Steve Camps (b.1957) - Oil on board
“Hide and Seek”
A characteristically playful Cornish coastal painting by Steve Camps, depicting two whales and a small fishing boat within a harbour enclosed by substantial grey piers. Above the water, a row of brightly coloured caravans occupies the narrow strip of land beneath a broad, dark headland. The title, Hide and Seek, adds a gently humorous narrative, suggesting that the whales are moving unseen beneath the everyday activity of the harbour.
The composition combines flattened perspective, simplified architectural forms and strong areas of blue, green and grey. Small details, including the coloured caravan doors, the boat’s wheelhouse and the patterned markings on the whales, give the painting much of its individual charm. The larger whale dominates the enclosed water while the second appears to slip behind the harbour wall, creating the visual game implied by the title.
Hide and Seek belongs firmly within the most recognisable part of Camps’s work. Its whales, fishing boat, harbour walls and brightly coloured caravans bring together the maritime imagery and playful narrative for which he is best known. The substantial format and unusually detailed setting make it a particularly complete example of his contemporary Cornish coastal paintings.
About the Artist
Steve Camps was born in Cornwall in 1957 and worked as a builder for most of his life. A longstanding collector and dealer in antique pictures and frames, he began painting after retiring in February 2023. Entirely self-taught, Camps quickly developed a distinctive naïve style centred on whales, boats and imagined Cornish coastal scenes.
Represented by Sailors Jail Gallery in Falmouth, his paintings have developed a strong following and earned him the affectionate title “The Prince of Whales”. His work is recognised for its bold simplicity, dry humour and highly individual maritime imagery.
Key Details
Artist: Steve Camps (Cornish, b.1957)
Title: “Hide and Seek”
Date: 2026
Medium: Oil on board
Support: Board
Signature: Signed lower right, inscribed and dated 2026 verso
Artwork: 46 × 51.5 cm (18.1 × 20.3 in)
Frame: 60 × 65 cm (23.6 × 25.6 in)
Frame: Presented in a broad natural wood frame
Provenance & Notes
Signed lower right, with title and date inscribed verso.
