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Copyright of interview belongs to Ovenden
Contemporary (Art Promotions) Limited. Any
un-authorised use is strictly prohibited. All
rights are reserved.
(c) 2006 Ovenden Contemporary (Art Promotions)
Limited
David Boardman BA (Hons) Interview
OC: Hi David. Your paintings have a fantastic
'kinetic' quality to them. Tell us about
that...
DB: Well, the thread that binds all of my work is the study of movement.. When I was enroled on my foundation course at Newcastle college, we did a project on that theme and I was introduced to Duchamp's "Nude Descending a Staircase", which just fascinated me... it was kind of like a eureka moment!
OC: Sounds exciting...
DB: It just seemed to make perfect sense, and, I thought, an endless field for study. When I delved more deeply into it, I discovered the work of the futurist painters, such as Severini, and was very influenced by their use of colour and shape which created a sense of kinetic energy on the canvas. I wanted to see if I could capture that movement... which is essentially intangible... in a 2 dimensional image. I also wanted to use the most expressive forms of actions, such as sport and dancing, which I felt would make arresting subjects, and also allow the viewer, an emotional reaction.
DB: Well, the thread that binds all of my work is the study of movement.. When I was enroled on my foundation course at Newcastle college, we did a project on that theme and I was introduced to Duchamp's "Nude Descending a Staircase", which just fascinated me... it was kind of like a eureka moment!
OC: Sounds exciting...
DB: It just seemed to make perfect sense, and, I thought, an endless field for study. When I delved more deeply into it, I discovered the work of the futurist painters, such as Severini, and was very influenced by their use of colour and shape which created a sense of kinetic energy on the canvas. I wanted to see if I could capture that movement... which is essentially intangible... in a 2 dimensional image. I also wanted to use the most expressive forms of actions, such as sport and dancing, which I felt would make arresting subjects, and also allow the viewer, an emotional reaction.
OC: Well your work is certainly arresting! You
have articulated that sense of movement very
successfully. In fact, your images sometimes
appear to jump off the canvas as you view them.
There is an added element of complexity to your
composition in the way that you use text within
the image? How did that come about?
DB: Well, I suppose it comes from my illustration and graphics background... I've always liked the use of text within an image and the layering affect it creates. It's a device I've used in several ways...in terms of the actual words used... they can sometimes allude to the subject matter, or provide a cryptic juxtoposition. I think it also adds extra interest for the viewer as they see my paintings as something to be "solved", and there is an attraction in discovering new things every time you look at a painting. I think they reward repeated viewing, and the text contributes an added depth.
OC: Does the complexity of your compositions come naturally to you, or is it something that you have to work hard to achieve? How do you 'build' these paintings?
DB: Well, there is a great deal of work that goes into the design of each painting...they are always carefully and meticulously worked out before I even think about putting brush to canvas! I would say, to achieve that rythmn and real sense of movement is quite a paintstaking process!!
OC: Where do you start?
DB: My starting point is quite often photography....I tend to begin with a series of "stop-action" photographs that depict a particular motion, such as a man running, a bird in flight etc. and these are then superimposed so that all the action is overlapping...I then start drawing into these, picking out shapes, contours that appeal to my sense of composition... I have also used images from television...which works quite well...although it is quite tricky transposing onto paper!
OC: Are there any further developments planned?
DB: Well, lately I've become more interested in the use of colour and introducing more texture into the work, which is invariably worked out on the canvas after the design is completed.
OC: Your use of colour is already bold and is an important element of your overall aesthetic. But what do you think increased texture will bring to your paintings?
DB: I guess I've just become more intrigued by the application of paint for it's own sake, aswell as the design process. I think my work will always have that graphic element...it's fairly deeply ingrained!! However, I think that introducing a slightly more "painterly" quality would only enhance the paintings and give them an added depth.
DB: Well, I suppose it comes from my illustration and graphics background... I've always liked the use of text within an image and the layering affect it creates. It's a device I've used in several ways...in terms of the actual words used... they can sometimes allude to the subject matter, or provide a cryptic juxtoposition. I think it also adds extra interest for the viewer as they see my paintings as something to be "solved", and there is an attraction in discovering new things every time you look at a painting. I think they reward repeated viewing, and the text contributes an added depth.
OC: Does the complexity of your compositions come naturally to you, or is it something that you have to work hard to achieve? How do you 'build' these paintings?
DB: Well, there is a great deal of work that goes into the design of each painting...they are always carefully and meticulously worked out before I even think about putting brush to canvas! I would say, to achieve that rythmn and real sense of movement is quite a paintstaking process!!
OC: Where do you start?
DB: My starting point is quite often photography....I tend to begin with a series of "stop-action" photographs that depict a particular motion, such as a man running, a bird in flight etc. and these are then superimposed so that all the action is overlapping...I then start drawing into these, picking out shapes, contours that appeal to my sense of composition... I have also used images from television...which works quite well...although it is quite tricky transposing onto paper!
OC: Are there any further developments planned?
DB: Well, lately I've become more interested in the use of colour and introducing more texture into the work, which is invariably worked out on the canvas after the design is completed.
OC: Your use of colour is already bold and is an important element of your overall aesthetic. But what do you think increased texture will bring to your paintings?
DB: I guess I've just become more intrigued by the application of paint for it's own sake, aswell as the design process. I think my work will always have that graphic element...it's fairly deeply ingrained!! However, I think that introducing a slightly more "painterly" quality would only enhance the paintings and give them an added depth.
