David Aspden An Artists’ Artist
David Aspden An Artists’ Artist
5 - 26 October, 2013
© Utopia Art Sydney
I’ve tried to work out what sort of painter I am. Some people have written things or said things about my paintings and about other paintings and tend to group them under different headings, such as abstract or hard-edge, op or pop and all the rest of the titles, but I think that rarely do painters fall into these categories. David Aspden Characteristically, Aspden would dance about the expansive area of a painting, applying paint rapidly in a performative way... Through his individual approach to colour-field painting, Aspden mastered the manipulation of light, colour and form... he developed a way to visually communicate an aesthetic ideal through the contemplative process of a studio practice. Christopher Dean ...no matter how resolutely abstract, Aspden’s work never came across as mere pattern-making or design. There was an urgency to his paintings, a seriousness of purpose and a restless invention that forced him to keep experimenting until the very end. John McDonald I have always thought of David Aspden as an artists’ artist. He followed his own path and was unflinching in the face of changing fashions. His work is unmistakably his own. It has endured with integrity and holds the respect and admiration of artists across generations. Christopher Hodges
1. Untitled (after India), 1983, oil on paper, 126.5 x 92.5cm (framed)
2. Two Sides of Love, 1985, painted screen, 198.5 x 317cm (variable)
3. Nebula, 1972, acrylic on canvas, 215 x 163cm
4. Landscape with Flowers, 1975, acrylic on paper, 56 x 78cm (framed)
5. Mururoa, 1973, acrylic on canvas, 161 x 244cm
6. Golden Glow, 1973, acrylic on canvas, 164 x 321.5cm
Yukultji Napangati, Untitled, 2011, acrylic on linen, 122 x 61cm
7. Sydney Summer, 1997, oil on canvas, 150 x 488cm (diptych)
8. David Aspden, Late Summer, 1974, oil on canvas, 236 x 162cm
9. After Matisse, 1984, collage on paper, 125.5 x 85.5cm (framed)
10. Red Collage, 1984, collage on paper, 125.5 x 85.5cm (framed)
11. Canyonleigh Winter, 1996, oil on canvas, 95 x 78cm (framed)
David Aspden An Artists’ Artist
5 - 26 October, 2013
Utopia Art Sydney 2 Danks Street Waterloo NSW 2017 Telephone: + 61 2 9699 2900 email: utopiaartsydney@ozemail.com.au www.utopiaartsydney.com.au © Utopia Art Sydney
Utopia Art Sydney 2 Danks Street Waterloo NSW 2017 Telephone: + 61 2 9699 2900 email: utopiaartsydney@ozemail.com.au www.utopiaartsydney.com.au