My interest in art began about the age of two when I apparently rubbed my head in one of my father's oil paintings, since when I have always loved the smell of turpentine and maintained an active interest in art.
In the late 50's my father frequently sold some of my paintings, for six pence (2.5p in today's money), when he exhibited at Open Air Art Exhibitions at Harrogate and Harewood.
THE EARLY YEARS (1971-1984)
I trained as an Industrial Designer, leaving college in 1971
to pursue a career in Architecture and
Design working for
Milton Keynes Development Corporation
Gillinson
Barnett and Partners,
Joshua Tetley Brewery
Portakabin
Applied Interior
Design Limited
Cross & Co
Between leaving Tetleys and before children and self employment, I completed fourteen double sided pub signs in my own time. Not just for pleasure of course!
THE MIDDLE YEARS (1984 - 1999)
David Appleyard
Design Consultant operated out of the Raylor Centre in York from 1984 to 1999, servicing Regional and National Brewers and Pub Companies.
Technology arrived in 1990 with the purchase of an
Apple
Macintosh Computer having 21" and 12" monitors, a black and white LaserJet Printer and Microsoft Office and 3DMiniCAD software - all for the princely sum of £10,000 and supplied on floppy disks!
"The Beer Orders" and ever increasing costs of technology brought closure in 1999.
THE LATER YEARS (2000 AND BEYOND)
The Millennium provided new horizons working for
The William Walker Partnership
Nicholas Associates
PGT & Co
DSP Architects LLP
Redundancy in 2008 resulted in major changes to my working life, eventually finding my way back into Architecture in 2013 working for
The Planning Design Partnership
As work seemed to become more impersonal, particularly with the excessive use of emails instead of telephone calls, I elected to retire in 2014, hopefully making way for much younger guns!
THE ARTIST
Since completing my pub sign commissions in the late 70's I have enjoyed painting more seriously.
The Millennium saw me undertake a major project to build a web site of my father's work, which is still ongoing over twenty years later.
With his web site established and my own up and running I endeavoured to be more productive having adequate incentive with four solo exhibitions, numerous commissions, personal presents and doing three paintings a year for our annual village art exhibition.
Dining Rooms, Living Rooms and Bedrooms have all been Studios in some shape or form, fulfilling their purpose at the time.
Today's Studios are a third bedroom and two thirds of an integral garage, which since Lockdown, doubles as my Imperial Russian Stout Brewery.
Click the button to view
During Lockdown in 2020 I began doing pencil portraits of random people in an A6 Sketch Book which has seen some of my closest friends receiving very personalised Birthday Cards!
"Project 4" was born after "Enjoying a Break at Hampton Court" was sold to a friend and former work colleague, which lead to a commission for another one, since when I have used the format of two people sitting and two standing as a basis for other paintings.
SALE OF PAINTINGS
All original paintings are for sale and priced from £75.00 for an A4 size rising proportionately to £300 for an A2.
They come unmounted, unframed and postage is not included.
Any paintings which have been sold, gifted or commissioned can be re-commissioned.
THE MUSICIAN
Singer
Thrown on the musical scrap heap at Secondary School, I took the opportunity whilst working for The City of York Council to join their workplace and well being choir, CANsing, since when I never looked back.
Musician
Christmas 2016 saw my wife and me outside York Minster and being in festive mood we put a pound in a busker's bucket. Another example of being in the right place at the right time, as it led to regular 90 minute singing and music lessons once every week for two and a half years until Joska returned home to Holland in 2019.
Musicians say "Keep Music Live"
so let's "Keep Art Original" even if it's Digital
