"My painting process is about ‘pure expression’. Whether I’m painting a purely non-objective abstract, or one of my ‘paintings of historical paintings’, I’m attempting to connect on a level of feeling and understanding that is of a ‘finer quality’ than everyday life. Oil paint is a sacred substance to me, with a long and rich history in the pantheons of Art. I let the paint, itself, have equal say in the process, allowing my natural talents as a draftsman and painter to coalesce with the medium, producing a transcendent image."
David Quentin Sheldon
Born in Washington, DC / Works in Asheville, NC
David Sheldon lives and works in Asheville, North Carolina. A multi-disciplined artist, his work has evolved over the years as both a painter and a sculptor.Sheldon received a BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1984. His time at RISD included a formative year spent painting in Rome, Italy, as part of RISD’s European Honors Program. As a grad student, he brought sculpture into the mix. His thesis show for his MFA in 1990 at the University of Maryland incorporated large-scale, mixed-media paintings, as well as sculptural works. Mentors included internationally acclaimed sculptor, Anne Truitt, and monumental sculptor James Sanborn.
Sheldon worked as an assistant to Sanborn on 'Kryptos' , installed at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, 1990. Growing up in the Washington DC area, Sheldon spent countless hours as a young artist, taking in and studying the artworks of both the Old Masters, and Contemporary Art. As a result, the influence of Art History is latent and strong with Sheldon, and informs the approach to canvas as formal object, and the paint as a visceral medium, having its own voice and input into the process. The depiction of spiritual meaning and truth, as depicted over the epochs of Art History is deeply ingrained in Sheldon's subconscious, as well, and serve as both impetus for exploration and reservoir for approach and understanding. It's an approach that attempts to merge the aesthetics and spirituality of the old masters, with the aesthetics, vibrancy, and philosophies of contemporary art.
