Illuminations & Illustrations

Degrees, Awards, Poems, Quotations

David has a long history of drawing–with pen and ink—naturally! In addition, David enjoys working with gouache, pencil, watercolors and colored pencil. These pieces are on fine vintage and imported papers, vellum or parchment—imparting a vibrant glow to the artwork that blends organically with calligraphy.

Over many years, David has done many illustrations of houses and other buildings, using pen and ink. Working from photographs, David uses views from varied angles to make sure all details are correct.  The finished drawings evoke the look of old etchings—with a wealth of detail.  These drawings are usually larger, suitable for framing, but in addition, can reduced for use as note cards, stationery or other uses.

For ecclesiastical or sacred pieces, David can produce individualized works that use Medieval and Renaissance styles and techniques to produce prayers, poems or quotations that look both ancient and contemporary.  He uses hand-ground Chinese ink for black, gouache for colors, and a number of types of gilding for rich gold effects.  He can also use palladium leaf for silver, which does not tarnish over time. Each of these pieces is prepared in close collaboration with the client, to achieve exactly the look required. In addition, small roundels with birds, flowers or butterflies can be painted on vellum to give a rich, vibrant glow to the piece.

These same techniques can help truly unique and individual awards and testimonials, spectacular one-of-a-kind pieces to honor family and friends with a touchstone poem or quotation, or can be done as a one-off small drawing or painting of a favorite bird, flower or tree from nature. Please review the samples David has here—but for a full appreciation of the work, make an appointment to stop by to see original works— always a much richer experience.