David Manley

I am an artist, writer and curator with many years experience of contemporary art production, curation and writing. My practice and research falls into two distinct though interrelated activities - original artworks and commentaries on contemporary work. In my recent paintings text and image are combined to produce lyrical commentaries on the natural world with a particular fascination with the sea. During Lockdown I used found materials for a series of constructuions titled 'Paintings Standing Up'. At the time of writing the most recent of my projects is a meditation on Gardens, using old fashioned oil on canvas.

I am currently a member of the Contemporary British Painting group and have shown in most of their recent major group exhibitions including China & Poland.  Over the past few years I have had a work in Paradoxes at the Quay Arts Centre, Newport IOW and 'Stand Close And Breathe Me In' and 'Vitalistic Fantasies' at the Elysium Gallery, Swansea.  Another painting from my Lunar Pulls series was also in the show, 'Paint Edgy' at the Ropewalk, Barton Upon Humber in  2022. Currently the first of my Hortus Conclusus canvases is off to Assembly in Rye.