My paintings are an exploration of memory. They offer ‘glimpsed’ or half-remembered figures and faces; re-imagined people standing on the edge of living memory, recovered from a personal archive of the forgotten.
My ideas come from material that accidentally comes to hand, an old photograph, for example, might chime or resonate. I then embark on a quest to unlock the essence of the image in a way that is somehow extra-visual. This journey of development and discovery can take anything from five days, to five years, until a kind of alchemy takes place and things seem to harmonise of their own accord in a way that can be very rewarding.
I like to paint in an expressionistic way using rags and sponges because the physical marks and textures are a fundamental element of what I am trying to achieve.
The challenge for me, though, is to retain an economy of execution–an effortless effort.
After studying art at Hornsey College of Art and Middlesex University in London I worked initially as a record sleeve artist–but for the last 25 years I’ve focused entirely on painting, developing a way of working that continues to evolve.
- David Storey
If you are interested in any of the reserved paintings, it is worth contacting the gallery as there is a chance that they may become available.
