Campbell, Gretna

Gretna Campbell was a painter who often summered on Cranberry Island with her husband and children. The following excerpt is from the booklet "Artists of Cranberry Isles" written by Wini Smart.

“In the 1980s, I'd often spot a woman in various places on Great Cranberry Island painting huge canvases propped on a tripod easel. She painted with great freedom and gusto, choosing unlikely subjects—not the pretty boats in the harbor for her, but an old car, a rusty backhoe, or old broken trees. Her work was fresh and free, with vigorous brush strokes. I learned it was Gretna Campbell, a well-known painter.

“She and her husband, Louis Finkelstein, were both painters. They worked in New York, but felt a need to return to nature. Friends from student days at Cooper Union told them about a wonderful place called Cranberry Island. After a visit, they liked it so much that in 1950 they bought a house here on the Pool. For years they maintained a studio in New York, but spent most summers on Great Cranberry, painting the island scenery.

“Gretna had her first child, Martha, in 1946. In 1952 she won a Fulbright Fellowship to study in Aix-en-Provence, France. The family lived next door to George Bunker, who owned property there. She later traveled to Italy on another Fulbright. Their son, Henry, was born in 1958.

“Gretna taught painting at Philadelphia College of Art, Maryland Institute, Yale, and the New York Studio School, and was artist-in-residence at theArtists For Environment. She exhibited in many national exhibitions, receiving many awards. She was an elected Associate of the Institute of the National Academy of Design. Her work is in many museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

“She was described as one who rejoiced in nature, held her arms wide to embrace it, and stood before it in awe and wonder. She died in 1987 at the age of 65, leaving her husband of 40 years and an artist son to carry on, painting the beauty of Cranberry Island.”