DAVID SEATON

Painter, Sculptor and Musician working in London, Berlin and Ronda, Spain

After graduating from Central Saint Martin’s, David Seaton focused on sculpture, working mostly in wood, steel and glass. Then, in 1975, William Tucker included his work in a landmark, if somewhat controversial show, The Condition of Sculpture at the Hayward Gallery, where Seaton’s Ithaca I, a large steel work, marked the entrance.

Two years later, Peter Murray organised Seaton’s first solo show at the newly opened Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Later, in the early 1990s, he collaborated in workshops and cultural exchanges organised by Richard Demarco in Poland following the collapse of the communist regime.

He now focuses exclusively on painting, using a bold, formal technique combining pure, dry pigments, high-quality PVC binders, and occasionally, collage, the last being a main component of his recent Goyesca series. “It’s quite sculptural,” he said, “quite physical, and there’s a randomness to it. Sure, collage can be destructive, but it’s a great way to self-correct, and so many artists from Matisse to Lee Krasner knew this.”

Sculpture first shaped his sense of form, composition and rhythm, but Seaton’s work is also inspired by his love of music. He first picked up the clarinet as a child, and his playing – informed by a deep love of New Orleans jazz greats, like George Lewis – features on several tracks of recent albums by his son, internationally known DJ and composer Joe Seaton (AKA Call Super).