Camille Przewodek | Plein Air / Colorist painter

Camille Przewodek was born in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up inspired by her artistically-talented brother to pursue a career in art. After graduating with a degree in painting from Wayne State University, she migrated to the West Coast.

A perennial student, she saw fit to expand her “left brain” education with several semesters of political science at City College of San Francisco.

Later on she decided she’d like to train as a commercial artist so she enrolled at the Academy of Art College, earning a BFA in Illustration. At this point she met her future husband, Dale Axelrod, who introduced her to master painter, teacher and colorist, Henry Hensche.

Hensche had been the assistant instructor to famed American Impressionist painter🎨 and teacher Charles Hawthorne.

Hensche had taken over the renowned Cape School of Art (which Hawthorne had founded in 1899) after his death in 1930, in order to continue to develop and disseminate Hawthorne’s revolutionary color painting principles.

Camille immediately recognized the rare opportunity of studying with a true master, and began studying with Hensche during the classes that were offered each summer at the school in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

While studying with Hensche over a series of summers, Camille’s career as a commercial illustrator began to take off.

Her previous fine art training brought her much success, particularly due to the ability to use color that she had gained by studying at the Cape School.

Her Impressionist painting🎨 approach was unique in the field of illustration. It landed her a number of high-end jobs.

However, after a few years she grew tired of deadlines and felt she was wasting time bidding on jobs. Her passion for painting led her to drop illustration in favor of proceeding as a full-time fine artist. And Camille hasn’t looked back since.

She has gone on to win numerous awards🎨, continues to sell her work to collectors knowledgeable in Impressionism, and works hard at passing on the Hensche-Hawthorne colorist painting principles.

Her paintings and her approach to capturing the colors and light effects of nature have been featured in many books and magazines, as well as on DVD.

Camille is an acknowledged authority on color who regularly serves as an entry and awards judge for various painting competitions and events. She is also a much sought after instructor who annually teaches painting workshops across the country, and offers regular weekly classes close to home at her studio in Northern California.

For two consecutive years she has been featured as an on-stage demonstrator at Plein Air🎨 Magazine’s Annual Plein Air Convention, as well as an invited instructor, lecturer and panelist on the Hensche-Hawthorne approach to seeing and painting color at American Artist magazine’s Weekend with the Masters.

Camille Przewodek è nata a Detroit, nel Michigan. È cresciuta ispirata da suo fratello di talento artistico per perseguire una carriera nell'arte.

Dopo essersi laureata in pittura presso la Wayne State University, è emigrata sulla costa occidentale.

Studente perenne, riteneva opportuno ampliare la sua educazione al "cervello sinistro" con diversi semestri di scienze politiche al City College di San Francisco.

In seguito ha deciso che le piacerebbe allenarsi come artista commerciale, quindi si è iscritta all'Accademia di Belle Arti, ottenendo un BFA in Illustrazione.

A questo punto conobbe il suo futuro marito, Dale Axelrod, che la presentò al maestro pittore, insegnante e colorista, Henry Hensche.

Hensche era stato assistente istruttore del famoso pittore impressionista americano🎨 e insegnante Charles Hawthorne.

Hensche aveva rilevato la rinomata Cape School of Art (che Hawthorne aveva fondato nel 1899) dopo la sua morte nel 1930, al fine di continuare a sviluppare e diffondere i principi rivoluzionari della pittura a colori di Hawthorne.

Camille riconobbe immediatamente la rara opportunità di studiare con un vero maestro e iniziò a studiare con Hensche durante le lezioni che venivano offerte ogni estate nella scuola di Provincetown, nel Massachusetts.

Mentre studiava con Hensche per una serie di estati, la carriera di Camille come illustratrice commerciale iniziò a decollare. La sua precedente formazione artistica le ha portato molto successo, in particolare grazie alla capacità di usare il colore che aveva guadagnato studiando alla Cape School.

Il suo approccio alla pittura impressionista era unico nel campo dell'illustrazione. Le è stato assegnato un numero di lavori di fascia alta.

Tuttavia, dopo alcuni anni si stancò delle scadenze e sentì che stava perdendo tempo ad attendere offerte di lavoro.

La sua passione per la pittura l'ha portata ad abbandonare l'illustrazione a favore di procedere come artista a tempo pieno.

E Camille non ha più guardato indietro da allora.