ARTIST IN FOCUS: DAVID HOLLINS – We find out more about the man behind our latest cover!
ARTIST IN FOCUS: DAVID HOLLINS
David Hollins’ work captures fleeting light, emotional landscapes, and the everyday beauty of Cumbria’s natural and built environments.
by Danni Murphy
David Hollins is a Carlisle-based artist, originally from Blackpool, whose practice is rooted in place, instinct, and lived experience.
He studied Fine Art at Canterbury Art College before retraining as a photojournalist at the London College of Printing. After years working across the UK as a photographer, David returned to Cumbria and, around ten years ago, found his way back to painting.
Much of David’s work is created outdoors, where he feels most connected to his subject matter. “I enjoy painting outside, inspired by places which have an emotional connection,” he explains. Working directly in the landscape allows him to respond to changing light, weather, and atmosphere, capturing both the beauty of the natural world and the shifting life of the built environment.
Painting en plein air encourages spontaneity and instinct. “Working outdoors I feel I can better capture the fleeting light, or human influence on the landscape,” David says. This approach allows him to make immediate, almost subconscious decisions about colour, composition, and mark-making without becoming overly concerned with accuracy or overworking a piece.
“Much of David’s work is created outdoors, where he feels most connected to his subject matter.”
Being out in the environment also brings an unexpected social element to his practice. “It also gives me a chance to have a good chat with passers-by,” he adds. “Mainly positive comments of course, or offers of a hot drink or a comfortable chair to sit on.” His love for Cumbria runs deep, from its landscapes to its people, with inspiration drawn from across the region, from coastal towns to the fells.
David works primarily with acrylics and watercolours on paper, often combined with chalks or charcoal. Always keen to experiment, he pushes himself beyond familiar techniques. “I’m always trying to work out of my comfort zone,” he says. Recently, he has been exploring ink and wash using bamboo pens or feathers, tools that are harder to control but often lead to what he describes as “happy accidents.”
A playful element runs through his work, including the use of found materials from the landscape itself. “I can have fun throwing in some local materials like sand, mud, or even coffee,” David says, adding an enigmatic, textural quality to his paintings.
His influences are wide-ranging, from 2000AD comic art to Turner’s sketchbooks. He speaks with particular admiration for Cumbrian artist Sheila Fell, alongside artists such as Paula Rego, David Hockney, Christopher Wood, and photographer Tony Ray-Jones.
“A playful element runs through his work, including the use of found materials from the landscape itself.”
David’s work can be found in pop-up galleries across Cumbria, with recent exhibitions at Intro in Carlisle and the Shipping Brow Gallery in Maryport. His paintings offer an intuitive and honest response to place, inviting viewers to slow down and see familiar landscapes in a new light.
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