About
David Bannister is a contemporary visual artist known for his captivating explorations of light, colour, and emotion. David’s work offers an interplay between realism and abstraction, inviting viewers to step into his world where reality and imagination converge. His inspiration is drawn from a multitude of sources – from the subtle energies of nature to the complex emotions that define human personality and essence.
With a body of work that spans various mediums including oil, acrylic, and mixed media, David continues to push the boundaries to his artistic expression. His portfolio displays a diverse range of subjects, from evocative portraits that seem to capture the essence of his subjects’ souls to sprawling landscapes that capture the fundamental elements of nature.
In the Making of
A brief look into some of the methods and processes in my painting using a recently completed work entitled Abundance.
Methods and Processes
I have moved from using solely acrylic paints and mediums to employing oil paints and cold wax to create a more enlivened and translucent finish to my work. I am working more often on primed board rather than canvas as it provides a firmer and more resilient surface. The early expressive acrylic brushed under painting is expanded upon using acrylic mediums and worked until a composition has been determined. I usually work on a few paintings at a time as the paintings need drying time before working on them further.
Even though a composition and subject have been determined, changes often occur as the painting proceeds. The painting is worked upon with neat oil paint mixed with cold wax and applied with a palette knife to create forms, impasto and to distress the surface. The process then is to leave to dry and pick up another painting to work on. Once dry, glazes of oil paint are brushed on, often wiped with a rag or tissue and sometimes scraped over with the palette knife. Areas of the acrylic under painting are often exposed and can add another dimension and dept to the painting.
There is an element of chance and randomness to this but I am led by experience to know when to paint over these chance occurrences or to leave them alone as they add to the final piece. I work from sketches and photographic reference, but this is over ceded by imagination and memory. The work is heavily influenced by emotion, mood and ideas that emerge during painting. Music and meditation also play a part and influence the direction of a painting and its title.
