Vtape’s staff and board were sad to hear of the death of artist Eric Cameron at the age of 90, on January 29th, 2026, in Didsbury, Alberta. Eric was a conceptual artist, painter, video artist, teacher, and writer known for his generosity and mentorship of many generations of artists. Eric was born in England, where he earned a diploma in Art History from the Courtauld Institute in 1959. After relocating to Canada in 1969, he taught at the University of Guelph, where he was also one of the founders of Ed Video, a critical artist-run production centre. Cameron later taught at NSCAD, and then finished his teaching career at the University of Calgary. As a teacher, he was particularly influential on the development of video art in Canada.

Eric Cameron received a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts (2004), the Gershon Iskowitz Prize and the Victor Lynch-Staunton Award (1994). His long international career included a 2009 exhibition at the Canadian Cultural Center in Paris, and his works are in permanent collections that include the AGO, National Gallery of Canada, and Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. His best-known works are the extended conceptual painting series, the Process Paintings, the Thick Paintings, and the Drip Paintings.

Eric’s spouse Margaret survives him along with their three children, Gregory, Ede and Matilda.

Eric Cameron’s visual art is represented by Trépanier Baer Gallery, and his video works by Vtape. Trépanier Baer’s warm tribute to the artist quotes him as saying, “All the things I value most in art have happened for reasons I didn’t intend.” 

Image credit: Insertion (an excerpt), by Eric Cameron (1976)