Jonathan Cameron

I come from a "STOCK STANDARD" middle-class European New Zealand family. The Bable project interested me because I saw it as a great opportunity for a young artist with high goals for the future like myself, and also because I am rather opinionated and have chosen the theme of politics (Maori and pakeha in particular) for painting and printmaking at school this year I felt that the bable project would open my mind to new thoughts (AND EVEN NEW WORLDLY ISSUES) and really influence both my persona and school work.

I’m currently in the seventh form at Tawa College studying Painting/Printmaking, Design, Photography and English. In 2006 I decided that since I love art so much and want to do it as a career I should get a “head start” and start getting my name and my artwork out into the community. Throughout 2006 and the beginning of 2007 I have been working on a “fashion” series. This idea came from a painting that I did for a competition (through school) where the theme was “teenage issues.” I chose anorexia as an issue because in 2005 through school debates and speeches this topic came up a lot, and for these speeches and debates I had done a bit of research on the topic and therefore was interested in the issue. Through the fashion series I was experimenting with beautiful (UNREALISTIC) images that the media pushes in today’s society. I haven’t exhibited in many places yet, two pieces of my work (from the fashion series) has been in the Christmas show at the ‘upstairs gallery’ at ‘Arts Frames’ (Kenepuru, PORIRUA) but didn’t sell, and three pieces was exhibited in Webster’s gallery in Kilbernie (again these works did not sell; the gallery curator’s have told me that they love my work, there just wasn’t the right people – and enough foot traffic).

(At the moment I have NEARLY finished a painting on the Treaty of Waitangi which was origionallyfor a youth programme with the Porirua arts council, however, this event fell through and I decided to create a piece on the issue ~and from the brief I was given for the programme~ as I had already came up with a design before I new the programme was not happening.)

PEOPLE WHO HAVE INFLUENCED MY ARTWORK, AND HELPED ME ALONG THE WAY (so far):