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Rowland Davidson Artist
Rowland Davidson was born in Belfast in 1942 and was educated in the Belfast College of Art studying Fine Art under John Luke and Tom Carr. In 1968, he graduated and spent several years teaching Art and Design at a Belfast boys’ school, where he became Head of Dept. in 1975.
In 1987 he gave up teaching in order to pursue his art more fully, and in doing so became one of Ireland’s best-known figurative painters. He described this as ‘a step of faith’. “As a student I had planned to become a full-time artist within six months of graduation, but over the years I found that career demands and the need to spend time with my family meant that I had minimal time for painting. When I eventually did become a full-time painter, it was through divine intervention”
His work is always characterised by skilled draughtsmanship, warmth and softness of brushstroke with a sensitive interpretation of subject and depth of contrast. The early work was mainly based on his experience of Ireland, its landscape, its children at play, people at work, fairs and markets, traditional musicians and dancers. His most recent work marks a deeper exploration of these subjects although his heart remains very much in the portrayal of children.
Today Rowland’s work is held in many public and private collections and is in high demand across the United Kingdom and Ireland. His subject is always been on the people of Ireland, more specifically children.
