Dales artist nicknamed 'Litter Pickasso' by Daily Mirror is to have life story told in major book

James Owen Thomas, who was interviewed this week by BBC Look North about his latest artwork, first came to fame as a teenager by transforming unwanted and discarded materials such as lottery scratch cards, tickets and single use plastic packaging into expressive, creative works that highlight the issues faced by our environment.

Since then he has promoted environmental awareness around the country, including the COP 26 meeting in Glasgow, and is currently the Force for Nature ambassador for the Tree Council.

James, who is in his early 20s, said: "I seem to have become known in the national press as the “Litter Pickasso”, after an article about me went in the Daily Mirror.

"When I’m given a bag full of out-of-date tickets or claimed scratch cards saved for me by local shops, I try to create a work of art from what would otherwise have been thrown away.

"I enjoy creating order out of disorder."

Among everything else he has on the go, James is also supporting National Highways anti-litter campaign.

He was asked to create an artwork which included hedgehogs to highlight the dangers to small animals when people throw litter from their cars.

The resultant collage has been unveiled at the NEC and a donation is being made for the new artwork by a sponsor of National Highways, Octavius Infrastructure to a charity of James’s choice, Prickly Pigs Hedgehog Rescue in Otley.

Next up in James’s busy calendar is a book about his life, his autism and his art which has been commissioned by Bloomsbury.

Called In My Nature, it is scheduled to be published in February 2025.

"It’s all very exciting,” said James.

"If what I do in any way inspires people to re-use and recycle, then, hopefully, we can look forward to a more environmentally-friendly future.”

James is currently holding a series of workshops at his gallery space upstairs at Mackenzies Farm Shop & Café near Blubberhouses

More information at: https://www.jamesowenthomas.com/about/