The Voulez-Vous Project: "Drawing is the original form of written communication."

Welcome to Mamamia’s art endeavour, the Voulez-Vous Project. Every week we celebrate emerging artists, designers, illustrators, creators and women who knit using their vaginas. (Kidding. Maybe.)

Our aim: to help the internet become a slightly more beautiful, captivating, or thought-provoking place by making art accessible. To find out more about the Voulez-Vous project, click here. Click here to see all the previous Voulez-Vous posts.

From building plans to construction projects, night classes and days spent drawing, Cameron Eaton’s story of his artistic venture is incredibly inspiring. He was also drawing as a child, always creating something new and different. But now, as an adult, he is known for creating outstanding pieces of 3D art.

“Beyond aesthetics, drawing has enormous potential in enhancing our understanding of the world we live in,” he told Mamamia.

“It’s the original form of written communication. From a drawing we understand not only the WHAT, but also the HOW and WHEN, maybe even the WHY. Reorienting my focus to art is in many ways a re-engagement with childish aspirations and a desire to explore my own understanding of how things work and what they mean.”

The artist spent 20 years working as a structural designer in the construction industry, he enrolled in art school and re-visited his old passions. Now, he is preparing for a solo art exhibition at the Caboolture Regional Art Gallery in February next year, and has won the Santos Acquistive Sculpture Award.

He’s the first to admit he coasted through high school and found himself in a job that wasn’t challenging. He realised his potential and the success has grown from there.

When it comes to art, everything starts with an idea. 

Artwork by Cameron Eaton. 

“Some ideas are best served with a drawing or a painting. Or sometimes it’s a technique or skill I want to practice that dictates the outcome. While I’m very focused on sculpture right now, I’m still thinking about ideas for drawings and paintings that may or may not happen.”

Cameron credits many things as his reasons to keep creating beautiful pieces, like habit and a sense of excitement, but his take home message is this: “There is real satisfaction in persistence and there is genuine pleasure in process.”

When it comes to inspiration, it’s the strong emotions like sadness that kick him into gear.

“Different things at different times and unfortunately all too often it’s something I’m upset about. Perhaps it’s achieving middle age that leads to more probing existential ponderings but I find myself focused on the question of WHY a lot more these days. I think WHY is a fundamental aspect of artistic practice. To look at something in a new way, to re-examine old ideas and reassess, to look at your feelings, ask yourself why you feel them and figure out how you can articulate them in a way that fits your skills, talents and desires. I suppose that’s my definition of what ART is.”

Click through the gallery below for more examples of Cameron’s work. 

To find out more about Cameron, you can go to his website by clicking here, his blog here, his Facebook here and his Flickr here.

Do you know an artist (or are YOU an artist) who creates beautiful or thought-provoking work and whom you think should be featured on Mamamia’s Voulez-Vous Project? Send an email to info@mamamia.com.au.