TALKING TECHNIQUES
How you put paint on doesn’t
matter – what matters is what
you’re trying to communicate
had three children, returning with his family to the
UK in the mid-1980s. It was during his time as an English
teacher that he resumed his relationship with art by
sketching on the train. “I hadn’t drawn for quite some time
so I picked up a simple notepad from a local station and
started drawing people on the train. It was a huge relief to
discover I hadn’t lost the ability. Then my wife and I used to
drive a couple of hours out of Tokyo to find old temples, and
I would paint en plein air – it was great to get back into it.”
David always has a sketchbook with him and attends
a life drawing group, so while he does use Photoshop to
develop ideas, his ability to use this is underpinned by his
experience of working from life. “Drawing is the framework,
the scaffolding for everything I do,” he says.
He has painted a lot of self-portraits over the years, not
least because he is the most readily available life model.
“You can try different angles and use multiple mirrors,”
he says. “It’s a great way of practising.” He has also read
widely on the technical side of making art and this has
helped him not only to create images that work, but also
to create images that last. “As a portrait painter you’ve got
to have a good eye, you’ve got to draw a lot and paint a lot
and work from life, but the other thing is that you’ve got tohavea soundtechnique:youhavetoknowhowtoputthe
painton.I reada lotabouthowtoapplypaintinlayers
becauseyou’vegottohavetheconfidencethattheportrait
is goingtobelookinggoodinhundredsofyears.If youput
paintonbadly,it’slikelygoingtocrackandfalloff.”
Forthisreason,heappliespaintinthreelayers:the
underpainting,inwhichthepaintis combinedwitha
solvent;a secondlayerofpaintstraightoutofthetube,
andthena thirdlayerinwhichthepaintis combinedwith
a paintingmediumthatcontainsoil.Thisclassic“fatover
lean”approachensureseachsubsequentlayeris more
flexiblethantheoneunderneathandpreventscracking.
Hiscommitmenttoqualityextendstoallofhis
materials:heusesthefinestdouble-primedlinen
canvaseshecanget,OldHollandpaintsandhog’shair
brushes.Whilehehasworkedinmultiplemediums,
includinggouache,heis especiallyfondofoils.“I like
workinginoilbecauseit won’tdryfora fewhours,soyou
havetimetomoveit around.It makesit veryflexible.”
Whilehisstyleis flexible,it’sclearfromlookingat
Summer’71, anearlyself-portraitinthebook,thatmany
ofthehallmarksofhisapproachwereinplaceearlyon.
“Thatpaintingwasdoneallina day,”hesays.“I painted
it inmybedroomandmymothertellsmeshecameback
tofindit finishedandwasquitetakenaback.I stilllike
paintingdirectlyoncanvasandfinishinga paintinginone
day,sointhatsensemystylehasn’tchanged,butinother
waysit haschangeda lot.I knowmoreabouthowtouse
paintandwhatdoesanddoesn’twork,somylaterwork
is probablya bitmoresophisticated.”LEFT Clut ter, oil on
linen, 61x61cmBELOW HRH The
Princess Royal,
Princess Anne,
oil on linen,
107x122cm