We were delighted to have David join us for a week during his solo exhibition, Interludes, last month. On Saturday, 13th September, we hosted a sold-out artist talk with him in the gallery, where he shared what inspired the exhibition and gave us an insight into his creative process. For those that couldn't make it, you can read the transcript of the conversation below.
Introduction
Thank you everyone for coming in today and thank you to David for being here in Edinburgh all week, since the exhibition opened on Saturday.
We've been working with David for over six years now. David joined the gallery in 2019 as part of our Winter Exhibition. He then joined us in 2020 for a group show with Elfyn Lewis and Anna Somerville, called Viewpoints. David’s first solo show, with the gallery was held in 2023, titled Unchartered, based on a residency he undertook in Newfoundland the previous year.
This exhibition, Interludes, is his second show. David, could you give us a bit of the inspiration and thoughts behind this exhibition?
David: Interludes came about really because I spend a lot of time walking in the landscape. Many of you know my inspiration comes from the Cornish landscape. Most of my ideas start when I’m walking, taking it all in. Sometimes I sketch, but most of the time I just wander, letting the landscape flood through me.
I came across a wonderful quote by the American Canadian writer Sob Bello: “Intrusions of Beauty.” That really resonated with me. That’s what life’s all about—those moments of beauty that suddenly appear. When I’m out in the landscape, I’m constantly flooded with these intrusions of beauty.
I try to record them as best I can—photographing these moments, pausing, stopping, and really looking. I try to document them in some way, interrogate them, understand them. That’s why I called this show Interludes: it’s about those pauses in the landscape, moments where I stop and reflect, trying to understand what the beauty means to me. It fills me with joy, hope, and a sense of freedom. That’s what I want to bring out in these paintings. Those small pauses—the intrusions of beauty—transported me through all the works you see here.
Full artist talk transcript available to view here
