David Slattery - Artist of the Month
“I find being an artist eerily similar to my love of golf…often bringing you pleasure, punctuated with moments of wanting to throw your club in the nearest creek "
In a familiar story for many, art took a backseat for most of my life. Although creative as a child, I wasn’t particularly interested in visual arts, but in the 90s I found myself with a pencil and paper doing some simple drawings. Things progressed slowly as the priorities of work and family took centre stage.
In 2016 my partner and I separated, amicably thankfully, and things quickly changed. Suddenly, I found myself in a new relationship and my new partner, Peta, also had an interest in art. As most of our children were independent and largely not at home, we were like two 18 year olds again….with lots of wrinkles 😊…but now armed with pencils , brushes and tubes of paint. We’ve pushed each other to continue learning and explore new styles and mediums.
I am drawn to painting portraits, usually in water-based oils. I find being an artist eerily similar to my love of golf…often bringing you pleasure, punctuated with moments of wanting to throw your club in the nearest creek. Although retired, we’ve found that between; golf; house renovations; keeping fit and healthy; and looking into each other’s eyes, we just can’t find enough time to devote to art. We’re going to change that in late 2023. Later this year we’ll have a sustained period without travel, our renovations will mostly be done and we’ll have been together for 7 years – isn’t that when you stop looking into each other’s eyes as much? The studio will be permanently occupied from then on – fingers crossed!
On the 5th May we leave for a bit over 2 months in Europe. Initially, we’ll be walking the Camino, 780kms through France and Spain, before a more leisurely holiday in other countries. We return in mid-July. During our travels I populate a social media page for our friends and family. It shares our adventures with others but also allows me to have a laugh during the production of content – Scott has included one example below. Like many artists, the first destination in each city will be the local galleries and museums, and we can’t wait to see what the other side of the world will provide us the inspiration to do.
As the incoming Art Director (at SOAN) I look forward to providing opportunities for us all to learn from, as well as meeting many more members of the society. Peta and I will work together on the role, so if you see two loved-up 18 year olds around, please come and say HI.
Buen Camino
In 2016 my partner and I separated, amicably thankfully, and things quickly changed. Suddenly, I found myself in a new relationship and my new partner, Peta, also had an interest in art. As most of our children were independent and largely not at home, we were like two 18 year olds again….with lots of wrinkles 😊…but now armed with pencils , brushes and tubes of paint. We’ve pushed each other to continue learning and explore new styles and mediums.
I am drawn to painting portraits, usually in water-based oils. I find being an artist eerily similar to my love of golf…often bringing you pleasure, punctuated with moments of wanting to throw your club in the nearest creek. Although retired, we’ve found that between; golf; house renovations; keeping fit and healthy; and looking into each other’s eyes, we just can’t find enough time to devote to art. We’re going to change that in late 2023. Later this year we’ll have a sustained period without travel, our renovations will mostly be done and we’ll have been together for 7 years – isn’t that when you stop looking into each other’s eyes as much? The studio will be permanently occupied from then on – fingers crossed!
On the 5th May we leave for a bit over 2 months in Europe. Initially, we’ll be walking the Camino, 780kms through France and Spain, before a more leisurely holiday in other countries. We return in mid-July. During our travels I populate a social media page for our friends and family. It shares our adventures with others but also allows me to have a laugh during the production of content – Scott has included one example below. Like many artists, the first destination in each city will be the local galleries and museums, and we can’t wait to see what the other side of the world will provide us the inspiration to do.
As the incoming Art Director (at SOAN) I look forward to providing opportunities for us all to learn from, as well as meeting many more members of the society. Peta and I will work together on the role, so if you see two loved-up 18 year olds around, please come and say HI.
Buen Camino
Click on images to enlarge