Steve Camps

Steve Camps was born in Cornwall in 1957, and worked as a builder for most of his life. Although always having had a passion for collecting vintage artwork and frames, it wasn’t until his retirement in February 2023 that he decided to turn his own hand to painting.

​Steve began to experiment with imagery of whales, creating an array of entrancing scenes. With their beautiful muted colours, each one carefully framed from his own collection, the result is a magical combination of traditional style and unmistakable character.

​Says Steve: “I always liked collecting old items from fairs and car boots, and was especially drawn to paintings. After a while I started to collect art; buying in auctions and wherever I could find it. I ​think my first whale painting was just after I retired from building, and on holiday I bought two 1950s watercolours from a charity shop in Carmarthen, Wales. They were of whaling ships, which I thought was an unusual subject. I decided to paint a whale, put it into an old frame and sold it online for a few quid. So I started to paint more and do the same. I was so surprised when a few months later the first gallery contacted me to exhibit them, but I think it’s great that so many people like my paintings.”

Since the beginning of 2024, Steve’s story has gone viral and his naïve-style paintings have gained a cult following, with celebrities and art dealers clamouring to get hold of them. With values increasing by more than ten times in the space of a few months, he is now regarded as one of the leading outsider artists in Cornwall today. 

​Although Steve paints a range of subjects, it is his most common theme which has earned him the title “The Prince of Whales”. We are delighted to be able to introduce Steve’s art to an even wider audience in the Cotswolds.