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BIO

How I got here
&
What inspires me
SPECIALISM

Oil paint

Drawing with ink

Charcoal

David Whitbread-Roberts was born in Cornwall and studied for a degree in Fine Art Painting at Winchester School of Art, thence a P.G.C.E.(AD), before returning to Cornwall to teach. After thirty four years of teaching and lecturing,18 months ago he made the decision to take early retirement and to focus solely on his love of painting. David has been a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists for several years and exhibited regularly with this group. He works from his studio at home and is inspired by the natural elements of his native Cornwall. David enjoys working directly from source in order to capture the essence of his surroundings. Current paintings during lockdown have been based around his immediate location, sea, lake and landscapes. Many hours are spent walking and capturing the transient interplay of shapes and colours that are constantly changing as a consequence of weather patterns.

Cornwall is a constant source of inspiration for my work with its rugged landscape, changing light and weather effects. Much of my work depicts the lakes peripheral elements, such as the trees, with glimpses of the it’s edges the Cornish hedges and fields, which also border it. I like to work in a spontaneous and expressive manner, employing lots of mark making and flecks of colour to create texture, light & atmosphere. A recurring theme is the play of light upon water, reflecting elements such as sky, clouds and fragments of landscape. I work directly from the landscape - 'en plein air' recording imagery through sketchbook journals, large scale charcoal studies on fabriano paper and on oil sketches and then continuing on the work back in the studio. I work mainly with oils, however, some of my work begins as monotypes, which are then rapidly worked over with paint and inks on panel and canvas. Paintings are formed using a variety of tools, brushes, palette knives, rags and fingers to create rich textural surfaces through impasto, layering and glazes.

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