About Cameron

From his earliest memories, Cameron has been involved in the creative and artistic world in one aspect or another. From finger painting and stitchery as a youngster, to a lifelong fascination with photography, design and digital imagery.

His interest in photography took him on a wonderful journey, beginning with a job as a teenager, copying old photographs in the darkroom at Mel O’s Camera shop in The Dalles, Oregon.  That lead to photography and print making classes at the University of Minnesota and a stint as a staff photographer for the newspaper at Lewis and Clark College. 
 
Photography has always been and will always be a large part of Cameron’s creativity. But it was after Lewis and Clark College and the University of Minnesota that he found his place at Portland State University.  With guidance and mentoring from friend and professor, Robert Kasal, Cameron made his way to a Bachelors Degree in Design.  It was at Portland State that Cameron enrolled in a drawing class where he was not required to draw but discovered a new creative experience; the solvent transfer process combining his background in photographic imagery with his desire for artistic expression.
 
The solvent transfer process uses a variety of solvents to loosen ink from printed pages such as magazines, photocopies and ink jet prints. Different solvents produce different results, just as different magazine pages and prints transfer differently. His early solvent transfer paintings were mixed media, using the solvent transfer process to lay down a base color and texture.  Then using various items, usually found objects and even dry pastas, as stencils, he applied layers of spray paints.

The work you see here continues Cameron’s study of color, texture and imagery, both in the world of photography and solvent transfer work. Using images captured by his own camera as well as those collected in print matter, Cameron’s current work is a continuing exploration of the transfer process. The images are combined to create both complex and simple works, always with reason, whether a personal statement, exploration of the medium, or simply a record of thought and feeling.