David Abse
David Abse was born in December 1958. David studied art and design at the University of Wolverhampton in the early 1980s, and has subsequently exhibited his work throughout the UK (including the Francis Kyle Gallery in London, and the Bradford Biennale) and elsewhere in the world, including France, Japan and Poland. In 2009 David’s work was featured on BBC TV’s ‘The One Show’.
For 30 years David worked in the UK's charity sector. His achievements in that sector include 7 years as Chief Executive of Islington Voluntary Action Council, setting up and founding PEACe, London Voluntary Service Council’s HR project. Whilst working at LVSC David gained an MA in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management. David wrote several chapters of the well-known publication “Voluntary But Not Amateur”.
Five years ago David moved to France, and subsequently returned to full time painting, drawing and printmaking.
David lives now with his family (plus a dog and 2 cats) in a small house in the beautiful medieval village of Les Matelles in the Hérault, 10 miles north of Montpellier. David has his own atelier and is delivering services for artists - studio space, gallery space, giclée printing - as well as doing his own work, and selling work at galleries and markets.
Exhibitions:
1983: Tarmac Prize – Wolverhampton UK
1984: Ferens Art Gallery – Open - Hull UK
1984: Bradford Print Biennale - UK
1985: Kanagawa Print – Japan
1985: Leigh Gallery, Kings Cross, London (solo show)
1986: Open Print Exhibition, Krakow, Poland
2010: New Paintings: Matelles-Art Gallery, France
2011: March: Liquid Oxygen – Group Show, Icosahedron Gallery, New York, USA
2011: April: Le Printemps en Folie Le Soleil Bleu Galerie, Lodève, France
2011: May: Animals Art Nomade, Gignac, France
2011: May 21: Pic Saint Loup “Festa Trail”, St Mathieu, France
2011: June: Boom The Brick Lane Gallery, London, UK
2011: June/July: Animaux, Matelles-Art Gallery, France
2011: October: Parallax Art Fair. London, UK
Collections:
Francis Kyle Gallery, London (1984-1990)
Publications:
My work – illustrations, designs – have been published in the numerous publications
June/July 2011 edition of L’Artiste.
(See http://issuu.com/negsy/docs/ecopy_l_artiste?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed).
On line:
My work appears on numerous websites, including:
In June 2011 I was feature on London Art as their “artist of the month”
NB: All my work is viewable on my own website at www.davidabse.com
Artist’s Statement April 2012
I have always drawn, always painted, always produced images. My grandfather was a shop steward for years in the Pilkingtons' glassworks in St Helens, but after he retired he went to art school every day for 30 years. He died over 20 years ago, aged 99, still a communist, determined not to get a telegram from the queen. He was and is my inspiration.
My work is about lots of things. I paint enormous abstracts. I paint smaller pictures. I paint flowers, I paint people. I draw, animals, people. Places. Ideas. Keep making stuff, keep enjoying it. The act of creativity should be fun: but that doesn’t preclude it from being a struggle. Yes my work is full of contradictions, full of contrasts. Call me a colourist and I’ll tell you I am colour blind. Yes I can draw in tiny detail, but very rarely do so – there is no point. A painting of flowers might seem easier to explain than an abstract, but the process isn’t different, except for the limits it sets: an exercise to move paint around within defined boundaries. Abstraction allows you to break down these boundaries and to explore portraying ideas, emotions and concepts. Abstract painting can be damn HARD.
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