David Taylor exhibits abstract painting series ‘Escapes’

This month, we are showcasing artist David Taylor’s latest exhibition ‘Escapes’ at the Tavistock Centre. ‘Escapes’ is an abstract painting series of water, land and skyscapes.

The acrylic paintings are displayed in sequences, with each canvas adding on from the previous one. David describes the images he paints as being transformed through a process of building and rebuilding.

As each painting progresses, different impressions of the natural environment are combined and transformed to escape what he describes as ‘representation’ and describes as a form of painting where the artist is “trying to capture a specific thing in that environment”.

Instead, he uses it “more as a resource to allow me to completely abstract and move away from that one particular point of reference. So, it is perhaps a different kind of relationship than the representation of the painting of nature.” 

David is a painter, writer and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His interest in art was sparked by his doctoral studies of abstract art during the Russian revolution and during the post-war era.

He stresses the importance of perseverance when painting and encouraged emerging artists not to be demotivated when their art projects take longer than expected.

“Stick with the pain. Many people talk about the therapeutic nature of art and certainly it can be, but a lot of it is not. A lot of it is a battle. And the thing is not to let the canvas win.

“you have to kind of keep battling with the canvas, keep battling with the paints, keep pressing on, and it’s a journey, you know. It takes a long time to find your painterly voice, so you just have to keep going and not get diminished by things not being how you hoped they would be very quickly.”

‘Escapes’ is on display at the Tavistock Centre in Belsize Park until 8 August. Please contact art@tavi-port.nhs.uk to book an appointment to view the exhibition.

Art at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust

Art is an important feature of the Tavistock and Portman. We believe that the artworks in our buildings help to humanise what is essentially a clinical space, making it more friendly and welcoming. The arts can make a powerful contribution to health and well-being for both physical and mental health. Research has demonstrated the benefits of the arts in healthcare in hospitals and other healthcare setting and a Department of Health working group on the impact of arts on health found that the arts have ‘a clear contribution to make and offer major opportunities in the delivery of better health, wellbeing and improved experience for patients, service users and staff alike’.

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