Six Foot Gallery is delighted to present its annual Summer Show, featuring thirty-four artists working in a diverse range of mediums and disciplines.

Influenced by artists such as Edward Dugmore, Otakar Kubín, and Emil Nolde, David’s work reflects a harmonious blend of expressive abstraction and organic forms. His paintings evoke a sense of immediacy, drawing viewers in with bold visual impact, yet upon closer examination, subtle layers and intricate details emerge, inviting contemplation and discovery.

David’s musical influences – Brian Eno, Halftribe, and Ólafur Arnalds – inspired his compositions in his debut albums released in 2024, and in turn, his artworks influence his new musical compositions. Each combined piece invites viewers to audio-visually explore their senses, revealing hidden narratives and emotional resonance.

Hi David! How did your artistic journey start?
I consider myself a late starter, and a self-taught artist. For many years, I juggled a busy work and family life, dedicating any spare time to creating artworks with oil pastels on canvas boards. I learned various techniques from books and videos. Initially, many of my pieces were what I would call ‘hobby’ artworks and weren’t particularly good. However, as I learned from my mistakes, I began to develop a more appealing style.

Two significant events transformed my journey from a hobbyist to a full-time artist:

The first was in 2019 when my work ‘Onward’ was selected for The Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition – Open Art. It won the Muirhead Fund Prize and was purchased by the RSA, and it is now part of their collection.

The second pivotal moment was in 2020 during the pandemic. Like many, I found myself reflecting on my work and life. By the end of 2020, I decided to make a career change and become a full-time artist.

Can you walk us through your creative process?
My creative process begins with always having a camera on hand, whether I’m in the city capturing shadows or in the countryside observing environmental conditions. For planned field visits, I bring a higher quality camera and a field microphone to capture both audio and visual notes for future reference. When reviewing my visual images, I set a crop ratio that matches the substrate I plan to work on, whether it’s paper or a wooden panel; I then crop sections of the image until I find something interesting to use as a reference. From these chosen images, I create a black and white version with around five values, which I use for marking in the initial layers.

Next, I select a limited colour palette, which I maintain across a batch of pieces. Most of my work is abstract, and I primarily use oil mixed with cold wax medium for the top layers. For the underlayers, I build up as follows:

Mark Making: Using charcoal, ink, or marker pens, often with slight references to the initial images. On wooden panels, I might add texture first using Venetian plaster and scrape markings into it.

Initial Layers: Applying acrylic paints, inks, and charcoal.

Once satisfied with the underlayers, I begin building up the next layers with oil mixed 50/50 with cold wax medium. I typically apply this mixture with a squeegee rather than a brush. The oil and cold wax medium dries faster than oil alone and allows for various techniques to remove layers, revealing earlier colours and markings. This mixture also provides a matte finish with real depth.

Typically, my works consist of at least four layers, but often have ten or more. The final piece usually looks quite different from the original reference material.

How do you overcome creative blocks?
To overcome creative blocks, I have developed a method that works well for me by working in batches across my creative streams. These streams include my artwork and my solo music composition, production, and release.

I typically dedicate a three-month window to creating artwork. During this period, I produce various pieces and take detailed field recording notes at the start of each project. Once this phase is complete, I use the artwork and accompanying field audio notes to influence my composition of ambient music intended to accompany each of my completed art pieces. This music creation process usually takes about two months.

After completing the music, I return to another three-month period focused on artwork. This cyclical approach allows me to take a healthy break from each creative stream, which helps build enthusiasm and generate new ideas for the next batch. This method effectively counters creative blocks and keeps my creative energy flowing.

What challenges did you experience during the creation of your work and how did you overcome them?
The two pieces I am exhibiting are my first attempts at using Venetian plaster on wooden panels as a textural base for my work. I had researched how other artists used this technique and was eager to experience the ultra-matte finish with lots of depth and markings.

The biggest challenge I faced was how quickly the underlayers of acrylic paint and ink dried on the plaster. The plaster absorbed these mediums instantly, which was particularly challenging given the large surface area of the panels I was working on.

To overcome this, I had to work much faster than I had anticipated and ensure I had a lot more paint available on the palette. Once the underlayers were complete, I could relax a bit more as the drying time for oil paints mixed with cold wax medium was more in line with what I was used to.

How do you know when a piece is complete?
Determining when a piece is complete is one of the most challenging aspects of creating art. The medium I use, oil and cold wax, is quite forgiving, allowing for subtle changes or even complete transformations through reduction techniques, scraping, and digging into layers.

What works best for me is taking photos at each stage of layering and seeking feedback from others as the piece progresses towards completion. I’ve learned that, in most cases, less is more when it comes to the colour palette. Additionally, the colours can change significantly as each layer sets, so it’s important to take time and revisit the piece after a few days or more before deciding it’s finished.

Determining when a piece is complete is one of the most challenging aspects of creating art. The medium I use, oil and cold wax, is quite forgiving, allowing for subtle changes or even complete transformations through reduction techniques, scraping, and digging into layers.

What works best for me is taking photos at each stage of layering and seeking feedback from others as the piece progresses towards completion. I’ve learned that, in most cases, less is more when it comes to the colour palette. Additionally, the colours can change significantly as each layer sets, so it’s important to take time and revisit the piece after a few days or more before deciding it’s finished.

Will your next project be a continuation of your current style or are you experimenting with something different? Can you share a glimpse of your next project?
I am currently working on several Venetian plaster on wood panel pieces, refining the techniques I’ve learned from each project. Therefore, my next project will be a continuation of the style displayed in the two pieces in this exhibition. I’m excited to further develop this approach and see where it takes me.

You can find out more about David and his work on his Instagram @davidburgessartist or his website. Our Summer Open Call runs at Six Foot Gallery until Friday 23rd August.