David Cass

Decorative painter

©David Loftus

©David Cass

Painting messages about the sea

David aims to raise environmental awareness by painting the sea onto found objects
For him, painting is the most direct way to express himself
He loves that he can engage with people and open a dialogue through his creations

David Cass graduated with First Class honours from Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland, in 2010. After living and working in Scotland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and London, he moved to Greece in 2021, where he is currently working from a home studio by the sea. His family was passionate about antiques and collecting, and as an adult David became drawn to found objects which he began incorporating into his painting and sculptural practice. He works with a range of media but the principal style for which he has received most attention is dry-brushed gouache applied to (principally wooden) substrates in a linear, layered, deliberately repetitive manner. David is inspired by the coastal landscape and by everyday functional objects such as matchboxes, pulleys, and miniature drawers of antique coffee-grinders. “Art requires both its maker and audience to slow down and observe,” he says.

Interview

©David Cass

©David Cass

What are your unique skills?: My abstract depiction of water is, in my opinion, my strongest technical skill, but I also aim to instil my works with relevant and timely conceptual information. Everything I produce uses recycled materials and my studio practice is as sustainable as possible, as are my travelling and exhibition activities. I regularly dedicate time to woodworking, carefully stabilising found objects before they are transformed into artworks.
What is one thing about your work that people do not usually know?: I can count on one hand the number of times I have used new objects or substrates such as wood or paper. Even my sketchbooks are vintage. I do all I can to limit the carbon footprint of my exhibitions and events, combining activities and carefully carbon offsetting. I have even painted using paints and brushes found at flea markets, once finding oils from the late 1800s.
In what way is your craft linked to the territory?: I travel throughout Europe and further afield to gather found objects. On these travels, I spend as much time as possible at the coast. This act of gathering materials and subject matter simultaneously, often embarking upon the painting process in situ before returning to the studio to bring works to completion, induces a strong sense of place in my work and myself.
What is a memorable moment in your professional life?: In 2022 I exhibited during the 59th Venice Biennale. This exhibition was the most rewarding and memorable of my life as an artist. I presented two large-scale artwork sets – each formed of many individual components – which I had spent the preceding three years working on. Aptly, given the venue, the subject of the exhibition was rising sea levels. The public response was positive and enforced in me the belief that creatives are in a unique position to explore and present often overwhelming scientific data in an accessible manner.

David Cass is a master artisan: he began his career in 2010 and he started teaching in 2010