| Eric Cameron, 68-year-old artist, art historian, University of Calgary professor and creator of the famed "Thick Paintings," picked up his Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on March 10.
The jury that selected Cameron as one of the seven 2004 laureates pointed to his long career in the arts as well as referencing his "Thick" works, in which he applies hundreds, sometimes thousands, of layers of paint to ordinary objects and thereby highlights the process of painting, which continues to fascinate him.
"In a career that stretches over 40 years, Eric Cameron has demonstrated a fierce dedication to the practice of art, as well as to his work as art historian and teacher," reads the citation. "His focus on the process of art – and of life – and transformation (often of everyday objects) has consumed him, and fascinated growing numbers of admirers. He is a highly creative theorist and writer who has intimately explored, through his writing and art, the multi-layered mysteries of art and life."
Cameron, a native of Leicester, England who has exhibited his work since the late 1950s across Europe and North America, says the $15,000 Governor General’s Award goes well beyond recognizing his own individual achievement.
"In my art I’ve benefited from the faculty, students and support staff," he says. "My indebtedness is to the entire Department of Art at the University of Calgary and the Nickle Arts Museum."
Examples of Cameron’s work are being exhibited at the Nickle until April 11. |
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