James Owen Thomas

I had the privilege of meeting renowned artist, James Owen Thomas a couple of months ago at his ‘From Waste to Wall’ Horticap exhibition. James’s work centres around the ‘environment and single use products as he turns things discarded by others into a medium for expression’. James mainly works with scratch cards, however he also occassinsaly works with other discarded materials such as old tickets, leaflets, product packaging and fabrics that can be recycled into commissioned art pieces. James’s environmental art is all made from recycled items, from the ‘canvases he buys second-hand to the materials he uses to collage onto the canvases. The sorting, tearing, cutting and hole-punching of scratch cards provides the colour palette with the aim to ‘inspire people to re-use and recycle, then hopefully we look forward to a more environmentally-friendly future.’ James is an ambassador for the Tree Council, London, where he was nominated as a One Step Greener ambassador; on 28th October 2021 James attended 10 Downing Street for a COP26 Cultural Showcase. In December 2021, James’s artwork sold for £20,000 at the Caudwell Children’s Butterfly Ball in London, raising money for services, support and funding for disabled children and their families. James’s Owen Thomas is both an inspirational artist and advocate, and it was such a privilege to meet him. 

‘I used to have special interests in collecting things and keeping them safe in scrapbooks as a visual way of learning. I liked having leaflets from places that I had visited, as well as train and bus tickets as a memory of travelling there. In fact, I was able to remember bus routes and bus numbers from an early age. I could even compare the engine sounds. I always liked travelling to places on public transport, and on my 9th birthday, I was treated to a tour of a bus depot. 

From the age of about 14, I noticed the number of scratch cards littering the streets in cities and towns. For something most people would consider rubbish, I decided to pick up the discarded scratch cards, clean them and keep them safe in plastic containers sorted by colours. It wasn’t long until I discovered how good they looked when torn and then put beck together in a mosaic-style to make different designs. I did not need to add paint to them in my artwork as they were already brightly coloured and I was attracted to them because of their vibrant patterns and shining colours. My autism gave me this gift, but I wouldn’t say that it has been an easy time for me since my diagnosis aged 3.5 years old. I had communication difficulties and the usual sensory overload problems that I understand affect so many with autism. I struggled to fit in at school and college but I always say that you have to be strong to be different, and the way I keep myself strong is through my art.’

You can view James Owen Thomas’s beautiful work on his website here: www.jamesowenthomas.com