David Laity Australian, b. 1958

The 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. Today, Laity's use of Hessian fabric imbues his work with sensuous textuality, while the build-up of pigments gives his paintings rich saturation and warm glow. The 1950's were the era when, after the end of the Second World War, women replaced men in the workforce — hence the empowering uniformity of frocks and coats within the paintings.

Within the privacy of the domestic setting, the sensuality reigns supreme and the individuality is regained.The second tranche of his present oeuvre focuses on David’s immediate surroundings. His home and studio are located on the outskirts of Benalla in regional Victoria, where the interactions between the artist and the local flora and fauna are regular and spontaneous. Collectively, the works reflect concerns about the environment, conservation, and regeneration.

The life of the artist can be a lonely experience, especially in the context of the recent lockdowns and travel restrictions. These sentiments are expressed through the paintings of dogs and skulls, both a long-standing synecdoche for the artist’s self-portraits. Laity's highly individual, memorable, and immediately recognisable images have garnered a large collectors' following, and his works have been acquired by numerous public, corporate, and private collections throughout Australia and abroad.