Painter David Gough tells RAW that he loves art for the fact that "it's not the 9 to 5 slog to the grave. That it can transform [his] mood and surroundings with just the act of it. That it will speak for me long after [he is] gone." See these amazing works at the next San Diego showcase on Friday, July 30th at the Se Hotel!
Tell us about yourself .
I was brought up in Liverpool, England in the 70’s where I studied art and design at the same college John Lennon and Hitler had once attended; war and peace were my bedfellows. After a soul-less stint as a commercial artist for over a decade, I decided to follow my passion, and become a painter.
How did you first get started making art?
I lived next to a cemetery and my interests when I was a kid were horror and sci-fi comics. My ambition was to be some sort of comic illustrator. I had a short-lived career for some independent comics in the 90's, probably because I spent so much time and detail on each individual panel; that little five-inch square was probably too limiting for my vision.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
The ugliness of beauty, the beauty of ugliness.
From where do you draw inspiration for your work?
It can be vivid dreams or a sudden sense of inexplicable melancholy looking at something. It's about expressing an innate dark corner of the world.
What do you love most about what you do?
That it's not the 9 to 5 slog to the grave. That it can transform my mood and surroundings with just the act of it. That it will speak for me long after I am gone.
Do you engage in, or draw inspiration from, any other forms of art?
Inside me, there is a frustrated musician. So, I’d have to say that music is primarily a form that I draw the most inspiration from. There’s something about the descending melody line in F minor that can crush me.
From start to finish, explain your process; what does a typical art-making day look like for you?
It varies, but it’ll generally begin as a scratchy scrawl in my moleskine, and elevates to canvas fairly rapidly. Depending on the style I’m trying to for, there’ll be an explosion of open books as a yardstick to beat myself with, and if its evening, usually a glass of chilled wine to wet the whistle.
Medium of choice?
Oil on stretched canvas, duck, lightly primed with 2 to 3 coats.
What sort of techniques do you most like working with?
I’m a big advocate of Chiaroscuro; working dark to light-I could be describing my entire approach to life with that sentence.
Are there any artists or art movements, past or present, that strongly inform and influence your work?
I believe I was actually born fifty years too late, so the surrealist movement is my constant point of reference-Dali and Ernst, but also the Flemish artists, Bosch, Memling…Goya’s Black paintings humble me to the point of inertia.
Any previous exhibitions/collaborations that you are particularly proud of?
I recently had the honor of being selected as 2010 artist at the San Diego Art Institute, the highlight was when one of the faculty confided in me that the students had been congregating between study time, to quietly meditate on my work as if they were in a church.
Any accomplishments/goals you hope to achieve as an artist in the future?
A show in New York, maybe a cover feature in Juxtapoz, an exhibit at MOMA…fame, fortune and fossilization following in close succession.
Why showcase at RAW?
It’s a great chance to be a part of what seems to a singular outpost for the arts in San Diego, and what will hopefully become a rites of passage for the burgeoning fellowship of artists looking to showcase here.
Favorite thing to do outside of your craft?
Live life a lot, drink a little, travel far and be close to my wife.
Any current rising stars within the art arena that you would recommend we look out for?
Mark Jesinoski (although his art is diametrically opposite to what I do) as an abstract artist, there’s a wonderful figurative element to his process, which goes way beyond the usual arcane splatter for contemporaneous sake. He’s also a good bloke and a friend of mine.