Dave Scanlon is a visual artist based in Nottingham, England.
Although he creates his art primarily in the studio, he will draw inspiration from nature and the outdoors.
Dave has always enjoyed drawing and painting from childhood and throughout his school years, but due to work, this took a back seat for several years. It was inheriting his mother's art materials in 2008 that re-ignited a desire to create art and explore a variety of mediums from pencils to watercolour and oil paints.
Dogs have always played a large part in his life since childhood and long dog walks in the open air combined with an interest in photography, often provide reference photos and inspiration for his art. Dave recognises the special relationships we have with our pets and how they play a significant part in our lives as part of the family.
Dave's passion for animals and nature inspires his artwork, whether these are family pets, wildlife, or the occasional landscape, he puts his heart and soul into each piece.
When it comes to animals, he specifically draws attention to their eyes as he sees a language in them that reveals the essence, emotions, and personality of the subject. He tries to then capture this in his artwork to provide a voice to those that cannot speak and to show just how precious nature is in our lives.
Dave has an uncanny attention to detail, which is truly visible in his pencil drawings, where these allow for accurate lines to be coupled with gentle colour blending and provide a high level of accuracy that results in a style that leans towards realism.
Dave generally uses drawing pencils from Faber Castell, Caran D'Ache and Derwent who provide materials sourced from environmentally sustainable sources as well as quality and colour permanence.
Dave also enjoys working with watercolour which he can apply with a level of detail that he leans towards, but also allows the freedom to let the colour flow, blend, run and apply texture in much more fluid ways that add a softness to his work.
His choice of watercolour paints includes Schminke, Sennelier, Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton and Daler Rowner artist quality colours.
The use of oil paints allows Dave to work in a variety of ways, allowing a level of detail applied more freely with the flexibility and creamy texture of the oil paint.
For his oil paintings, Dave generally uses Winsor & Newtons Artisan range, which are water soluble and remove the need for harmful chemicals to clean brushes etc., but achieve the same end-result as traditional oil paints.
Using artist-quality materials, quality papers and canvas, ensure that his work will retain their vibrant colours for years to come.
When choosing papers and canvas for his work, the environment is a consideration as well as its performance and quality. He uses a variety of papers for his work from Strathmore, Hahnemuhle, Winsor & Newton, Daler Rowney and Seawhite of Brighton.
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