Eric Cameron, Gerhard Richter & me

Eric Cameron Another Brushstroke 1990-1999; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2015

Another Brushstroke 1990-1999; acrylic gesso and acrylic on a single brushstroke of black acrylic paint (3704 half coats) from Eric Cameron's Thick paintings series.

Eric Cameron, Canadian, b. Leicester 1935, taught at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design from 1976 to 1987 and it was during this time that he began his Thick paintings. This blog is named after his practice. Image of Brushstroke, Another Brushstroke's sister. Another Brushstroke was difficult to photograph. Its shape is that of a flying saucer.

Eric Cameron Another Brushstroke 1990-1999; Photo © Karen Thiessen, 2015

Recently I came across an article about Gerhard Richter called "The Halifax Connection" (source: Canadian Art, Cathy Busby & Garry Neill Kennedy, Spring 2012, p. 136). Naturally, I was curious since I lived in Halifax while I attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. What caught my eye was a mention of a daily drawing practice that Richter began while teaching a summer term in 1978. Walther König states that "it was in Halifax that Richter began his ongoing practice of making one drawing a day."

To connect the dots, Richter and Cameron were both at NSCAD in 1978. Richter began a daily drawing practice during the summer of 1978. Cameron began his Thick paintings (a daily practice) in late April/early May of 1979. Textile Museum of Canada curatorial director Sarah Quinton graduated from NSCAD in 1982 and taught the day in and day out practice to my textile investigations class on August 30, 1993. It is possible that Richter influenced Cameron. Quinton definitely was impressed with Cameron's daily practice enough to share it with her students. Since 1993 I have maintained an almost continuous daily practice. In 2008 I started formally documenting the practice. I am curious to know who, if anyone, influenced Richter to begin a daily drawing practice.


To learn more about Eric Cameron, I highly recommend Cover and Uncover: Eric Cameron.