Dave Parsons South Yorkshire, United Kingdom

• 

  Back to profiles Invite to apply

I am an artist working in Sheffield painting and sculpting alongside welding, making and restoring to make money. I went to art college in tI mid 80's for an art foundation course and failed it so not really trained but not fully an Outsider. At 60 I was diagnosed with combined Autism and ADHD and discovered an underlying cause for many situations I have been in that have influenced my work

As an emerging contemporary artist, my practice explores intersectionality, neurodiversity, and collective identity through high-detail, narrative-driven painting. Following a successful season of selection for multiple juried open-call exhibitions across the UK, my current work focuses on dismantling rigid historical power structures in favor of vibrant, inclusive futures. By anchoring my work in rigorous, time-intensive processes, I create visually complex spaces where neurodivergent symbols, queer histories, and social allies converge, inviting the viewer to witness the inevitable triumph of collective strength over institutional stagnation. Broadly speaking my work reflects my general opposition to Social Conservatism wherever it exists, to government policy that supports or commits unethical and immoral actions such as the Israeli Genocide in Gaza, discrimination against refugees and migrants, transphobia and so on

In practical terms most of my work is 2 dimensional using Acrylics applied via every means possible from brushes to screen printing as appropriate. The surfaces I use are Lining paper, watercolour paper canvases made from found and recycled materials sourced from skips and reworked and boards coated in Gesso. Recently I have been experimenting with oils for painting and a return to charcoal and pastels. Occasionally I also work in steel, to make sculpture mostly from scrap