David McDowell. Art and colours from the U.K.

Christina Smyth: What interests you about portraiture?

David McDowell: A portrait is merely a means for communicating the bigger picture. The notion of taking a private moment and making it public is particularly interesting to me.

The Gaze

What interests me about a portrait is the gaze of the figure. Are they staring straight out at the viewer in a confrontational manner? Are they looking in a direction off canvas as though searching for something beyond the view of the spectator? This intrigues the viewer and asks the question, ‘what is she staring at?’ The gaze sets the tone for the psychological aspect of the piece. By the model looking in a direction off canvas, it creates a cinematic atmosphere.

The Cinematic

I’m interested in the idea of paintings acting as still frames from films. The off centred positioning of the model is pertinent to achieving this. Elements emerging from the side of the painting (that aren’t noticeable at first glance) can bring an ominous characteristic to the portrait.

The physical application of paint.

I’m interested in the technique used whatever it may be. The surface of the canvas interests me just as much as the conceptual thinking behind the piece.

CS: What influenced you to become a portrait artist?

DM: I started off my career by looking at landscapes and the atmospherics. However, once I’d exhausted the possibilities of the formal concerns (physical application of the paint) it became just painting a ‘pretty picture’. I’m interested a lot by the conceptual concerns (ideas and thought process) of art and portraits provided me with a way of expressing these ideas.

CS: Do you prefer drawing from life with a person sitting in front of you than drawing from pictures?

DM: Life drawing is a fantastic way of developing your drawing skills and exercising the physical act of looking. The key is to observe. It is your eyes that draw; your hands are merely tools for mark making. I work exclusively from photographs when painting but purely as a reference. I think it is important not to let the photo control the outcome but allow your artist licence to manipulate the photo for the aesthetic purposes of the painting. Painting from life would defeat the purpose of capturing a moment in time which is partly the point of my work.

CS: Are there any artists who have inspired your work? If so, Why?

DM: Pierre Bonnard – The intimacy of the private moments he captures. The closely valued hues he uses to manipulate colour.

Edgar Degas – He was a fantastic draughtsman. The misogyny of Degas work. I reverse his animalistic portrayal of the female in my work.

Eric Fischl – The idea of taking a private moment and making a spectacle of it. How he makes the viewer feel uncomfortable about what they are looking at. Should I be looking? Is it ok to look? It’s a painting but its depicting intimacy that I’m not sure I should be a part of.

Damian Loeb – His cinematic approach. Creating a highly charged situation as though something is about to happen.

Edward Hopper – The vacant atmosphere. Colour, light, composition. Painting only the necessary elements.

CS: How did you get onto this career path?

DM: I was encouraged by an enthusiastic school art teacher, family and friends. I continued my studies to foundation level and then to degree level allowing me a chance to develop my technique and skills. Soon after my degree show, Canvas Galleries, Belfast took me on and I have been exhibiting ever since.

CS:What university did you go to? Did you enjoy it?

DM: I attended university of Ulster, Belfast, 2005 – 2008. University was a pertinent chapter in the development of my art. Lecturers tell you what they think of your work straight out and thats what I liked about it. Lets face it, if they lied to you and said you were great all the time, would you feel the need to improve?

CS: How did you decide this was the career for you?

DM: God brought me to it.

CS: Do you use your art as a form of emotional release?

DM: Perhaps on some subconscious level but generally I see art as a way of exploring ones self. I suppose in a way each piece contains a part of me.

CS: Do you base your drawings more on male or female? Why?

DM: My art is a direct response to the misogyny in Degas work. I reverse this misogyny in my work and explore the idea that women no longer look to the man for approval but are individual. Often now it is the man who seeks the approval of woman. This investigation is my reasoning for painting more females than males.

CS: What media do you particularly like using? Why?

DM: Oil paints. They maintain their colour once dried as oppose to acrylics which often dry a slightly different colour than you first applied. The transparency of oils and the depth of colour they allow. The fact that oils take days to dry which allows me to take a break knowing the canvas will still be wet when I get back.