David Lake – Friend and Artist

I was kicking back rereading through my collection of “Australian Artist” magazines when I came across an article by David Lake. (July 2002).

David is a wonderful Australian artist who has a very interesting style which is winning him praise all over Australia and overseas.  David paints in oils and much of his work depicts the Australian outback in all its stark beauty.  The artworks ooze the silence and vastness of these places. To capture that is very special indeed.  He has won many major awards and his work is highly recognisable and discussed at length by the viewing public and fellow artists.

I met David through the Oatley 101 Society of Artists and he has become a valued friend, fellow artist and mentor.  So it was with delight I reread this particular article.  David’s refreshing, intelligent sense of humour flows gently through the writing.

The article, “Outback, Handling the Horizon Line” was very well written and included a number of images of David’s beautiful paintings which he used to illustrate the processes he discussed.

Some of the points he makes:

•  the uppermost portion of the sky is closest to the viewer and so it should be warmer and deeper in tone and colour.
• always keep in mind the colour temperature, that is, warm colours advance and cool colours recede.
• paint what you love to paint not a lot of the same because it sells.
• never let disappointment get in the way of the growth of you as an artist.

I know David will go on winning major awards and adding to the joy of buyers of his art for many years to come.