About David
Visual artist and art-psychotherapist, David has experience across diverse industries: he studied and worked in hospitality before an honours degree in theology in 1991 and was then ordained into the Church of England. Following a radical change of perspective, he studied graphic design and illustration from 1998 to 2000, and worked as a commercial illustrator before running arts-in-health programmes as a healthcare chaplain in the NHS from 2007 to 2016.
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In 2014, David qualified with an MA [distinction] in 'Art Therapy' at the University of Hertfordshire; he now runs a successful business as an art psychotherapist with special-needs schools in Oxfordshire. From 2020 to 2022 David worked with Danny Gregory's international 'Sketchbook Skool', delivering live online workshops.
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He continues to explore personal spirituality through mindfulness, meditation, ecology, art-making and retreats.
David is currently undertaking an MFA (online) with Falmouth University.
Process
Over the last three years, I've refined several practices as part of my creative process:
Artist walks - taking time to walk or drift thoughfully and observantly through a landscape, urban or rural, often collecting found objects, taking photos, video and sound recording and making sketches. [www.walkingartistsnetwork.org]
​Affective mapping: abstract mark-making on paper, reflecting the feeling, mood, atmosphere and affect experienced on an artists' walk, overlaid with traced maps of the area and the walk.
Spontaneous poetry: inspired by the working practices of artist Ewa Partum. Brainstorming words relating to the location and experience of the artists' walk, scattering and recollecting the words to form expressive poetry that is sometimes incorporated into paintings or written up into a sketchbook.
Feel free to download the work sheets I've created to explore and experiment with these practices.​
Spontaneous poetry, 2023.
I will make art.
I will make bad art.
I will make good art.
I will make art for fun.
I will make art to think.
I will make art to understand myself.
I will make art to share my story.
I will make art to show other people.
I will make art to keep to myself.
I will make art to stay sane.
I will make art with other people.
I will make art on my own.
I will not compare my art to the art of other people.
Manifesto
My art is not your art.
Your art is not my art.
Our art is our art.
I will travel
I spend time with other people.
I will spend time alone.
I will spend time in silence.
I will listen to music.
I will read books.
I will visit museums.
I will watch movies.
I will meditate.
I will continue to learn.
I will not engage with political dictators or oligarchs.
I will not engage with people who throw cigarette butts out of cars.
I will make art.
Exhibitions • Workshops • Events
Artist residency - OVADA, Oxford
August 2025
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Open call exhibition - Queue - OVADA, Oxford
May 2025
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Solo exhibition & workshop - A time and place.
OVADA, The Warehouse, 14a Osney Lane, Oxford
February 2025
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Group show - Falmouth University MA Fine,
LSA Art Room Gallery, Leamington Spa
Group exhibition
July 2024
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Group show - The Holy Art Gallery, art-on-loop, London/Athens
Group exhibition
March 2023
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Open call exhibition - The Jam Factory, Oxford
August 2022
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Solo exhibition - Coast
Kieran Stiles Studios
July 2011
Education
2022 - 2025
Falmouth University, Falmouth
MA Fine Art [merit]
University of Hertford, Hatfield
MA Art Therapy [disctinction]
2011 - 2014
1999 - 2000
Cherwell College, Banbury
HNC Graphic design & illustration
1988 - 1991
London School of Theology, Middlesex University
BA [hons] Theology 2:1
1981 - 1984
Sheffield Polytechnic, Sheffield