EXPLORE
EXPLORE
Story by the artist.
I consider myself a creative explorer and healer who paints, writes and makes noises–none which support me financially but spiritually make all the difference in the world. Artists thrive on the stuff that feeds their soul, sometimes to the detriment of their wellbeing. It took many years for me to call myself an artist.
It was 1979 that I consider the turning point. Deciding I was going to paint the streets of Hamilton – the gritty version – I entered my first painting in the 1st Annual Hamilton Place Juried Exhibition in November 1979, sponsored by Hamilton Place and the Hamilton and Region Arts Council. Being selected as one of thirty out of three hundred entered, buoyed my spirits and I decided to forge ahead with my street scenes.
Not long after this decision I was talking with Conrad Fury at Bill Powell’s gallery and he mentioned that Rick Cook was looking for an artist to share studio space, with himself, and Ted Pietrzak who was assistant curator at the Art Gallery of Hamilton at the time. The studio overlooked Gore Park and sat on the third floor above Studio Three Gallery on King Street. The rent for the small space was $35 a month and I jumped at the chance. I got to know Rick rather well and we often would take a break and grab a coffee at Grandma Lee’s bakery just down the street.
The winter of ’80/81 I froze my butt off in that studio. The light was great from the large windows but there was no heat. I persevered nonetheless painting in front of the small electrical heater I had brought in. That next fall I approached Ralph Corvino, who owned Studio Three Gallery, if he would consider showing my work. After viewing a couple of my pieces he surprised me by offering me an exhibition for the following spring. I think the fact he saw me coming into the studio most days helped. He originally asked for twenty pieces, I had completed five at that time and considering I had six months before the show, I didn’t think it would be possible. There was a compromise at fifteen plus.
Facing another cold winter in that space I gave up the studio, completing the work at home. In May 1982 I had my first one-man show, exhibiting seventeen oil paintings and coloured pencil drawings. The show ran until mid June. Selling eleven pieces felt like a success to me, although monetarily it did not provide anything approaching a sustainable career. I followed with a show at the Rosenberg Gallery in Niagara Falls and with Glen Cummings help from the AGH managed to get a show lined up at the Grimsby Public Art Gallery. But in 1982, I moved with my partner, who had been transferred to Toronto, and I basically gave up my fine art practice for the next 20 years. And it was not until 2009 that I had my third solo exhibition.
In late ’79, my brother and I purchased a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air sedan with plans on restoring it. That never happened however, and I ended up with the car. It was all original even down to plastic still covering the upholstery. The body needed a paint job and my brother had a friend paint it white. I must admit I enjoyed being behind the wheel, even driving down to Cape Breton one year around Gaspé. When I decided I was moving to Toronto, the idea of keeping the car no longer made sense and I knew I would have to sell it. By that time the white paint job was starting to peel so I sanded a few areas and sprayed it with rust paint. I put the word out, but it was Rick Cook who made the best offer, and in the end a bargain was made for an original artwork in exchange for the Bel Air. The piece was a four panel nude that I had seen when he had exhibited it at the AGH. I’ve never really asked Rick what became of the Chevy, I do know they are commanding a fair price these days (if they are in good shape), but his painting has stood the test of time and it has a special place on the wall wherever I go. The added bonus for me was a painting I did of the Chevy. I parked it just off Stinson Avenue next to a variety store not far from where I was living at the time and immortalized it in oil. Having both paintings on the wall makes me nostalgic for those times wondering what might have been had I remained in Hamilton.
To see more of Cameron’s work, please visit his official website here.
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