Schedule
live painting throughout the festival near the main stage sound tower
You may have noticed the bespectacled, paint-spattered artist perched on a small riser in the VIP section, right along the fence bisecting the crowd. As the musicians play onstage, his brush flies, capturing not just the performance he sees and hears, but the crackling energy, the light, the entire vibe in the park. When the last bows are taken, a complete painting on his easel glistens in the sun, and the artist’s jeans are flecked in the same bright hues that adorn the canvas.
He's Keith “Scramble” Campbell and he’s been capturing Blues and Brews artists for more years that we can remember. Inspired by Leroy Neiman, who worked much the same way Scramble does — live, as the action is happening — but at sporting events. Scramble loved the idea of painting live but instead of sports, chose to paint his passion for music. These “performance paintings” have taken him to innumerable concerts and festivals around the world, including New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Nedfest and our mountain gathering, among others. He’s artist-in-residence at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, too. In all, he has created more than 2,000 of these works of art, in addition to his studio work.
Having Scramble Campbell join us every year, depicting the artists onstage in his eye-popping, expressionistic style, is one of our favorite aspects of hosting the festival. Stop by while he’s working (save the conversation for in between acts), but don’t get too close. Unless you don’t mind a little paint on your festival finery!