
This last few weeks several different influences have occurred simultaneously in my work. Thinking about Picasso, over 40 years after his death he is still very much all around us. Last week one of his works achieved the highest ever price at auction, an extraordinary, mythic, potent artist. He was above all fearless, constantly exploring media […]

The sea is a mirror of the sky. The land is a mirror of the light. So much of what we see are reflections of something else, even of our personality. I am fascinated by this duality both of perception and action. We are always observing horizons, that vanishing point where land meets eternity and […]

This week a superlative show of Greek art at the British Museum was a revelation. Its focus is on the sensuality and humanity of the body depicted in Classical Greek sculpture. This was the first time in art that nudity was celebrated for its own sake, idealised and stylised but clearly the human body […]
After an enforced break, this month I am back in the studio and very much enjoying working again. Since the end of last year I have been letting other influences flow over me including two visits to the wonderful Turner exhibition at Tate Britain “Painting Set Free”, which were a catalyst in my understanding of […]

Thank you to you all for your support and interest in my work this year. It has been a very busy, emotional and creative year for me, ending with a successful and very well received show at the Calken Gallery. It was particularly enjoyable to work with Vanessa Clark of VC Art on this exhibition […]

Vanessa Clark presents: “poetic liberation of the spirit” New Paintings on Canvas and Works on Paper by David Cottingham. Including the launch of the “Broken Hearts” Series. Hosted and Curated by Vanessa Clark for VC Art Exhibition Dates : 19th-25th November Preview Opening Thursday 20th November 6pm-9pm Calken Gallery 117 Kensington Church Street, London W8 […]

Talking about art is often ironic, the work should really speak for itself, or there are two distinct voices going on at the same time which is one original meaning of irony. This week I gave a short talk on my work and then took questions. I am always fascinated to hear what comes out […]

The colours are shifting, autumn is in the air, light is lower and golden, my favourite time of the year is here! This week I am showing a painting in a group show in Chelsea organised by the Riverside Art Group. The RIver Thames is a constant theme in my abstract paintings, particularly the London […]

Blue is the colour of love, that’s my view. It is the colour of our soulful life, the sky, the sea, the blues are all around us. In art it all began with Lapiz Lazullii, a very rare semi precious mineral. During the middle ages and early Renaissance, the Ultramarine pigment, the finest and rarest […]

After a show I always take stock and reflect on its reception, the people I met along the way and the conversation that ensued. This year we had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the work and also met so many fabulous folk. It is the unexpected encounters and meetings with all manner of people that […]