Influenced by color field and abstract expressionism, with a nod to chiaroscuro-style modeling, David’s approach offers a unique take on figure painting he calls “Emotionalism.” He uses vibrant acrylic colors, blending from light to dark giving his work a three-dimensional feel. The color variances and gestures provide each painting with a sense of movement within the figures that flow throughout.
David continues to produce halting images that elicit a strong emotional response. While the images represent everyday people, they are figurative in nature, abstracted to varying degrees and tap into fundamental emotions and events, pulling the viewer inward to ask, “what does it mean to you?”
Each of the pieces are personal and are derived from a thought, feeling, or emotion that the artist wants the viewer to connect with. These emotions are spontaneous or pondered, and initially translated on scraps of paper or whatever is handy, later more formally sketched – and then explored through color on varying sizes. No matter the size, each piece is substantial in weight and depth.
“I paint, draw and write to get ideas out of my head … otherwise they rattle around up there and occupy the late hours. Not all of them are good ideas, and many of them are, in fact, terrible. But painting has always been my way of finishing a thought or placing meaning to an emotion and exploring. It’s a freeing process for me to develop an idea and see it through from inception to something that others can experience. The funny thing is, I think I have a way with words, but I have rarely been able to adequately communicate the swirling thoughts and feelings that fill up my headspace every night. Those are my emotions up there, they are my aspirations, my history, happiness and pain. I try to put it all out there … my desire, passion, dissention and given grace … my misgivings, doubts and overwhelming insecurity. Because that’s what helps me and maybe it can help you too.”