David Edmond

The subjects of David Edmond's, figurative paintings are varied and generally developed from the artist's own photographs.

His series of works inspired by his South London Garden, capture hedgerows, vibrant bushes and wild flowers he paints large canvases filled with colour and abundance. His layered paintings, combine his distinctive style of loose abstract areas with more detailed, rigid areas of figuration. The paintings suggest a garden that extends beyond the canvas. In one painting, David Edmond has reinterpreted Cezanne's Gardener, presenting him in a contemporary garden context, his distinctive hat a nod to these famous portraits of Vallier which were at the time, a very significant influence on the development of Cubism. In this painting, David combines different techniques, abstraction and figuration,  loose dripping paint makes up his shirt, while the foreground is divided up by the more rigid planes of the garden stakes.  Like his street paintings which regularly feature in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions, David presents interesting cropped views, drawing our eye to small beautiful details that could normally go unnoticed. 

The Beach series stems from the artist's recent visits to Coney Island, New York, Italy and the Kent coast in the UK. Parasols offer the viewer punches of colour that punctuate the horizon and the overall scene of people relaxing and enjoying the hot sun generates a real sense of yearning for the long sunny days of summers past.  The scenes depict the kind of calm, contemplative drama that is akin to the paintings of Edward Hopper.   You can read more about this series in his interview with Coast Magazine

In David's series of lake paintings, a similar quiet contemplation goes on and tend to feature fewer figures they depict the landscapes of Maine in the USA and western Austria.

What's particularly interesting is the landscapes David paints are quite layered and abstract yet the figures are very detailed.  The juxtaposition is interesting and draws your eye. David is not afraid to leave large areas unpopulated and creates a sense of space that appears almost to expand beyond the canvas, like a snapshot of a bigger world.

David's pathway to painting has been rich and varied. He originally studied a Furniture Design BA at Leicester Polytechnic followed by a Printed Textile Design MPhil at the Royal College of Art London.  David began painting in 2009. Between 2014-16 the artist attended the Turps Banana Painting Programme in South London.  Since then his work has been included in a number of exhibitions including: The Columbia Threedneedle Prize, Mall Gallery, 2018, the Lynn Painter Stainer Prize, Mall Gallery, 2017, Discerning Eye, Mall Gallery, 2016, Arcade Fine Arts, 2016, Turps - Art Bermondsey Project Space, 2016, Clifford Chance Annual Pride Art Exhibition, 2015 and in June 2019 at the Creekside Open. David's work features regularly in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions, most recently in 2025. It has been bought by national and international collectors.

David's work has been published in Michael Petry's book 'Nature Morte' for Thames and Hudson.

See our Feature on David Edmond

listen to david talking about his beach series