An interview with David Cobley:
David works from a studio in Bath, England, and his paintings are largely a result of his fascination with the human form and human behavior.
His portrait commissions include one of The Princess Royal, and in 2004 his portrait of Ken Dodd OBE was bought by the National Portrait Gallery, London for its permanent collection. He has exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and held solo exhibitions at Beaux Arts in Bath, and Messum's in London. (Introduction from his website.)
TKC: I am very taken by your ‘studio paintings’ in which you are often depicted sitting at your easel, painting. 
This is a familiar image for anyone who has ever seen themselves at work, what would you say draws you to the mirror time and time again?
DC: As a painter I often find myself on my own. Drawing and painting from life still excites me more than any other way of making an image, and when I am at a loss for subject matter, I turn to the mirror and what I see in it. Despite remaining essentially the same, the studio changes constantly with the light, and with how it is being used at the time.
These paintings gave a structure to my day if I wasn’t working on a commission and had no model booked. I would come into the studio knowing exactly what I was going to paint. The only question that remained was how I would tackle it, changing colour and composition as I wanted to.
They gave me the opportunity to meditate on what painting was all about.
tkc: I frequently work with the mirror in my studio and I find it to be one of the purest experiences of art-making; Something about embracing one’s own image and the act of painting seems very natural and intimate. Do you hold these paintings in a higher regard than other subjects?
DC: I know exactly what you mean. I certainly enjoyed painting them, and felt I learned a lot in the process. They allowed me to play with light, space, composition and colour quite freely. I am fond of them as a series, and one or two of them have special memories for me.
tkc: Your website quotes you as saying that “[the studio paintings] are a visual diary of someone at work in a place where imagination has free reign and all things seem possible.” As a representational painter, what kind of a role does imagination play in your work?
DC: I love looking, and although I am essentially painting what I see, the act of recreating it in paint is an endlessly fascinating and enjoyable process. Something about it gives me a sense of freedom and fulfillment.
tkc: The color red seems almost constant in these paintings;would you comment on the significance of these red passages?
dc: Red is such an exciting colour. It could be taken to symbolize many things, but in essence it just has a quality that excites me and gives the painting a power it would not otherwise have.
tkc: The square format is another reoccurring theme in your work. I love working with squares, but I find that many artists stray from them, what attracts you to the square? Why do you think it is such an uncommon format?
dc: I started painting the square to limit my options. As a painter I have almost too many at my disposal, and working with the square allowed me to concentrate on colour and composition in a way that wouldn’t have been possible if I had to worry about the shape of the canvas as well.
It may be uncommon because of a ‘landscape’ or ‘portrait’ tradition. Some artists find it difficult to work with, but to me it is the perfect shape.
tkc: On to technique, or the act of actually applying paint to the surface: You seem to be evolving towards a looser vocabulary of mark-making in which details are suggested with key notes of color, instead of tediously rendered. What does this evolution mean to you? What brought it about?
dc: I am not sure about the term ‘evolution’. Sometimes it seems I am just going round in circles!
I guess I am always trying to surprise myself and do something I haven’t done before. Paintings that have a photographic quality irritate me. Oil paint is a marvellous material and I am only just beginning to enjoy its full potential.
tkc: What kinds of things are you currently working on?
dc: One of the things I am working on is a portrait of someone with a great collection of vinyl records. It is in a room with a great atmosphere, and I am looking down on him, his records and his turntable from about 40cm off the ground. I like the perspective it creates.
I have lots of ideas for paintings. Musicians, dancers, more figures in interiors. But after a recent, and very enjoyable, holiday in France I have to get down to actually doing the work!
My thanks to the wonderful painter, and good sport, David Cobley for lending his time and patience with this interview.
Please visit his website at davidcobley.co.uk
Above paintings copyright © David H. Cobley.
(08/05/08)