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David Sorensen
Painter (QLD)

He was born in 1955 in Oxford, UK, grew up on the island of Aruba, has traveled extensively worldwide, and has lived several times in Europe.  He is essentially a self-taught artist, aside from informal sessions with his friend Johannes Baech, master artist of Viborg, Denmark.   His work reflects his love of the Australian bush, dating to 1975 when he spent almost a year exploring in an old Kombi van with his best mate, an Aussie met through a school exchange program.  Upon returning to college, Dave continued to paint Australian landscapes, holding up slides to the light or abstracting from memory.  Following a 26-year, defence-related career as a US Marine helicopter pilot, intelligence officer, and systems consultant, Dave resumed serious painting.  He paints subjects identified during recent visits to Australia, especially while camping on Moreton Island. Ironically this includes many pristine sites devastated by the March 2009 oil spill. The "Centre" is also a favourite subject, reflecting memories while stranded 5 weeks at Ayers Rock by a crook Kombi motor.

Dave's primary medium is watercolour, but he has also worked in oil and acrylic, sculpted, designed mobiles and other crafts, painted a large mural for his University, and also an avid photographer.  He prefers a realistic style to reflect the natural beauty in both small and large subjects. Dave has a unique, self-taught approach to watercolour, building up many layers on heavy, absorbent paper to achieve the richness and depth of his colours.

Dave is a Signature Member of the US National Watercolour Society, having been inducted in 2009, immediately upon entering the professional ranks as an artist.  He is also a member of the American Watercolour Society, the Virginia Watercolour Society, the Peninsula Watercolour Society, the Central Virginia Watercolour Guild, and the Piedmont Council for the Arts, the Hampton Arts League, the Peninsula Fine Arts Centre, and is a charter member of the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection's "Mara Tjuta Circle." His paintings can be found in more than 70 private and commercial collections world-wide. He is a member of the American Australian Association and a regular attendee at cultural affairs at the Australian Embassy in Washington.

Whether my paintings are realistic or abstracted, I strive to capture the beauty of the colours and light that I see in the world around me. I deliberately use poor reference images from my many photographs when painting.  I want the finished work to evoke a remembered experience and not be a copied illustration.  In addition to my core work on Australian landscapes I am also building a portfolio of Caribbean scenes from my childhood through recent visits to the Netherlands Antilles.  My biggest challenge now that I've stepped out of the amateur closet is balancing creative time against the many activities arising from my recent success and recognition.  I guess this is a good problem.

Exhibitions:

- Solo show, "Australia" - Forty watercolour landscapes at Newcomb Hall Art Gallery, University of Virginia (April 30 - September 4, 2010)
- Virginia Artists 2010 Juried Exhibition (July 18 - August 29, 2010) - Virginia's largest juried show
- Halls of Art at the Hampton Roads Convention Centre (June 25 - November 18, 2010)
- TideWATER: Watermedia by Hampton Roads Artists (May 21 - July 11, 2010) - Award of Merit
- 31st Virginia Watercolour Society Juried Exhibition (May 15 - July 4, 2010)
- National Watercolour Society's 89th Annual Exhibition (2009) - Inducted as Signature Member on first entry

Teaching/Education:

- Guest Instructor for watercolours, Grafton High School advanced art classes
(2009-2010)
- University of Pennsylvania, BA in Regional Science (1978)

Contact David Sorensen