Boat on the Coast
The inspiration for the majority of my work comes from a sometimes accidental or sudden glimpse of the subject matter whether a seascape or townscape. The time of day,the position of the sun, the weather, all have a part to play in this regard however the most important factor for me is the possibility of a story behind the image and this narrative thread stays with me and grows with the painting and, in a way, informs the outcome and influences the atmosphere of the finished work.
My passion for capturing the effects of light is, I hope, obvious in the scenes of the towns and harbours which I have painted during my time spent in Europe and it is the same with the paintings completed in England, influenced by the South coast and living most of my life in Devon.
It is perhaps a romantic notion but imagining a story within the painting I hope influences the finished work. Perhaps the spectator can find their own interpretation, and weave their own story into my paintings.
David Norman is a prominent, award-winning English watercolourist who divides his time between studios in Devon and the Dordogne. His watercolours are figurative and underpinned by a strong sense of draughtsmanship, a legacy from a rigorous training in architectural drawing and rendering. David has had many solo exhibitions and his paintings are in collections throughout Europe, America and the Far East.
He is the author of two books on watercolour painting – The Complete Watercolourist and Watercolour, Artists’ Questions Answered and has produced a DVD Taking a chance with Watercolour.
He was short listed for the Sunday Times Watercolour Prize and his paintings were recently selected by the President of the Royal Watercolour Society, he is the winner of the Art Of Watercolour prize, the Marine House Gallery prize and his work has been exhibited at the Mall Gallery London, The Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery Exeter, The Penwith Gallery St Ives, The Castle Exeter, The Falmouth Art Gallery and many other galleries in England, America, and France.
David lives and works in The South Hams in Devon