David Paul Gleeson

Born in Manchester, David Paul Gleeson studied Visual Art at Aberystwyth University and Painting at Wolverhampton University. Since 1984 he has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows in London, elsewhere in the U.K., the U.S.A. and Johannesburg. He has won prizes in 24 exhibitions including ‘The Discerning Eye’ and ‘The Hunting Art Prize’. David was elected full member of the RBSA in 2006. In 2011 he was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition and was highly commended. He has works in many corporate collections and has been shown at The National Portrait Gallery and The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

Each of his carefully wrought images – portraits, interiors, still lifes – is informed by considered draughtsmanship and close attention to detail, colour and texture. More than an accurate record of the visual world they are imbued with an enduring quality, a stillness that transforms the everyday into moments of beauty and illumination. Each picture becomes its own world, as the artist’s contemplative vision suggests a realm of untold stories.

'Many of my paintings need time. Still moments wonderfully quiet. In my work I try to look again at the everyday. There is a bit of mystery, alchemy even, in the craft of painting. All my work conjures up a world that is barely glimpsed and often overlooked. The magic of the quotidian.'

'When painting, a moment of strange beauty appears on the surface after careful observation and meditation. A fleeting instant transformed, by colour and tone, into an intriguing image.'

‘Each of my paintings tells a story, but I prefer it to be a story that is not fully explained. I like the idea that the viewer can complete the story. As I paint I do a lot of putting in and taking out, so the narrative is constantly changing, which keeps me intrigued. I like that sense of mystery about a painting.’