David Cottingham

A London based artist, I studied at St Martin's School of Art in London with William Tucker, Phillip King RA and Sir Anthony Caro. I have exhibited in London, Chicago, New York and Rome. My work is also held in private collections and commissions. My art work ranges from landscape-influenced, abstract paintings to large figurative, dance inspired, works on canvas. The acrylic abstract paintings are inspired by landscapes, cities, spaces, memories and the emotional power of colour and light. They are created by dragging and dripping the paint, as well as using the brush and contain many overlaid glazed areas where planes, levels, horizons and depths are combined to create an intense colour experience. These paintings are also evocative abstractions of place and contain visual symbols of landscape, reinforcing the idea that no abstract is completely removed from the external world. Like the figure paintings, they are both rhythmical in form and improvisational in style. The large dance works are collaborations with professional dancers. These paintings are worked up in layers of observed movement, trying to express the essence of the dance and the dancer. Very little is obscured, so that the progress of the painter and the dancer can be observed. They are painted from life, using the inspiration and styles of individual contemporary and classical dancers .These abstracted and complex figure paintings aim to celebrate the body and express movement of the human figure in its purist form. I also produce limited edition lithographic prints and drawings in all media. I believe in the art of painting and drawing as a vehicle for a poetic and evocative expression of the world. I want to create an art of richness, spontaneity, sensuality, and style. My work is concerned with the two great themes of art, the human body and the landscape. It draws on many influences from nature to dance, photography, astronomy, and music. For me with their diversity, the abstract and figurative traditions still resonate and seek new paths in the 21st century. Kandinsky: "the psychological power of colour.......calls forth a vibration from the soul. Mark Rothko: "Art is an adventure into an unknown world".