Born in 1950, David spent much of his early life on Airbases in East England, South West Wales and Southern Africa. In 1967 his family moved from Lincolnshire to North Gloucestershire where, apart from a year in Birmingham completing an M.A. in Fine Art (1975), he has resided both teaching and producing his own art.
His art, having evolved from a diversity of starting points, encompasses large, abstract, impasto paintings as well as smaller abstract and figurative works and landscapes inspired by trips to the West Country, Europe, Western Australia, North West USA and the Caribbean island of St. Lucia.
David employs a variety of techniques and an assortment of media: oil, acrylic, watercolour, ink, cold wax, sand and glazes which he applies to a range of surfaces of varying size.
In 1983 he gained a Major Award and purchase from South West Arts. During 1987 he completed a Fellowship in Printmaking at the Pittville Campus in Cheltenham. Each of these events had a marked impact on the production and diversity of his work.
David has had more than 40 solo exhibitions. He has also participated in many group shows in the U.K. and internationally in Europe, USA and the Far East.
David Durston has exhibited in major galleries and venues in the U.K. including:
The Ikon Gallery, RBSA, Cannon Hill Arts, The University of Birmingham, Graves Art Gallery – Sheffield, Manchester Polytechnic, Worcester City Art gallery and Museum, Royal west of England Academy, Spacex Gallery – Exeter, Oriel – Cardiff, National Eisteddfod of Wales, Builth Wells Arts Centre, Lanchester University – Coventry, Bath University, The Mill – Salisbury, Waterloo and Atrium Galleries – London, Truro – Cornwall, Torquay, Taunton, Oxford University, Stamford Arts Centre, Corinium Museum – Cirencester, Cirencester Workshops, Lichfield, Gloucester Cathedral, Guildhall – Gloucester, Double Reynolds Warehouse – Gloucester, Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, Axiom Centre for the Arts – Cheltenham, Gloucestershire college of Art and Design, Bristol University.
International venues include:
Boise and Meridian – Idaho USA, White Salmon – Washington State USA, Apeldoorn – Netherlands, Stadtisches Museum – Gottingen Germany, Musee de Chateau D’Annecy – France, Atelier Galerie Museum – Schulstate Germany, Castelvecchio – Tuscany Italy, Windjammer Landing – St. Lucia WI.
