Preston College pupils pay homage to Preston artist David Burrow by reimagining his work

By Aimee Seddon
Published 20th Apr 2023, 12:30 BST
Updated 20th Apr 2023, 13:54 BST
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Students at a college in Preston have paid homage to one of the city’s most beloved artistic figures.

Art students at Preston College have recently produced an exhibition on the late David Burrow, also known as Dave The Artist.

Currently on display at the college, the exhibition hopes to be a “very positive story to emerge from the sad news” of David’s passing.

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Who was David Burrow?

Preston College students have created an exhibition which pays homage to Preston artist David Burrow.Preston College students have created an exhibition which pays homage to Preston artist David Burrow.
Preston College students have created an exhibition which pays homage to Preston artist David Burrow.

Dubbed “Preston’s Picasso”, David Burrow was an artist from Penwortham who specialised in cubism.

Born in 1945, David had shown his talent for art at an early age, and began training at Preston School of Art in the 1960s, before attending colleges in Liverpool and Exeter, although he found “Preston to be [his] favourite”.

David, who had mental health problems and suffered from schizophrenia, put on numerous exhibitions across Lancashire throughout his career, and inspired many.

He sady died in April 2020, aged 75, in Blackpool Victoria Hospital after suffering from Coronavirus. Following his death, numerous tributes were made to him by people across the city.

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Lizzie McGuire: "I wanted to capture not only his style but also include some of my own. I particularly chose this piece as it was just the sketch and I felt as if I could really bring it to life. This is why I used mainly oil pastel for his base sketch with a darker grey background which is a common theme in my work."Lizzie McGuire: "I wanted to capture not only his style but also include some of my own. I particularly chose this piece as it was just the sketch and I felt as if I could really bring it to life. This is why I used mainly oil pastel for his base sketch with a darker grey background which is a common theme in my work."
Lizzie McGuire: "I wanted to capture not only his style but also include some of my own. I particularly chose this piece as it was just the sketch and I felt as if I could really bring it to life. This is why I used mainly oil pastel for his base sketch with a darker grey background which is a common theme in my work."

What did the college students do?

Following the passing of David, Integrate Preston, who hold his paintings, made contact with Preston College, as they wanted to work with them on a project based on his specialism.

College students visited the studio and each selected an unfinished piece of David’s work to re-imagine. They researched cubism, experimented, planned and then modifyed what in some cases were rough preliminary sketches.

The main tutor for the project, Laura Mccallum, explained: “During Art lessons at the college we learnt about Cubism and created our own outcomes in preparation for working with the David Burrow pieces. The students were respectful in their choices and how they managed the work, making sure to practice techniques and styles on photocopies before completing the 'real thing.'

Bethany Marsh: "I started by finding a pattern with David’s colour palette within his portraiture which I then decided I would translate into the finished piece. The mix of blue shades in the background contrasts the vibrancy in the yellow highlights making the whole character come to life. To achieve a colourful cubism portrait I stuck to blocky shapes and an array of blues, yellows and oranges making sure to stay true to his style as well as incorporate his original sketch so you don’t lose the talent David left behind."Bethany Marsh: "I started by finding a pattern with David’s colour palette within his portraiture which I then decided I would translate into the finished piece. The mix of blue shades in the background contrasts the vibrancy in the yellow highlights making the whole character come to life. To achieve a colourful cubism portrait I stuck to blocky shapes and an array of blues, yellows and oranges making sure to stay true to his style as well as incorporate his original sketch so you don’t lose the talent David left behind."
Bethany Marsh: "I started by finding a pattern with David’s colour palette within his portraiture which I then decided I would translate into the finished piece. The mix of blue shades in the background contrasts the vibrancy in the yellow highlights making the whole character come to life. To achieve a colourful cubism portrait I stuck to blocky shapes and an array of blues, yellows and oranges making sure to stay true to his style as well as incorporate his original sketch so you don’t lose the talent David left behind."

“I am so impressed with the students and the work they have created, although dubious about the project initially, they really worked hard to make David Burrow and Integrate proud.”

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What do the students say about the project?

Explaining why she chose her David Burrow piece, Bethany Marsh said: “I felt like it needed a pop of colour to finish it off. He had just completed sketching it out before I took over, I took it from Integrate knowing that I would not only take care of it but also finish it the way he would've wanted it done.”

Jordan Snape: "I chose quite a plain idea from David Burrows as I thought that there was more potential for what I could do with the piece... I did a cubist style and I integrated an interesting palette into the piece... I gained knowledge of a different style that I was not too comfortable with at the beginning. This meant that I really had to think about what I was doing, which I believe really enhanced my knowledge of David Burrow's cubist art style." ​Jordan Snape: "I chose quite a plain idea from David Burrows as I thought that there was more potential for what I could do with the piece... I did a cubist style and I integrated an interesting palette into the piece... I gained knowledge of a different style that I was not too comfortable with at the beginning. This meant that I really had to think about what I was doing, which I believe really enhanced my knowledge of David Burrow's cubist art style." ​
Jordan Snape: "I chose quite a plain idea from David Burrows as I thought that there was more potential for what I could do with the piece... I did a cubist style and I integrated an interesting palette into the piece... I gained knowledge of a different style that I was not too comfortable with at the beginning. This meant that I really had to think about what I was doing, which I believe really enhanced my knowledge of David Burrow's cubist art style." ​

Bethany added: “Although this isn’t my style of work as I enjoy doing different forms of realism, in particular photorealism, this was my first time working in a cubist style and overall I found it an enjoyable experience. This type of art is very forgiving and therapeutic and now I can better understand how David worked after experimenting with cubism techniques. I would love to do something like this again, you feel an immense amount of respect for artists like David who deserve a bigger audience.”

Nicole Williamson commented: “I enjoyed using David’s style with the blocked colours and limited shading because it made the artwork unique and very much his preferred style. Throughout this experience I have enjoyed multiple things such as trying something new like finishing someone else’s art and it has shown me people have trust in their loved items enough for someone to finish it.”

Related topics:PrestonPenwortham