David Troughton (B. Coventry, 1951) is an internationally exhibited painter who has work in private collections around the world. David makes works using an eclectic but specifically chosen selection of found images which are then either used as references for his paintings or used directly onto surfaces in his mixed-media artworks.
There are two threads within David’s work; paintings which are representational in nature, and mixed-media artworks referencing collaging traditions used by artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. David creates intriguing yet finely balanced canvases, paying both homage and wonder to the images from the vast library that he has amassed over the decades, collected from old school science books, old National Geographic magazines, charity shop books, comic annuals, newspapers and magazines both old and contemporary. Themes of Americana and space travel feature regularly within David’s work, and while they are widely recognisable within popular culture, they are also deeply personal in that they have inspired him since he was a child. David says; “As a young boy I was captivated by the Wild West, 'Cowboys and Indians' as we called it. Wagon Train, The Lone Ranger, Rawhide all had their part to play in my life. Then when I was ten years old, I was awestruck by Yuri Gagarin's space flight and later enthralled by the first moon landing. This coincided with an explosion of sophisticated pop-artists pushing boundaries at the time, which also had a great impact on me. Maybe there's a connection. The excitement has never left me.” David has exhibited his works in commercial and artist lead spaces, from the White Rooms in Leamington Spa and Bath, the Affordable Art Fair in London, New York City and Glasgow, The Pineapple Gallery in Melbourne, and Jabarich Gallery in Amsterdam. Recent solo shows include Gallery 64a in Whitstable and Plinth in Margate, Kent. David’s history as an art teacher includes teaching Turner prize winner George Shaw and in recent years leading a Q&A session with him in response to a retrospective exhibition of Shaw's work in his hometown of Coventry. David also hosted and mentored the late RSC actor and accomplished painter, Sir Antony Sher in his Stratford Upon Avon studio, during which he worked with Sher on a significant autobiographical painting titled 'The Audience'. Having curated three solo exhibitions of Sher's work in London, Sheffield and Coventry, he was invited to lead a public Q&A with Sher in relation to his work, and they were featured in The Sunday Times Magazine together. David is father to Twinkle Troughton, Margate resident and also an internationally exhibited artist (it runs in the family). “David is an original and mesmeric artist.” Sir Antony Sher “They are works of distinction imbued with dignity.” David Phillips, Art Historian and Critic IG: @david_troughton |