Peter Cameron: Artistic Convictions

Peter Cameron’s art career began in the most unlikely of places: prison. Despite having no professional training in the arts, and beginning his artistic journey later on in life, Cameron found that his newfound love helped him escape the relentless and monotonous routine of incarceration. For Cameron, art became more than a pastime. It offered him a kind of freedom that stayed with him long after he served his sentence.

'Last Slop Out', painting by Peter Cameron depicting prison life
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Last Slop Out by Peter Cameron
With Permission from Alison Brisby

Finding Recognition through Koestler Arts

While in prison, Cameron submitted work to the Koestler Awards which each year give more more than 3,500 people in custody the opportunity share their creative talents. Peter Cameron went on to win several prizes and became a prolific artist during his time in prison. Sarah Matheve from Koestler Arts has said that although he had no formal artistic training, he “carved out his own artistic career” and became well-known in Liverpool’s art community. That independence shaped his distinctive style, combining humour, caricature, and observation, first of prison life and later of the communities around his Liverpool studio. This success marked the beginning of his long association with Koestler Arts, a relationship that continued after his release.

Koestler’s mission is to inspire participation in the arts by people in the prison system and beyond. It aims to help people in and after prison build confidence, find purpose and establish creative opportunities. Cameron’s story is a powerful example of what that support can mean: his paintings, first made in confinement, went on to find audiences in galleries and collections beyond the confinement of prison.

Close up of Peter Cameron's hands whilst drawing
Peter Cameron captured by Stuart Bentley
With Permission from Alison Brisby

Art and Parkinson’s

In 2003, Cameron was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Rather than ending his art career, the condition influenced it. He explored themes of energy and movement, producing paintings that responded directly to the changes and challenges of his body. His recent artwork is both a response and a defiance of his progressing condition. Today, Cameron continues to produce new pieces of art and refuses to let his diagnosis limit his ability to create.

Peter Cameron: Artistic Convictions coming in September

Exhibition and Book Launch

On 20 September 2025, the Koestler Arts Centre in London will host an exhibition dedicated to Peter Cameron’s paintings, as part of the Open House Festival. It will be the first time his work is presented in this space, beside HMP Wormwood Scrubs, itself built to celebrate art from those in custody. Find more information and how to book tickets here:

Alongside the exhibition, Peter Cameron: Artistic Convictions by David Wootton, will be released in September. The book explores his prison years, his development as an artist, his response to Parkinson’s and his role in Liverpool’s art scene. This richly illustrated book provides is a testament to his resilience and creativity. It is now available to pre-order at Script Books:
Peter Cameron | Script Books

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