A young artist has seen his unique artwork put up in an exhibition at The Bradford Industrial Museum.

The 17-year-old creator, James Owen Thomas, uses scratchcards to construct his collages and he has numerous pieces on display in his ‘Much More Than Meets the Eye’ exhibition at the museum.

This adds to a growing list of exhibitions for James, with his work being put on display at the Durham Cathedral World Heritage Visitor’s Centre last year and he’s also set to see his work at the National Coal Mining Museum next.

The subject of James’s pieces ranges from wildlife and iconic buildings to landscapes and more abstract creations.

James’s journey began four years ago.

He said: “A discarded scratchcard floating in a puddle of water by the road caught my attention as the sunlight seemed to make its colours glisten.”

He kept hold of the “litter” and has since built up a collection after noticing how many scratchcards are left lying around.

In many pieces, you can see some of the recognisable symbols from the cards and James uses them in a way that is both innovative and pleasing to the eye. An example is the use of a ‘tree’ symbol to represent trees in the distance on his ‘Saltaire’ collage.

Once a project has been completed, an acrylic varnish is applied to protect the collage.

James said his favourite pieces were of two cathedrals – Durham and Ripon – which took around three months to complete. He said: “I will spend ages on it when I do it, then I’ll leave it for a bit.”

‘Ripon Cathedral’ saw James experiment with a new method of production with his own version of Pointillism where dots are traditionally painted to form a picture.

He said: “Instead of painting dots, I hole-punched thousands of circular pieces from scratch cards to create the collage. I am pleased with the result, but it took hours and hours of work!”

Each collage requires meticulous attention-to-detail with James only being able to select colours available from the cards, but this has led to an exhibition and selection of art that is filled with vibrancy.

Many of James’s pieces begin as photographs he has taken himself, which is another artform he is interested in. This can be seen in his ‘Puffin’ collage.

To say James’s art is varied would be an understatement – alongside his scratchcard collages are some equally innovative creations, such as one canvas which incorporates parts of an old wooden train set as well as train tickets and photographs from as far afield as Edinburgh.

Another example that highlights James’s eye for originality is his ‘Woodland Walk’ piece of art which has moveable birds on a colourful backdrop.

James said: “The birds are not fixed just as they wouldn’t be in real life!”

Birds, animals and horticulture are some of the young artist’s greatest loves and he supplements his art by volunteering for the National Trust at Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks.

James also cites inspiration from the likes of Van Gogh, David Hockney and his grandfather, who was in the Royal Navy and has a piece named ‘At Sea’ dedicated to him.

The symbolism of his work is also something that has inspired James.

Talking about the scratchcards that form the core of his art, he said: “They represent lost hope and it’s gone in a minute – that initial hope is lost afterwards.”

He added: “I once saw a woman who was scratching a card and looked so desperate then angry after she hadn’t won and threw it on the floor. I went and got it a bit after. It inspires me that I’m turning rubbish into something positive.”

James’s mother, Jane Thomas, said about her son’s art: “It’s really good. James has learnt how to express himself. When he was young, really young, he was using pictures for communication.”

James was diagnosed with autism at three and a half years-old and couldn’t talk until he was five years old but through art and his own determination James is no longer silent. It isn’t something that defines him, as proved by the initiative, care and dedication James has given to each and every project.

Currently, James is saving the originals but does have prints and cards for sale and he even recently donated £100 from the sale of prints of ‘Seascape’ to a shelter.

The exhibition at The Bradford Industrial Museum runs until Sunday, July 1.