Interview
David Vincent Wheeler
Born in 1970, David is an English artist, who received his Master of Arts in Fine Art Painting at the University of Hull in 1998.
While his work continues to evolve, it is still firmly rooted within the European Realist Tradition of Painting, reflecting David’s personal vision in an open and imaginative way. Focusing his attention on both the urban and natural environment, while incorporating a passion for sculptural forms.
David’s work has been extensively showcased throughout the UK and other parts of Europe, while appearing in collections as far abroad as China. His work has also been published in Hyperrealism Magazine and The Artist Magazine, and he recently received the Highly Commended Award from the Royal Cambrian Academy, Wales.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“My name is David Vincent Wheeler, I am a Yorkshire based painter, born and raised in the north of England. From a very early age I have been interested in painting and drawing, in primary school I made detailed drawings of nature such as Harvest mice and birdlife. I also have the memory of creating bold imaginary worlds full of dinosaur creatures in poster paint on an easel set up in the corridor outside the classroom. This was a form of expression I excelled in, which fired my imagination as a child. I also had the encouragement of my father who was an excellent self taught artist – his skills as a draftsman in watercolor and oil painting taught me a great deal, which instilled in me the motivation and desire to constantly develop my own artwork through the skills of mastering the mediums.
In my early teens I gradually became aware of the history of art and the great artists who made their mark on it, mainly by collecting artbooks. I would soak up all the descriptive details of the artists’ lives and their works in print, ranging from the Italian Renaissance to European Realism and the French Impressionists. I also started to visit Leeds City Art Gallery which enabled me to study a great cross section of work from Old Masters to contemporary painting and sculpture. All these influences sparked a strong desire to follow my ambition to be an artist and create my own work, but I knew from an early age that I had to first master the techniques of the medium to be able to do this with any real conviction and worth, that was the life long passion I set myself to pursue.
After my school years my further educational background began by studying an Art Foundation course at Wakefield College which encouraged experimentation and self expression. I pursued an interest in oil painting and some printmaking techniques such as etching. After applying to St Martins School of Art to study a fine art degree and failing to gain a place, my tutors suggested applying for an illustration diploma at Cleveland College of Art & Design where I was accepted. I thrived in creating artwork for specific briefs such as book illustration , but I still had the ambition to be an artist producing my own work. This led to studying for a degree in illustration at Leeds Metropolitan University where I was able to concentrate on painting with the encouragement of several tutors who were painters. There I studied classicism in contemporary painting and produced my own work based around its theories and techniques. After completing my studies I continued to develop my practice.
I then found it necessary to further develop my knowledge and applied for a masters degree in painting at University College Scarborough. It was there that I studied contemporary realism painting. On finishing my studies in Scarborough, I moved back to Yorkshire and established a studio where I continue to produce my paintings.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“In my early work I focused on classical aesthetics, choosing subjects such as still life arrangements or figures in landscapes which would provide a contemporary interpretation of Greek myths. I feel it's important to express the humanity of the moment, so my work has always been very personal even though I reference many aspects from the history of art. At that stage I was very preoccupied with the idea of beauty and perfection – it’s a romantic form of expression, a part of who I am which prevails one way or another in all my work.
For me, one of the most important parts of being an artist in a particular medium is to keep pushing your own personal creative boundaries through experimentation. This can be through radical or very subtle changes in order to develop and prevent stagnation. I started to bring the idea of time and memory into my paintings through the backdrop of suburban settings with an underlying acknowledgement of the metaphysical, which hinted at a presence beyond physical reality.
While still retaining a classical sensibility in the creation of my work, more recently I have introduced my concerns for the environment in a series of ongoing Venice paintings. It is an issue I feel strongly about. I aim to incorporate many levels of meaning into my paintings, social commentary as well as how the many forms of reality can be expressed in visual terms. I want to go beyond a depiction of a single moment in time which I find very limiting at this stage in my development as a painter, so I am actively searching for a more complex, truer reality, which reflects both the internal and external human condition. I have also started to include sculptural forms in my compositions as a metaphor to express a particular mood or feeling. I want to create a timeless visual language which will maintain its relevance both now and in the future.”
Which current art world trends are you following?
“I have always been interested in representational art and its many forms of interpretation throughout art history by the individual, how it can be influenced by abstract elements in terms of paint application and what can be created through this experimental approach. I study all types of contemporary painting which l am aware of.
Although when it comes to extreme forms of realism painting which focus on portraying incredible amounts of detail by enlarging a subject beyond life size proportions, l find this a bit pointless and superficial as it leaves no room for the viewer's imagination. I prefer a less defined depiction of reality, one which retains the tension between the painted surface and the illusion of a reality it is trying to create. I find this approach much more interesting to pursue as a way of working, one that acknowledges the human touch with all its delicacy, eccentricity and vulnerability.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“My approach to making a painting is very methodical. I produce a series of studies which enables me to experiment with elements such as color and composition before committing myself to a more final work. These studies include pencil drawings to work out ideas for compositions. I will then make small color versions in oil or acrylic paint.
For my most recent series of Venice paintings, l have worked on large scale drawings in pencil and charcoal which l find useful, in order to explore ideas on a scale similar to the final painting. As a large scale work develops l sometimes change parts of the composition from the initial idea if l feel part of the painting will be improved along the way. I also prepare by researching images and taking photographs that will help me to define a particular subject. Having enough visual information is important in order to help me develop my personal vision in the finished work.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“l am always aiming for quality, clarity, variation and inventiveness of paint application on the picture surface. As any painter will know this can only be achieved through many years of experience and practice in a specific medium such as oils. This has largely stemmed from a fascination and study of paintings in public collections, working out how other painters from different periods of art history manipulated paint to render an aspect of reality. With social media these physical qualities of a painting are lost on a screen, so l find it vital to interact with other paintings as they were meant to be viewed in a gallery space.
So l have learnt a great deal in terms of oil painting techniques such as working from dark to light, fat over lean paint applications and creating a rich sense of depth through the glazing of colors. l always transfer main compositional elements of the painting using a tracing of the initial drawn image which is outlined onto the prepared canvas using a layer of charcoal. l then apply fixative to make the outlines permanent and allow paint layers to be added without any contamination taking place. A light tonal range of the subject is then applied using a thin application of acrylic paint. Once this has dried l can then build up the painting using oil paint, gradually adding detail in light areas over dark underpainting, a process which takes a number of months to complete depending on the drying times of the painting and the complexity of the subject. I use a limited palette of colors which centers around a warm tonal range in order to create harmony throughout the painting. In my recent work I am experimenting with varying degrees of dioxazine mauve pigment in shadow areas to intensify the feeling and atmosphere of the scene.”
What does your art mean to you?
“My art has many meanings for me. It is a constant companion, a form of meditation and an outlet for expressing my emotions and feelings about the world. It is also a way of challenging myself both intellectually and creatively, each painting being a reflection of a stage in my journey through life as each one draws on the experience of a particular period in time.
It is also about exercising knowledge and trying to understand both internal and external reality so l can communicate this in a unique visual way.”
“Art and painting in particular is one of the most individualist forms of expression which gives us an idea of what it is like to be human. Artists have an important place in society, they are primarily observers who are able to filter the reality they experience into articulate visual statements that have the potential to raise awareness and hopefully benefit everyone.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“I have a print on the wall in my studio of The Waterseller of Seville, 1620 by Velazquez. I think it is a deeply profound painting in which the painter presents us with two essential elements of life, light and water, to contemplate. It is both simple and complex in its composition, the figures arranged in such a way that our eye continually surveys the scene in a circular motion around the three faces, the foreshortened arm of the cloaked man and the beautifully rendered earthenware which almost seems to exist outside of the picture plain in our immediate space. There is great psychological intensity and mystery in this painting, both foreground figures stand lost in their own thoughts while between them the shadowy face of a third man obscured by his drinking vessel can be seen staring out at us from the background.
What I also admire is Velazquez’s phenomenal ability to manipulate paint which results in a merging of a reality with the painterly qualities of the oil pigment that has never been surpassed in terms of suggestive realism. Picasso, Dali and Bacon knew this and paid homage to the painter one way or another in their own paintings. The work also makes us think about the passage of time, old age in the form of a world weary man who hands over the thirst for life in a crystal clear glass of water to the boy who symbolizes the vitality of youth. It is truly one of the world’s greatest paintings.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“Some years ago l took an educational trip to New York, visiting public collections such as the Whitney Museum of American Art and looking around commercial galleries in the Chelsea and Soho districts with the intention of one day exhibiting my work there. What impressed me most about the city was the sheer vastness of the place and the grid system on which the streets are based. I spent a good deal of time using photography to document the areas I visited each day over a period of a week.
On my return to the UK, I set about working on a series of large-scale drawings in a metaphysical realist language using information from the photographs. This enabled me to plan a series of twelve large scale oil paintings based on the drawings. I worked on this theme for three years – towards the end of completing the paintings, the terrorist attack on the world trade center took place. Four of the paintings were variations based on the view looking across lower Manhattan from the top of the two towers which I visited one clear sunny morning, so these final paintings of the series were imbued with a very poignant atmosphere that documents a moment in history. After completing the project I held a one-man exhibition of the work entitled Exploration I – XII at Doncaster Museum & Art Gallery in South Yorkshire.”
Website: www.davidvincentwheelerrealistpaintings.com
Instagram: @dvwheelerrealistpainter
