Thomas Cameron works with images of the seemingly ordinary, places and situations that are often overlooked due to their familiarity. Working with a wide range of reference materials and subjects. His recent work has focused on paintings of interiors, urban scenes or simple holiday snapshots. In these a momentary expression or a glow of sunlight imbue the works with an unexpected grandeur.
A keen sense of narrative and cinematic imagery inform Cameron's approach and lend an element of mystery and intrigue, inviting the viewer to question why this image was selected, what the story is behind it and around this moment in time, whilst simultaneously evoking their own shared narratives, memories and imagination.
The materiality of oil paint is an inherent aspect of the work; the tactile quality and versatility of the medium lends itself to subtle lighting effects and realism. These slowly resolved paintings represent a balance between the controlled nature of oil paint whilst allowing its scope for chance and spontaneity during the painting process, and the careful selection of imagery alongside the happenstance and often surprising quality of a snapshot.
"Thomas Cameron presents snapshots of life with dramatic, thoughtful and colourful panache. It's not about size and spectacle; it's about an intimate look through his worldview and with a wide colour palette to assist." — Rhys Fullerton
Artist CV
Born in Helensburgh, Scotland, 1992
Education
2010-2014
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee
BA Hons, Fine Art (Digital Media, Drawing & Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture) (Upper Second Class Degree)
2013
Karlsruhe Academy of Fine Arts, Erasmus Summer Semester (May-August), Germany
2009-2010
Glasgow School of Art
Short courses, Portrait Painting in Oils and evening Life drawing classes
Awards and Scholarships
2016
- Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Award
2015
- Long-listed for the Aesthetica Art Prize
- Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Award
2014
- Long-listed for the Threadneedle prize
- John Milne Purvis Price “for outstanding painting ability”, DJCAD
- Radiology Art Award, Ninewells Hospital Collection
- Pittenweem Arts Festival Bursary Award
2013
- Stevensons Scholarship, presented by the University of Glasgow for students studying abroad
2010
- Invited out of 20 young artists across the UK to exhibit as part of the Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibitions, Mall Galleries, London
- Purvis Cup Award for Expressive Painting, Lomond School
- 1st Prize Painting award, Helensburgh Art Club, Annual Exhibition
Selected Group & Solo Exhibitions
2018
- Spring Exhibition, Fidra Fine Art, North Berwick
- Metropolis, Thompsons Gallery, London
2017
-Pittenweem Arts Festival, Fife
- Dream Sequence, Solo Exhibition, The Sutton Gallery, Edinburgh
- Footsteps, The Whitehouse Gallery, Kirkcudbright
- Wherever I Wander, Scotland Art, Glasgow
2016
- Pittenweem Arts Festival, Fife
- Silent Spaces, Fidra Fine Art, North Berwick
- Spring Exhibition, The Glasgow Art Club, Glasgow
- Spring Exhibition, The Torrance Gallery, Edinburgh
2015
- Christmas Exhibition, The Smithy Gallery, Glasgow
- House for an Art Lover, Glasgow
- Edinburgh Art Fair, Represented by The Sutton Gallery
- Solo Exhibition, The Sutton Gallery, Edinburgh
- Edinburgh Macmillan Art Show
- Spring Exhibition, The Torrance Gallery, Edinburgh
- MS Revive Art Exhibition, The Tall Ship, Glasgow
- Urgent Care of Identity, Culture A-lab, Amsterdam
2014
- Members Show, Glasgow Project Room, Glasgow
- Wall Projects Christmas Exhibition, Montrose
- Royal Scottish Academy Open Exhibition, Edinburgh
- On a Small Scale, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh
- Christmas Exhibition, The Torrance Gallery, Edinburgh
- Parabola, Glasgow Project Room, Glasgow
- Macmillan Annual Art Exhibition, Caledonia Galleries Glasgow
- Scottish Home Show, Holburn Gallery, Aberdeen
- Graduate Exhibition, Wall Projects, Montrose
- Pittenweem Arts Festival, (Bursary Winner Exhibition) Fife
- Best of Degree Show, Six Foot Gallery, Glasgow
- Graduate Exhibition, Abernyte Art Gallery
- Degree Show, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Dundee
- Spring Exhibition, The Torrance Gallery, Edinburgh
- Teenage Cancer Trust Exhibition, Skypark, Glasgow
2013
- Members Show, Generator Projects, Dundee
- Passing Place, The Old Ambulance Depot, Edinburgh
- Erasmus Lichthof, Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe
- Sommerausstellung, Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe
- The Undiscovered Landscape, Matthew Building, DJCAD, Dundee
2012
- Meeting Point, The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow 2011
- The Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition
, Mall Galleries, London
Publications
2015
- Dactyl, Issue 3, ‘Origins and Elements’
- Aesthetica Art Prize Anthology
2014
- Northern Renewal, Issue 3, ‘Holiday’
- The Herald
- Aesthetica Magazine
- The Courier
2010-2013
- Badische Neueste Nachrichten
- The National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) Review
- Helensburgh Advertiser
- ‘Meeting Point’ (self-published exhibition catalogue)
