Notes from an easel-sex and death work in progress by David Gough

I guess I'm as heady as any man would be, having studied a picture of female pubenda for a duration-though any frustrations are borne from the snail-paced process of layering with oils. It's something else though-the sensual scent of turpentine and linceed, the smooth malleability of lush greens, ochres, crimsons and flesh white, the acid flow of pinot sliding down your throat...you learn to take your time, as in all things-better to savour the sensation. My browser static for hours on the incredible yardstick of Jenny Saville (imo the last great figurative artist of our time), I lost myself and my sable, in the beautiful fragility of a hipbone pushed against translucent skin.

Tonight that feels like all their needs to ever be.

Notes from an easel part one-sex and death working title

Its odd how fickle, my creative bipolarity is. What had begun as a fairly didactic commentary on the Bush legacy, has diverged onto a purely pedestrian path entirely. I tried working the paint, but the original message felt ham-fistedly half baked-a little too satirical perhaps. So I painted over the piece, and ran with another bug in my head (and in my bed)-that of sex/life and death. You can see the beginnings of a female torso in one of eye sockets, and I'll be working the piece right up until the show at the Ruby Room on the 8th.

Gothic Art Now-contemporary Gothic Art and Illustration by Jasmine Becket Griffith, featuring David Gough

Amongst the forest of paper that has bloated our mailbox lately-'tis the season and all that-was the rather delicious tome-'Gothic Art Now'- compiled by the delectably gothic,talented and sickeningly prolific-Jasmine Becket Griffith.
Resplendently lavish, beautifully designed and containing luminaries such as Brom-who pens the foreword-Master H.R.Giger, David Bowers, Scott Radke,David Stoupakis, and more names than you can shake a sable at-it also includes the work of one diminutive David Joseph Gough, who I've never heard of, but I believe shows some promise.

Its a real honour to be rubbing galley shoulders, alongside a pantheon of names I've admired since sprogdom, and I am very much at Miss Jasmine's requital, for my magnamanous insertion. I also owe her big time, for the very cheeky finale, where I get a name check (for the hell of it) in her acknowledgement's.
The book is available at most High street retail outlets, and with one day before Xmas,if you can stomach the bun fight-it would make a hefty gift in someone's stocking, or if you want to make up for missing the day altogether, its available from Amazon (in its US incarnations *note sleeve) from the following link:

Gothic Art Now on Amazon

Performance Art-David Gough at the Ruby Room

Currently nestling on my Easel, is a new skull piece, which I began at the recent live painting event at the Ruby Room in Hillcrest. A sort of comment on the moral abyss that has been the Bush/Cheney years, its inception was accompanied by some throbbing techno beat, and judging from the glasses lined on the tray-a bevvy of ales.

Only possessors of a rotoscope,and some 3d glasses, will be able to fully benefit from seing the scrappy beginnings in the skewed angle of this photo, but I was mightily appreciative of the collected throng that gathered around the stage throughout the night, and stayed the distance to watch-I almost felt like a rock star for about one whole minute, and should learn to tap dance or something for the next one.

Precluding online shopping and the odd social gathering this week, I'm hoping to tickle the surface on this piece some more, so I'll post progressions soon.

Gods and Monsters, the Art Phantastique of David Gough

Whilst it may seem on the face of it, that I have disappeared into some b(l)ackwater close-but-no-cigar reclusive hole, for retired artists these past few months, I have in fact been sequestered away, burning the candle on forthcoming projects.

A continued turn of bad licensing deals, prevarications and basic bullshit, brought to a head the long held notion, that-well- I'm a big boy now, and nobody has my interests at heart better than myself, so I've taken a bold-and some would say, long overdue- foot forward, and my first book- 'Gods and Monsters'-the art phantastique of David Gough-is the result.
Published through my own Darq Matter imprint, for the moment, these will only be available through my website, and at public events,but if anyone knows of any distributors out there, who might be interested in displaying my little tome, then let me know.

My art will also be appearing in a number of other publications-which include one or two coffee table anthologies as well as the featured cover for Peter Carolls continued spiritual quest-in'The Apophenion'-now available from Amazon.

Start filling your holiday shopping lists now.

Talking of which, my biggest commitment at the moment, is art and writing duties on my total reinterpretation of Dickens Xmas Carol.
At the time of writing, I'm still fleshing out the pages and putting painterly meat on the bones of yuletide's most infamous curmudgeon, but I am delighting in my twisted translation.

As if that isn't enough to keep me reaching for the Caffeine drip, I have several shows planned, as well as another exhibit at Basic on October 14th, where I will be showcasing-time willing- at least four or five new pieces. Check out my appearances page for more details. Of course, I'll keep any new developments updated here and in the news section, so thanks for staying with us during what might have seemed a fallow period.

Showboat-Back to Basics

Pizza & Paint were the order of the day, at downtown San Diego's Basic, the happening venue.
A gaggle of friends in tow, and one other-whose work some of you might be familiar with-'the Heart of Darkness' themed evening was shared by a coterie of the most excellent urban artists.

Amongst them, Sean Dietrich, Tou Vue,Tasso and a Mohawk coiffed Alex Julian, whose in your face artoonery, I recommend most highly.

The evening was a splendid success, and I was hugely appreciative of the friends and fans who made a special effort to make it over there, particularly as this was a Tuesday-never the most ideal evening for gallivanting.

Posted here,are a selection of pics from the evening. A huge thank you to my fellow artists,all attendees, and a special nod to Johnny Tran-who helped organize the event.