David Cartwright

Born in Birkenhead in 1944, David studied fine art at Birkenhead Laird School of Art and the Liverpool College of Art, where he obtained his Art Teacher's Diploma in 1967. Although he found teaching rewarding, the artist had little time to develop his own work and so left the profession to embark on a painting career.

Eager to experiment, using a paint-knife technique of wet-in-wet in oils, his paintings covered a wide variety of subjects for his increasing number of private commissions. For the first two years, he concentrated mainly on painting city street scenes of historic buildings employing an impressionistic style and muted tones that evoked a romantic bygone age of half-timbered buildings and oak beams.

In 1977 David moved to North Wales, where he found the peace and seclusion so essential for his art. His singular talent for conveying action and movement on canvas became apparent from that time through the evocative battle scenes of the Napoleonic and Crimea periods. His vigorous depictions are said to be so realistic that one can almost smell the battle smoke and hear the horses hooves thundering off the canvas.

David has completed many interesting commissions for private collectors from England and abroad. One of his personal favourites being a portrayal of Captain William Morris firing his blunderbuss as he leads the 17th Lancers into charge of the Light Brigade. This painting is hung in the Military Museum of Belvoir Castle at the consent of the collector. Other private collectors include Ms M Wooley (United Nations), Geneva; Mr David Kossoff, Shell, Texas; R.A.F. Sealand: The National Army Museum, London; Apsley House, Wellington Museum, London; Enniskillen Castle Museum, N. Ireland; 17th & 21st Lancers Officers H.Q. Grantham, Lincolnshire; The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

In 1982, the David's career was suddenly interrupted by a serious illness, but fortunately he has successfully overcome this setback and now lives and works happily in a country cottage in Wales with his wife Sara.

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