David Gleeson RI British, b. 1956

David Gleeson is a representational painter and teacher, who creates carefully wrought portraits, interiors and still lifes. He was born in Manchester, studied at Aberystwyth University, 1975-8, and settled in Stafford, where he taught painting and drawing part-time.
 
He won prizes at Regeneration, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 1984; Mid Art Annual Open Competition, Dudley Art Gallery, 1988; Staffordshire Open, Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford, a series from 1993; The Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, 1997; and Three Counties Open, Keele University Gallery, and Grosvenor Museum, 3rd Open Art Competition, Chester, both 1999. Took part in many group shows, including RA Summer Exhibition, from 1986, Hunting Art Prizes, from 1988, and Singer & Friedlander/Sunday Times Watercolour Competition, from 1997.

 

"My still lifes frequently feature objects with personal or autobiographical meaning: things I collect, memories, moments. They are a contemporary take on the idea of still life, quiet meditations on the transience of time and celebrating the wonderful in the ordinary. I paint stories, life in a subtle dream disguised, which then astonishes. When painting, a moment of strange beauty appears on the surface after careful observation and meditation. A fleeting instant transformed, by colour and tone, into an intriguing image. Each of my paintings tells a story, but I prefer it to be a story that is not fully explained. I like the idea that the viewer can complete the story. As I paint I do a lot of putting in and taking out, so the narrative is constantly changing, which keeps me intrigued. I like that sense of mystery about a painting."