Landscape Oil Paintings:
Hyperrealism in microscopic detail by David Patch
My work has been described as "Exquisite - like a Dutch Master"
The randomness and precision of nature presents a fantastic challenge to understand and interpret...
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Into The Light
Waterfall on the Routeburn Track, South Island, NZ.
The finished painting is 1.2 meters long.
1202 x 840mm Oil on etch primed aluminium © David Patch
Porters Pass (sold)
560x380mm Oil on board
© David Patch
Lake Clearwater
810x1090mm (including frame) Oil on etch primed aluminium
© David Patch
Displayed at the Mall Galleries in London, this picture came within 1 point of winning £20,000 in the 2003 Not the Turner Prize competition with ten thousand entries based mainly on quality and technical excellence - but not subject matter. It was an experiment using oil paint for the first time, I wanted to find out how far I could push it and how fine I could go with the detail.
Oil on board size 18x26 inches © David Patch
^ I can think of worse things to be labelled as! ^
Pencil drawing which I did in various grades of lead, to see how far I could push this medium. Size A3. An object of industrial beauty.
© David Patch
About :
There are two things which I appreciate the most in life - truth, and beauty.
At times a tortured soul, there is no getting away from the fact that the art is who I am.
From a very early age my father encouraged me to draw a variety of subjects at home. By the age of eleven, I had a keen interest in photography and a fascination with heavy engineering and British railway locomotives. Following my school years where I gained O Levels in Art and Technical Drawing, I spent some time at Bournemouth & Poole College of Art and Design studying technical illustration where I gained a sound understanding of perspective, ellipses and foreshortening, plus good quality drawing instruments and an airbrush. I was told that my rendering could not be bettered by any professional.
Shortly after college I suffered a whiplash injury. As a result of this, I 'lost' 20 years of my life to prescribed pain killers. After looking at the x-ray images in 2016, I worked out how to solve the problem permanently and heal. I designed a program of neck weights - within 3 months the cervical spine had straightened and I was off the pain meds for good. This was a seminal moment in my journey: It was like waking up! My daily routine includes hill walking from 6.15 to 7am followed by squat training with weights, then cycling and stretching in the evenings. Besides painting, I also like to work on my classic cars from time to time. This provides natural breaks from the intensity of my art - restoration is the ultimate form of recycling and gets me away from the two-dimensional.
Originally from Bournemouth in the UK, I moved to New Zealand in 2005 for new opportunities and a fresh take on life. The type of artwork I produce is time consuming and laborious. None of my paintings are straight copies. I normally work from upwards of fifty different photographs of the same scene while thinking about my real life impressions of the actual location.
The Christchurch Earthquake of 2011 had a profound effect on me personally and professionally. The art markets were affected by events here, and it has taken 10 years to build up some security by other means in the electrical trade. I thank you for taking the time to scroll down this far.
I never give up.
As of August 2025, I am restarting my painting career and have 40 years to make an impact. I have now been accepted as a professional member of the International Guild of Realism.
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