The Artful Gallery is a window to view the art and poetry of David Paynter.

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After a successful business career building his own design and marketing consultancy, David decided to retire to spend more time in a purely creative role.  A course at Schumacher College in Dartington inspired him to rekindle his early passion for art in all forms.  He now enjoys painting, life drawing and sculpting, mainly in stone and bronze.

 

David is inspired by the natural world and how it affects us.  In his words:

 

“I love nature and am fascinated by our relationship to it – we get a special feeling, almost kinship, from certain rocks; peace from watching a river; awe as we stand under a regal beech tree; a child-like joy from playing in the surf.  It is that relationship I want to explore as I sculpt.

 

“I like to stay close to the nature of the stone as I carve, not forcing against the will of the piece but trying to see what form it might contain.  I try to draw out its natural living beauty - from the creamy limestone of Portland to the dark shadows of Cornish polyphant.  Stone is very tactile.  I encourage people to touch my sculptures, to feel the natural history contained in each piece in the form of fossils and other deposits, laid down over millions of years.

                                   

“With many of my pieces, comes a poem.  The words seem to suggest themselves readily after so many hours and days spent in the creative process.  I hope the poetry enhances the pleasure of the eventual owner, bringing them closer to the piece.”

 

David is a member of Guildford Arts, and former Deputy Chair of Surrey Sculpture Society.  His work is widely exhibited and is in private collections around the UK and Europe.