Crack

Themes in artwork provide reference points for viewers when trying to place work in some kind of context.

Dave Bain is a 25 year-old artist who has obvious diversity. With a portfolio that showcases a variety of methods, he isn’t tied down in any way. His work requires a considerable degree of thought. Thematically, he often uses positivity as a standpoint.
Dave explains: “I think it’s important that art should uplift the soul and be positive, and if it is dealing with dark themes, deal with it so you can at least see the other side.”

There are varying degrees of sunshine running through his work. For those who have an aversion to sunshine, these are not always that obvious. Instead of his work being overtly drenched in happiness, it subtly plays with the theme of positivity, but without ever being too much for the viewer to handle – as brilliantly typified in Dave’s pieces entitled Hopes and Fears.

Dave further explains: “I’ve been involved with an exhibition collective called Inky Goodness. Their second exhibition was Hopes and Fears. When they approached me with a brief for the exhibition, I had all sorts of different ideas and I started writing them down. I started getting to the point where I recognised it was Hopes and Fears in plural and there are lots of different hopes and fears. It turned into a visual brainstorm.

“A lot of them are relevant to my life, that’s inevitable. There are a lot of themes in there that are really important to me. I sat down with a couple of friends of mine and showed them my initial narrowing of topics and they were really good at spotting duplicates. It’s mostly me, with some thoughts from friends. Sometimes I look at it and spot things I had totally forgotten.”

The use of felt-tip pens give these pieces a child-like air, so the viewer is able to address the darker themes with consideration and from a standpoint that isn’t as morbid as the various facets of the piece might initially suggest.

The versatility of Dave’s art has meant he has been able to forge commercial success to run alongside his work, but without any kind of pre-conceived brief. This is something of which he is really proud and has helped define him as an artist.

“I’ve got great friends who have one very identifiable style of illustration and they stick with it. With me, I just love experimenting and trying out new things. I don’t want to tie myself down to any singular style.





“Most artists want to do their own thing, but I love all the work I do. I’ve always loved getting an idea or hearing an idea and finding a way of translating it, using the style I do. I’ve been very lucky that the jobs that have come through to me are jobs I’ve been extremely happy to do. They’ve obviously approached me because they’ve seen my work on the website. Some big clients can be picky, but essentially they are coming to you because you’ve got something unique.”

Dave’s willingness to translate the brief and make it work with equal gusto and application as his own work leaves him a great position: “Certainly as regards the more pencil, colour-orientated kids work, I have an agent who represents me in London and he particularly pushes that kind of stuff toward clients. That works really well for me because I’ve got someone fighting my cause. Some people I know have changed their name. That’s something I’ve decided not to do at the moment, because I’d be a fool to mess around with something that is commercially working. It’s fun to experiment with drawings and other methods I use, but these are the things I would be pushing into exhibitions as opposed to going against the brief.”

“I’ve just done a couple of very detailed hand drawn images for the Queensbury Hotel and Olive Tree restaurant in Bath. They’ve started using those images as their logos, which is fantastic.”

Having studied in Falmouth and moved to Bristol three-and-a-half years ago, David has found his home here. This is reinforced by the number of artistic endeavours he has on the go at any one time.

As well as being part of the Inky Goodness collective, Dave has taken part in live drawing sessions at Mr Wolfs called Drawing Recordings; curated live music at The Tobacco Factory and The Grain Barge and aligned himself with another art collective called Boys Who Draw.

Dave explains: “Boys Who Draw has only been going half a year and we are a response to another collective called Girls Who Draw. We know them well, so it’s not a rivalry. It’s more tongue in cheek and a good bit of fun. We are going to start a website and focus on picking up some clients for the collective to work as a whole. We’ve all got so many different styles and areas of expertise and I can’t wait to see how the collective is going to grow as a whole. The blog has had a great response.”

Mild-mannered and with a glowing appreciation for what he has around, Dave has a staggering portfolio. A number of outstanding works showcase his naturalistic illustration. These intricate hand-drawn pieces of art are beautifully crafted and experiment with shape and form, separating them from the traditional life drawings of animals.





“I’ve never wanted to go out and just trace an image”, Dave informs. “That’s the beauty of doing anything where you are working with a medium. You are effectively translating it, using your personal subconscious.

“I’ve always had a massive appreciation of anything natural, going for walks and for some peculiar reason, ages ago when I was a kid I used to go out with my brother and do some bird watching. That’s fed into it a bit. I just love that whole sense of freedom that birds have and the level of detail that you can put in or take away.”

One piece that shows another side to Dave’s character is titled Journey to Wonderland. As well as showing his ability to draw for any audience, it also illustrates the aforementioned theme of positivity in his work.

“A lot of people have said, and I think, this piece has got a lot of darkness in it. The whole idea is the characters are trying to get somewhere and they are battling to get through. Journeys can be really difficult sometimes, and this shows people just trying to get through.

“Everyone has their ups and downs and I’ve had my full share I’m sure. I definitely look at some pieces and they represent a certain period in my life, where maybe things were difficult. It often acts of a visual diary.”

Unbelievably amiable and honest about his work, Dave Bain represents a young and enthused Bristol artist, who has forged himself a career in a competitive industry at a relatively young age. His sheer enthusiasm for his work is infectious and potent. One can only hope he continues on the successful trajectory upon which he currently finds himself.






http://www.davebain.com


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