"David's use of Hessian fabric imbues the work with sensuous textuality, while the build-up of pigments gives his paintings rich saturation and warm glow."
Wangaratta-born painter, sculptor, and graphic artist, David Laity began his career as a cartoonist in the 1980s, publishing regularly in regional and metropolitan periodicals. His graphic oeuvre garnered him a curatorial following with survey exhibitions in the Benalla and Shepparton regional galleries and a publication of a monograph, ‘It’s a Rat Race’. Focusing from the 1990's on painting and sculpture, Laity launched his exhibition career with the iconic Jackman Gallery in St Kilda.
His recent works continue the artist’s ongoing exploration of the two parallel themes within his practice: the nude and the environment. Laity’s background as a professional cartoonist is seen in the laconically of shape and form. The focus on the silhouette against the uncluttered abstracted backgrounds gives his images immediacy and clarity. While the limited colour palette also references his background as a graphic artist, it is also reflective of his fascination with the dominant colour schemes of the 1950's.