Imagined Mountains, Art on a Postcard
May 2018
artonapostcard.com

Art on a Postcard: Mountains have been the inspiration for many painters including Paul Cezanne and Thomas Cole. What do you think draws artists to mountain landscapes?
 
David Wightman: It’s clear that the immense beauty of mountains have been visually irresistible for many artists - including myself. When I first started to create landscape paintings and prints, I was drawn to the works of Caspar David Friedrich and painters from the Hudson River School - both of whom painted stunning and picturesque mountain scenes. Their exploration of sublime and beautiful landscapes is something I try to continue in my own work.


 
Persephone, Persephone ii, Ottoline, Ottoline ii, fine art digital prints on Hahnemühle pearl paper, A6 postcards / editions of 50 / available via Art on a Postcard >

AOAP: Where in the world are your landscapes taken from?
 
DW: My landscapes are entirely imaginary. I’m influenced by places I’ve visited and by the works of previous landscape painters. However, I’m not interested in depicting real destinations or staying true to nature or any particular artistic movement. I want to be free to create beautiful landscapes that aren’t anchored to a specific place or style.


 
Secret Name, acrylic and collaged wallpaper on canvas, 98 x 98 cm

AOAP: Colour is clearly very important to your work. How do you go about selecting which colours will work for each piece?
 
DW: Colour is perhaps the most important element of my practice. My early paintings were geometrically abstract and very colourful. I’ve adapted my love of bold shapes and saturated colour from my abstract work to my landscape paintings and prints. My use of colour is far more intuitive than scientific: it is the result of ongoing studio experimentation rather than a reliance on theory. I see the genre of landscape as a perfect way to explore colour


 
Ottoline iv, acrylic and collaged wallpaper on canvas, 80 x 120 cm

AOAP: And finally, why did you want to get involved with Art on a Postcard?
 
DW: I’ve been involved with Art on a Postcard for a few years and have seen the great work they do for The Hepatitis C Trust. I also love the idea of creating postcard variations of my work. I think of my postcard landscapes as souvenirs of my imagination.

Art on a Postcard and David Wightman