Donald Cameron

Art has always evolved by embracing the cutting-edge technologies of its time. The invention of photography, in particular, marked a significant turning point in art history. The role of capturing realism, once held by painting, was overtaken by this new medium. Today, with the advent of AI, digital art has emerged as a new platform for creativity, signaling yet another period of transformation in the art world.

Donald Cameron is an artist who explores the potential of combining traditional oil painting techniques with modern graphic design. By merging the most classical medium in art history—oil painting—with contemporary digital tools, he presents a duality of digital and analog, prompting us to reflect on the visual experience. In this article, we delve into an interview with Cameron to uncover the intentions and messages behind his work.

DONALD CAMERON: ACIDSKYPIXEL

Donald Cameron "Patina" 2024, 56.0 × 83.6 cm, Oil and ink on linen

- The title "ACIDSKYPIXEL" carries a unique resonance. Could you share the origin of this title? Additionally, what significance do "mountains" and "mountain ranges" hold in the works you have created for this series?

Donald: The mountain is a recognizable image, iconic and yet simultaneously a blank slate to project meaning upon. In my desire to show a contrast between two kinds of media, the mountain allows for complexity while still maintaining a readable image. I could use almost any subject matter though, and in my previous works I’ve painted figures, ruined houses, and enormous abstractions to similar effect.

“AcidSkyPixel” uses poetic license to describe my personal impressions of the artworks in this show. Acid refers to the cool yellow/green colors that are a common feature, a visual theme in the paintings’ color palette, similar to an acidic lemon/lime-feeling color palette. Sky refers to the “big sky” of mountain ranges and how in the upper area of these paintings the sky has a special opportunity for pure pattern to dance above the mountains And Pixel references the digital qualities that exist unnaturally within these paintings.

DONALD CAMERON: ACIDSKYPIXEL, Whitestone Ginza New Gallery

- Could you walk us through the process of creating your works?

Donald: I start with stock photography and use a graphic design process to blend layers of patterning into the image. Then I make an inkjet print and paint over it using oils.

DONALD CAMERON: ACIDSKYPIXEL, Whitestone Ginza New Gallery

- Your method of painting on digital prints is quite unique. What inspired you to combine digital and oil painting techniques?

Donald: I use a graphic design process and then paint over digital prints to essentially paint two different images simultaneously. There’s the mountain; and the pattern. This composite image has a complexity of line and color usually found within a digital image, yet here is hand-painted.

If we separate digital and handmade media into two separate categories, I want to take something unique to digital media and drag it into a handmade image. There’s something interesting about the awkwardness of that contradiction.

Donald Cameron "Sanctuary" 2024, 119.5 × 88.5 cm, Oil and ink on linen

- How do you perceive the difference between digital and analog? Given the transformation from analog to digital, how do you interpret this shift, and how does it reflect in your creative process?

Donald: The shift from digital to analogue was simultaneously transformative and barely understood. Screens projecting light have a magnetic, eye-catching power that analogue images in reflected light could never possess.

Also the infinite replicability of digital media, and ubiquitousness of screen technology, make it possible to see tens of thousands of individual images daily, whereas 40 years ago that would be less than one hundred. The effect of such a shift is hard to overstate and yet rarely discussed.

As someone working in an analogue media like oil painting therefore, the question of “why painting”? is always present, and working on prints brings an immediacy, ephemerality, and relevancy to traditional hand-made media.

DONALD CAMERON: ACIDSKYPIXEL, Whitestone Ginza New Gallery

- Your works feature fantastical patterns, reminiscent of scattered reflections of light crystals. What significance do these patterns hold for you in your painting?

Donald: The pattern is an opportunity to bring complexity to the image. If an artist tried to start in the corner and simultaneously paint out a mountain and four transparent patterns, he or she would quickly bump into the limits of the human brain’s processing capacity. But with a graphics processor all things are possible. Therefore that complexity implies the involvement of a digital process.

Donald Cameron "Aspect" 2024, 56.0 × 83.6 cm, Oil and ink on linen

- What motivated you to become an artist, or what was the initial trigger for your artistic career?

Donald: I’ve been very sensitive to two-dimensional stimulus since an early age. Additionally I’m very sensitive to color and frequently have feelings of synesthesia. Color for me is a feeling similar to taste or Ph or temperature, while also technically being a quantifiable combination of hue saturation and brightness.

DONALD CAMERON: ACIDSKYPIXEL, Whitestone Ginza New Gallery

When we observe something—whether it’s a mountain, a person, or a house—we can only perceive it through the lens of our own reactions. We can never fully view things objectively; each of us sees a unique version of the world. And often, we remain unaware of this reality.

Donald Cameron’s work is a vivid reflection of this interplay between perception and reality. In the contemporary art scene, where analog and digital merge, his acute sensitivity to two-dimensional visual information and his synesthetic approach to color are powerfully expressed. Through Cameron's work, one can experience the nuances of color, taste, and temperature that he perceives.

DONALD CAMERON: ACIDSKYPIXEL

"Donald Cameron: ACIDSKYPIXEL" ran from August 2 to August 31, 2024, at Whitestone Gallery Ginza New. His works are accessible for viewing and purchase online, providing an ongoing opportunity to explore this unique exhibition. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore this unique exhibition.