David Escarabajal: City Spaces
Kate Downes • 7 March 2022
David's fluid, spontaneous style, used to capture the energy and spaces of the cities that inspire him, has been described as “sketching in paint”
David combines the principles of classic impressionism with a contemporary appreciation of abstraction and a bold, vibrant palette. His fluid, spontaneous has been described as “sketching in paint.” Dynamic, gestural marks allow him to suggest the lines of architecture within each scene, drawing the viewer’s eye to points that he has chosen to feature. At the same time, he retains enough realistic elements to ground the scene within his chosen location.
In general, David chooses to focus on well-known cities, often in Europe, as a recognizable vista allows him more freedom to explore different choices without alienating the viewer. This also enables David to dive deeper into his masterly use of colour, which he employs to create atmosphere and mood as well as to suggest the buildings and streets of the cities he loves.
Gallery director Bob Corsie recently had the chance to visit David at his studio in Spain, and get an up-close view of the creative process. Frequently, David will develop a palette that is themed to the city he is featuring, drawing on the character, climate and colours of the local landscape, streets and inhabitants of each metropolis. His Edinburgh series, for example, is characterised by soft purples, pinks, and greys, contrasting against pops of yolky yellow and slithers of turquoise...
These narrative palettes suggest the stormy skies of the North, brightly cold sunsets, or honeyed sandstone marred by city smoke, interrupted by glimpses of bright sky and slow, broad beams of lazy light.
To see more of David's work, take a look at his page on our online gallery, or get in touch with us to arrange a viewing.
Our tips on using your artworks to represent what makes you unique, in your home or at your workplace
"This photograph is personal. Scotland is my home and I think we did Glencoe proud."
One of our favourite ways to look back on the year past is through our installation photos. These are the times we get to see what our artists’ work looks like when it reaches the homes or workplaces of our clients – for us, that’s really what it’s all about.
Each work has its own narrative, in which Jane highlights the details and themes of the piece. In 'Masters of Skullduggery,' Jane reimagines the infamous Burke and Hare as two hares surrounded by skulls and corpse lights as evidence of their misdeeds… “Oh, these two are really bad boys… William Hare and William Burke, show committed a series of murders in 1828. They sold the corpses to Dr. Robert Knox for dissection in his lectures in anatomy. To make things more nefarious, when captured Hare turned King’s evidence against Burke and Burke was hanged. His body was donated to the anatomy class; it can still be seen today. Hare disappeared. A fitting story for dark Scottish nights…”
A look back at some of our favourite artwork installations from Watson clients' homes, and our take on what made the artworks work so well in each space...
When the time comes to say goodbye to a precious artwork, whether to bring something new into your collection or to free up some cash, it’s important to find the right sales option. With so many art collectors now looking for their next piece online, EzelDotz’s web-based sales platform allows artworks to be discovered by collectors seeking works by their favourite collectable artists. EzelDotz also has a database of over 15,000 collectors to whom they will market new works, or help in their search for a particular artist’s work. They have recently been working on a brand new sales platform and will be relaunching soon! Watson has been working with EzelDotz for a number of years as a resale partner (previously under the name 'Sell My Artworks'.) We have even had the opportunity to display artworks owned by local Edinburgh clients at the gallery, by request of our own collectors. If you are looking to move on any works in your own art collection, visit EzelDotz to see how they can assist you as their new sales platform gets underway.
Kirsten Mirrey's first solo show had some incredible results...!
Local street artist Sleek’s Edinburgh workspace is located in the Queen Street Art Studio below Watson Gallery, and we enjoyed co-hosting his live painting demonstration… in keeping with his street art roots, he decided to work outside!