SVETLANA CAMERON (b. 1978) ARCALM, SGFA is a Russian-born British portrait artist dedicated to the revival of traditional fine art. Trained in the methods of Old Masters, Cameron works in the style of classical realism, and is best known for her oil portraits of dignitaries in ceremonial wear and delicate lifelike portraits of children in pastel. She holds the title of “ARC Associate Living Master” and has been included in the list of Top 40 living international Masters of Pastel by the French publisher “Pratique des Arts”. She is an elected member of the British national Society of Graphic Fine Art and the National Pastel Society of Russia. Svetlana Cameron is based in the south-east of England where she works out of her professional art studio near Hastings. A sought-after portrait painter, she travels internationally to exhibit and meet her sitters.
Svetlana Cameron is best known for her award winning “three-colour” pastel technique, which has received critical acclaim in art competitions in the UK, USA, France and Russia. Inspired by the coloured chalk drawings of the Renaissance period, Cameron uses the French drawing medium Conte-a-Paris in only three colours to paint the flesh tones: black, red and white. Mixed and blended on toned paper, the limited palette produces a wide range of delicate semi-translucent lifelike skin tones, particularly suited for portraying children.
Svetlana paints in oils in the traditional Flemish technique. She begins her works with a grisaille under-painting, followed by layers of opaque over-painting and rich transparent colour glazes. Rarely practised today due to its complexity and time consuming nature, this traditional multi-layered approach allows the artist to create luminous colours and fine detail which are not possible to achieve by using modern direct painting methods.
Svetlana’s works hang in many private and public collections, which include the UK Royal Regiment of Artillery, Parliament of the Isle of Man (Tynwald), Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 14th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
