artcare, Atlanta, GA1990 Group Exhibition - Lagerquist Gallery / Atlanta1990 Solo Exhibition - Atlanta College of Art / AtlantaAWARDS AND HONORS2011 Visiting Artist, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA2010Featured Artist, High Arts Day, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA2008 Founding Member, Advisory Board for the School of Art and Art History, University of Florida2006National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant recipient in conjunction with the Quinlan Visual Art Center, Gainesville, GA2001Lorenzo il Magnifico Award for works on paper, Biennale Internazionale Dell' Arte Contemporanea, Florence, Italy1998Open Studios Competition for Southern Painters, New American Paintings, juried exhibitions in print1991Atlanta College of Art, Ben Shute Award for Figurative Art, Atlanta, GA1989 - 1991Atlanta College of Art, The Presidential Scholarship, Atlanta, GADENNIS AND COLETTE CAMPAY STUDIO ART SCHOLARSHIP, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDAThis fund, honoring Dennis and Colette Campay, provides scholarships to art students in art and art history in the College of Fine Arts. Dennis and Colette established this scholarship fund because of their commitment to the arts and belief that continuing support of the arts is essential to the complete development of our existence.DENNIS CAMPAY FELLOWSHIP : The Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta, GAPUBLICATIONSThe Art of Making Marks / Dennis Campay – text by Jerry Cullum/ Brenau University Press 2011Highlands – Cashiers Chamber Music Festival cover and feature 2011Images – Dennis Campay / Collection of works by the artist.Softcover / May 2009Atlanta Style and Design / feature Winter 2008Inside Northside, cover & feature by Stacey Pareti Rase / November 2007Atlanta Style and Design feature by Janice McDonald/ Summer 2005Atlanta Journal Constitution, Access Atlanta, feature by Jerry Cullum / July 2004Steinway and Sons, A150th Anniversary Commemorative Issue, feature by Tara Wilfong / May 2003CAMPAY, New Paintings by John T. Spike / Collection of works by the artist, hardcover/ July 2002Art and Antiques / CAMPAY, New Paintingsbook review / December 2002Ponte Vedra Lifestyles, September / October 2001Art and Antiques, feature by Elizabeth Elkins / February 2000Symbol of Southern Lifestyles / February 1999