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Exhibitions

Peoplescapes - An exhibition by David Baillie

19 Sep – 26 Oct 2024

Quick summary

Price
Free
Venue
  • Arts Centre Washington

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Event description

“As far back as l can recall l’ve always produced artwork. On leaving school l went to work in heavy engineering, as a Turner on very large lathes. As time went on l wanted more from life and decided to go to Art College, gained a BA(Hons.)in Fine Art, which led to a PGCE, then a career as an Art Teacher in Comprehensives and the private sector. I continued painting throughout this period, then, on retirement began painting much more. My work also changed and became more precise.

Some of the concerns covered in my work include pollution, industrialisation, and how capitalism is affecting the planet and therefore us. All my current work includes figures or faces, something l avoided for many years but now see as crucial; mandatory even. My view is that Art must communicate an idea to the viewer, it must make you think, if it’s passive or just decorative, a ‘pretty picture’, l can’t see the point.

The way l work is best described as ‘stylised realism’, using strong colours and tone to produce robust paintings, and l work from memory, source material, life, imagination, – combining things with ideas in a way that has been described as ‘a sort of cut and paste eclecticism’. I work hard to produce my paintings, l don’t make it easy for myself with my method of working, but l enjoy the process, l love the painting bit best! A recent innovation is using coloured pencils, for a change, though l tend to produce work which is untypical of pencils, and rather like my paintings…”