Railway Inspired Prints from Original Drawings & Paintings
David was born in Northampton in 1950, in a back to back terraced house which was a stones throw away from the main railway line. His earliest memories include gas street lighting, the smell of coal fires and the distinctive sound of steam engines.
When he was about six years old, his family moved to the Spencer Estate. David loved the space, the park with trees and a stream, but best of all having other children of his own age to play with. It was during this time that David's love of the railway was cultivated. Many happy hours were to be spent both train spotting and in building model railways, traveling as far as Oxford and Banbury in search of the more elusive engines and numbers.
David left school at fifteen and worked for local engineering firm J.A. Perkins, railways began to take a backseat in his life at this time. At eighteen, David was working as a store man at lorry body builders Barham Bodies, he was also studying art at night school. During his time at Barham's, David became fascinated by an old gentleman who was the head sign writer, who in David's eyes produced the most fantastic large scale artwork on the sides of the lorries. Having spent many hours of his spare time learning the art of sign writing, David started out in a small way on his own.
To support his family during this time David initially trained as a guard on the railway, traveling daily to London. He eventually spent time as a both a Lookout and a Track Layer, giving him a very broad understanding of the railway during the end of the steam era and the major change to diesel power. It also gave David the opportunity to see the railway at very close quarter, with access to places not usually open the the general public. These experiences now form the basis many years later, of this series of artwork.
David has produced a stunning series of drawings and paintings using Indian ink as his chosen medium. They are representative of an era that has passed, but still holds vivid memories for many and has a real mystique and power created through classic black and white films and posters. These images offer an insight into this period of railway history from a very personal viewpoint, offering the viewer something more than just a picture.
At the end of November 2007, David was made a member of the prestigious Guild of Railway Artists. An honour bestowed only on artists who are judged to be the finest exponents of this genre of fine art.
(Examples of this artists work, click to enlarge.)
