Inspired by Nature
David Robertson is an artist specialising in wood engraving and linocut. His practice explores the relationship between landscape and memory, bringing together careful craftsmanship with a personal sense of place.
Robertson typically starts a body of work by walking and drawing in the countryside. These direct observational studies form the foundation for prints developed later in the studio. He is particularly drawn to glacial rock formations, such as the tors of Dartmoor and the moonlike surface of Brimham Rocks, as well as the quiet experience of ancient woodland.
Alongside this, Robertson maintains a second strand of practice that addresses social injustice including war, discrimination and inequality. In 2022, he presented Suffering in Silence, a major print installation in association with The Holburne Museum. This immersive work explores male mental health and helps articulate his recurring need to walk as both a creative and reflective act.
Trained in sculpture at Bath Spa University and filmmaking at the University of the West of England, he is an award-winning artist, QEST scholar, an Associate Member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, a member of the Society of Wood Engravers and MAKE Southwest. His work is held in public collections at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; Manchester Metropolitan University; Royal Collections Trust, Windsor Castle; Central Academy Fine Art, Beijing and Heilongjiang Museum of Printmaking as well as private collections around the world.
Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers
Simon Brett has written an excellent explanation of what wood engraving is on this page of the Society of Wood Engravers website.