In My Nature: Sustainable Art and Autism
By (Author) James Owen Thomas
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Herbert Press Ltd
29th July 2025
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
Book and paper crafts
Self-sufficiency and green lifestyle
Autism and Aspergers Syndrome
745.54
Hardback
160
Width 189mm, Height 246mm
An exploration of colourful collages influenced by autism and the natural world by award-winning environmental artist James Owen Thomas. James creates bold, engaging collages and montages from old lottery scratchcards and other used materials. His autism has an influence throughout his creative process, from gathering materials to sorting them by colour, visual theme and texture before hole-punching, tearing or cutting them up for collaging it even affects the subjects he depicts. These are primarily peaceful, calming woodland settings and animals, but also branch out into architecture, portraiture and the surreal. This beautifully illustrated examination of his work shows how his art and love for nature have helped him cope with autism from an early age, going on to explain the inspiration behind many of his pieces and the various techniques he uses. An emotive biographical section describes the many challenges of his autism and how he has worked through them and with them to become a successful artist and environmental campaigner. James heart-warming success story and beautiful art will chime with anybody seeking to understand more about autism, and also serves as inspiration for budding collage artists and environmentalists.
James Owen Thomas was born in Eastbourne in 2001. After being diagnosed with autism aged 4, he used art and nature as a medium of expression. He later developed a particular interest for art highlighting environmental issues such as single use products and, in his practice, encourages and inspires people to recycle and look forward to a more environmentally friendly future. James has been made an Ambassador for the Tree Council and UK Ambassador for the COP26.