David Colvin
David Colvin
Dave Colvin is an inveterate people-watcher. His fascination with aspects of the human condition has been a constant throughout his life… as an artist, playwright, parent, husband, and clinician.
Although geared toward a future in illustration art, his life took a decidedly different trajectory after high school, which ultimately led to a long and satisfying career in the behavioural health field. As such, he attempts to evoke human emotion through his work. Fleshing out these emotional memories is key to the examination of Colvin’s art. Given that yearning is said to be a blend of the primary emotions of love and sadness, this is no small task.
Dave draws inspiration from the Early Netherlandish painting schools and creative sources as diverse as the outsider work of Henry Darger. The narrative compositions of Jessie Oonark, Pieter Bruegel, and the single-panel, darkly comedic creations of Gahan Wilson. His quasi-realistic pieces are also driven by dreams, psychedelia, and too many hours poring over European graphic design magazines as a teenager.
Colvin’s commissioned works hang in private collections across North America and the UK. He has also been short-listed multiple times in the Manitoba Society of Artists’ open juried competitions. Currently, atypical watercolour is his go-to, but any combination of water-soluble media, including acrylic, acrylic pen, India ink, and gouache, is fair game.