Born in North Cornwall in 1963, Dave Pearce is a self-taught artist whose paintings and drawings have drawn international acclaim over a thirty year career. His work oscillates between abstraction and representation, but is characterized by bold mark marking and a strong use of colour and pattern. There is a glorious innocence to Pearce’s painting which belies their complexity. Although easy to draw parallels with certain St Ives painters (particularly Hilton), Pearce’s inspiration and influences are in practice far wider and as with most artist’s it is not always valid or useful to dwell too much on comparables. Pearce has a unique and instantly recognisable style which is derived from his own experimentation and observation, rather than inherited from other artists.
 
For our first presentation of his works we have concentrated on his still life painting; an important and reoccurring motif for Pearce. Occasionally, Pearce pushes the boundaries of what could be considered figurative art but even when retaining traditional representational forms, he often plays and subverts them. Tables, often radically foreshortened, might develop additional legs or flowers themselves tend to bear only the loosest resemblance to their real-world subjects. There is a great deal of wit and playfulness on display, but rather than being an end in itself, these characteristics encourage the viewer to investigate the composition further.
 
Pearce’s work has been exhibited at the John Moores Painting Prize (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool) and regularly at the Summer Exhibition (Royal Academy, London). He has shown at numerous international art fairs and has had solo shows in London, Amsterdam and, closer to his home in St Ives.