David Brian Smith (B. 1981)

From a farming background in Shropshire, David Brian Smith presents contemplative reflections on pastoral life in his landscape paintings, with an intriguing twist. His dreamlike works are rich with psychedelic colours: kaleidoscopic clouds float by in diamond skies, candy-coloured sheep graze in iridescent fields, and bowed, solitary figures stand amongst ethereal flora and fauna. Great Expectations – A Windy Day is influenced by a photograph of a shepherd tending to his flock found by the artist’s mother in a 1930s newspaper. Smith recalls his fondness for the motif, saying that ‘at first I was concerned about repeating the use of the shepherd, but there are so many possible variations of the image that I can explore. Each time I can reinvent the space, light and palette within the picture. I paint on herringbone linen because of its association to rural heritage, to flat caps and tweed jackets. I work on one canvas at a time, and this allows me to delve into and create a world around me. The life-sized scale is important, it makes me feel like part of the scene I’m painting, I hope the viewer has a similar experience.’