First, let’s get this out of the way, his art qualifications amount to a good A level (high school diploma) and winning the art prize at Bolton Sixth Form College in 1979. Other than that David is self-taught and on a journey to master his art.

Aged 18 he left college and joined the police where he enjoyed a successful career for 30 years. During those years David’s art practice was confined to helping his children with occasional art projects and keeping a sketch pad in the pannier of his bike during annual cycling holidays. 

In 2009 David retired from the police and emigrated with his wife, Sue, to the Charente region of France, where they continue to live and where he now works as an artist. 

David started to sell his art in 2014, initially linocut prints through his Etsy shop Art from the bikeshed. In 2020 he tried soft pastel for the first time and immediately knew he had found his favoured medium. In contrast to the meditative, methodical, painstaking techniques of the linocut printmaker, pastel is immediate, dynamic, expressive and spontaneous, with no need for drying time or lengthy clean up.

Pastel is a world of texture, tone and luscious colour. David continues to work in linocut and examples of his prints can be seen in his Etsy shop, however, this website is focussed on his pastel art.

Still inspired by cycling, the landscapes he rides through and nature seen along the way David’s art practice has widened to reflect his interests, and this wider portfolio has led to the development of this website as a gallery, portfolio and place to visit. 

Pastelling falls between painting and drawing. Using broad strokes of pure pigment pastel onto textured paper is akin to painting on a canvas, whilst adding detail with smaller strokes (and sometimes pencil) is akin to drawing. The rich and varied range of colour, tone and value available to the pastellist combines beautifully to capture light and shade and add dynamism to a scene, and movement to a figure.

Pastel is a dry medium, used by artists since the Renaissance. Modern pastel papers comprise of an acid free backing coated with abrasives such as ground cork, marble dust or synthetic fibres. The quality is now such that soft pastel is fixed to the surface without the need for a fixative spray. Handmade, pure pigment pastels remain colourfast, vibrant and true. Pastel paintings should be framed behind glass, and for this reason paintings are sold unframed, unless the customer is able to collect. Care and framing advice is provided with each purchase.

See Terms of Purchase.