Artyczar
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We are very honored and excited to present this month's spotlighted artist to you and are sure you will be tickled to read about him. We know him and love him as Dave Woody, and his art has made us all smile. Now we have the opportunity to get to know him a bit deeper and hear more about his interesting point of views and the personality we've all come to know.
We'd like to thank Dave for participating in this interview, as it was an entirely special experience for us.
1. From what part of the globe do you hail and is this where you spent your childhood?
I am a bit of a mongrel…I was born at home: 129 Broadoak Road, Wythenshaw, Manchester England. My dad was an electrician in the coal mines, and we emigrated to South Africa when I was 6 where he got a job working in the gold mines in the Highveld, Johannesburg.
When my folks divorced, I was 13. I followed my mom to the Lowveld, a small town called Nelspruit. I had the best ever childhood, teenage years, and my school friends from High School are still my best friends. I moved back to the UK to avoid joining the SA army in 1983 and have lived in London since then but return to SA every other year. I feel very, very lucky to have SA as my "home." It is where my heart is.
"Needle and Thread," acrylic on cheap canvas, 30cm x 30cm.
I like this, it's quite deep, procreation, the beginning of making something, etc. Surprised myself at being able to deliver such a 'nice' image.
2. How did you get started in painting?
March 2017. I saw a photo of a man mowing his lawn as a Tornado is seen looming in the background. His wife pleaded for him to stop mowing and come inside, but he wouldn’t. I remember thinking, this story will only survive a day on electronic news feeds, but if I painted it, it would be seen all the time, so, I painted it. I just felt compelled to document the story. This started my whole ‘documented’ paintings philosophy. My good mate JP (from High School) commented, "Dave, you're not a great painter, but you tell a good story." And it really struck me that I have a little niche to pursue and, the stories by far outweigh [my] painting ability. I am not precious at all about lack of talent with a brush, or depth, or real-life. I just love putting out pictures with a story. That grew into ‘painting and targeting a story to individuals.' My first success came when I painted a moment in the 2017 F1 season where Verstappen overtook Raikkonen, off the track, to claim a podium position, only to be demoted after the race.
The head of Redbull F1, Sir Adrian Newey, lives 12 minutes from us, so I thought, Local painter, memorable F1 moment, delivered by Lee, our postie, gonna take a chance, nothing might happen.
I painted the scene scruffily, as I do, and included a well thought-out letter, handwritten, offering it as a gift (hang it or hide it, it’s yours), and had it delivered. He wrote back to me a month later gratefully accepting the gift and wishing me well in my painting career. YAY...Wow...and...I can’t even paint properly. The story is everything to the individual.
I have nearly 200 pictures documented around the world, telling stories (and another 130 stuffed in the shed, homeless).
"Fries," acrylic on board, 20cm x 12.5cm.
Early piece that worked so well, I realised I was able to capture more by using my fingers from a paint pot, than I could ever do with a brush. This I sent to one of my school friends who lives in USA, but...unless the light captures it jus' right (as in this pic), it is just a flat and charmless dabble. He never responded to me about it, so I figure he's never seen it in the best light it needs.
3. What other types of art-type things are you involved in?
Only music. I am a guitarist by trade, but I don’t care to gig anymore...40 years has been long enough.
4. Do you have any other specialized backgrounds?
Bored with guitar, [in] 2009 I took up learning Blues harmonica…wow, what a joy.
Started a band, wrote an album of songs, and in 2014 came 2nd in a band competition on BBC Radio.
Job done. I still have the mics and harps amps, but don’t play much anymore.
"Good Listener," acrylic on board, 25cm x 15cm.
Sometimes, you just have to paint what comes in your head. Mix of finger and brush work. My son likes this one and won't let me give it away. I am particularly happy with this, half decently painted, believable story etc.
5. Can you share with us what you do for a living?
I love my day job. I am an Aviation Security Trainer.
I love aviation. I work with fantastic people. I get to drive airside and time manage my work without supervision…perfect.
6. How do you get your ideas for your artworks?
I actively create them or find inspiration in what I see and hear going on in the world. I work on a Monty Python sense of humour, coupled with minimal finger strokes…knowing when to STOP trying to make something better. If it looks like a car, leave it. If resembles a person after only 4 or 5 strokes, then don’t try and make it better by adding more. I am not precious about being any good, just…colourful and descriptive.
7. What are your aims and intentions when you are working on a painting (what do you want your audience to know)?
I think I really want them to laugh, mostly, then realise I am quite the minimalist, i.e.: Goodness me, a person made up of only 4 or 5 strokes?
I want these days and this age to be documented: people on phones, Trump, shopping, home life, mostly. Documented by someone who has no ability to make it true to life but captures something truly about life.
"Small Boat," acrylic on canvas, 15cm x 10cm.
All fingers. An Attempt at something "arty." Given to my 1/2 brother in SA who loves images of boats. Took me 20 minutes to do.
8. What are some of the roadblocks you have faced that you have managed to overcome so far?
Since I have no interest in being commercial, the only roadblocks I can comment on encountering is the postal Service in South Africa failing to deliver and having works returned a year or more sometimes, after they were posted. Some disappeared too! The only other roadblock is me…knowing when to stop and recycling pictures that I really should have kept. Because my son and wife have very little interest in my works, I sometimes looked at them thinking, who in world wants a picture of a sheep in a pub going "Baaaaa."
9. What advice do you have for artists starting out?
I have no idea except...If it looks good to you, it will probably look good to someone else.
"The Predator," acrylic on canvas, 30cm x 30cm.
Early 'comment' attempt. Plastic bags in the oceans. Owned by family member.
10. If you could bring three things with you to a deserted island, what would they be?
My son, a telescope to stargaze with and a sofa.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I truly, truly am grateful when people respond to my pictures. My local art gallery will not hang or try to sell my work because it isn’t what their customers are after, so my targeting of individuals continues, with recent success in the form of Drew Pritchard.
We'd like to thank Dave for participating in this interview, as it was an entirely special experience for us.
1. From what part of the globe do you hail and is this where you spent your childhood?
I am a bit of a mongrel…I was born at home: 129 Broadoak Road, Wythenshaw, Manchester England. My dad was an electrician in the coal mines, and we emigrated to South Africa when I was 6 where he got a job working in the gold mines in the Highveld, Johannesburg.
When my folks divorced, I was 13. I followed my mom to the Lowveld, a small town called Nelspruit. I had the best ever childhood, teenage years, and my school friends from High School are still my best friends. I moved back to the UK to avoid joining the SA army in 1983 and have lived in London since then but return to SA every other year. I feel very, very lucky to have SA as my "home." It is where my heart is.
"Needle and Thread," acrylic on cheap canvas, 30cm x 30cm.
I like this, it's quite deep, procreation, the beginning of making something, etc. Surprised myself at being able to deliver such a 'nice' image.
2. How did you get started in painting?
March 2017. I saw a photo of a man mowing his lawn as a Tornado is seen looming in the background. His wife pleaded for him to stop mowing and come inside, but he wouldn’t. I remember thinking, this story will only survive a day on electronic news feeds, but if I painted it, it would be seen all the time, so, I painted it. I just felt compelled to document the story. This started my whole ‘documented’ paintings philosophy. My good mate JP (from High School) commented, "Dave, you're not a great painter, but you tell a good story." And it really struck me that I have a little niche to pursue and, the stories by far outweigh [my] painting ability. I am not precious at all about lack of talent with a brush, or depth, or real-life. I just love putting out pictures with a story. That grew into ‘painting and targeting a story to individuals.' My first success came when I painted a moment in the 2017 F1 season where Verstappen overtook Raikkonen, off the track, to claim a podium position, only to be demoted after the race.
The head of Redbull F1, Sir Adrian Newey, lives 12 minutes from us, so I thought, Local painter, memorable F1 moment, delivered by Lee, our postie, gonna take a chance, nothing might happen.
I painted the scene scruffily, as I do, and included a well thought-out letter, handwritten, offering it as a gift (hang it or hide it, it’s yours), and had it delivered. He wrote back to me a month later gratefully accepting the gift and wishing me well in my painting career. YAY...Wow...and...I can’t even paint properly. The story is everything to the individual.
I have nearly 200 pictures documented around the world, telling stories (and another 130 stuffed in the shed, homeless).
"Fries," acrylic on board, 20cm x 12.5cm.
Early piece that worked so well, I realised I was able to capture more by using my fingers from a paint pot, than I could ever do with a brush. This I sent to one of my school friends who lives in USA, but...unless the light captures it jus' right (as in this pic), it is just a flat and charmless dabble. He never responded to me about it, so I figure he's never seen it in the best light it needs.
3. What other types of art-type things are you involved in?
Only music. I am a guitarist by trade, but I don’t care to gig anymore...40 years has been long enough.
4. Do you have any other specialized backgrounds?
Bored with guitar, [in] 2009 I took up learning Blues harmonica…wow, what a joy.
Started a band, wrote an album of songs, and in 2014 came 2nd in a band competition on BBC Radio.
Job done. I still have the mics and harps amps, but don’t play much anymore.
"Good Listener," acrylic on board, 25cm x 15cm.
Sometimes, you just have to paint what comes in your head. Mix of finger and brush work. My son likes this one and won't let me give it away. I am particularly happy with this, half decently painted, believable story etc.
5. Can you share with us what you do for a living?
I love my day job. I am an Aviation Security Trainer.
I love aviation. I work with fantastic people. I get to drive airside and time manage my work without supervision…perfect.
6. How do you get your ideas for your artworks?
I actively create them or find inspiration in what I see and hear going on in the world. I work on a Monty Python sense of humour, coupled with minimal finger strokes…knowing when to STOP trying to make something better. If it looks like a car, leave it. If resembles a person after only 4 or 5 strokes, then don’t try and make it better by adding more. I am not precious about being any good, just…colourful and descriptive.
7. What are your aims and intentions when you are working on a painting (what do you want your audience to know)?
I think I really want them to laugh, mostly, then realise I am quite the minimalist, i.e.: Goodness me, a person made up of only 4 or 5 strokes?
I want these days and this age to be documented: people on phones, Trump, shopping, home life, mostly. Documented by someone who has no ability to make it true to life but captures something truly about life.
"Small Boat," acrylic on canvas, 15cm x 10cm.
All fingers. An Attempt at something "arty." Given to my 1/2 brother in SA who loves images of boats. Took me 20 minutes to do.
8. What are some of the roadblocks you have faced that you have managed to overcome so far?
Since I have no interest in being commercial, the only roadblocks I can comment on encountering is the postal Service in South Africa failing to deliver and having works returned a year or more sometimes, after they were posted. Some disappeared too! The only other roadblock is me…knowing when to stop and recycling pictures that I really should have kept. Because my son and wife have very little interest in my works, I sometimes looked at them thinking, who in world wants a picture of a sheep in a pub going "Baaaaa."
9. What advice do you have for artists starting out?
I have no idea except...If it looks good to you, it will probably look good to someone else.
"The Predator," acrylic on canvas, 30cm x 30cm.
Early 'comment' attempt. Plastic bags in the oceans. Owned by family member.
10. If you could bring three things with you to a deserted island, what would they be?
My son, a telescope to stargaze with and a sofa.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I truly, truly am grateful when people respond to my pictures. My local art gallery will not hang or try to sell my work because it isn’t what their customers are after, so my targeting of individuals continues, with recent success in the form of Drew Pritchard.
. Thanks for sharing. It's nice to meet you. Jen
