elusive moose

The first time I came across a painting by David Sandum, it was that of a sun-drenched southern landscape in shades of oranges, yellows and greens that evoked both Van Gogh and Cézanne. As it turns out, the two masters have been big influences on his work, he told me when I met him recently, something that won’t really come as a surprise once you become more familiar with his style.

David comes from Gothenburg, Sweden, although he lived in the US for several years. He is passionate about colours, and uses them to striking effect in his art, whether it’s painting landscapes or people, or even still lives. He’s not interested in realism. He’s much more of an expressionist, and his approach is a very personal one. ‘Good art to me is about emotions, not just aesthetics’, he says. ‘But it is also a dialogue. What the viewer brings to the experience is just as important as what the painter puts in it.’

This openness is characteristic of Sandum. Indeed another thing I noticed about him, before even meeting him, was how ready he was to promote other artists’ work. His website has an entire section, featuring no fewer than 100 artists, dedicated to people he admires, from internationally acclaimed masters to lesser known Scandinavian painters. His facebook page is full of links to old and new artistic discoveries he’s made and wants to share with others. And he uses twitter in very much the same way, still managing to remain enthusiastic about art at 2 o’clock in the morning (he often paints late into the night).

In conversation he is just as generous and open, talking about his work, but also the creative process, and the ups and downs that go with it, in a very personal and candid way. David is entirely self-taught (something you may find hard to believe looking at his paintings), but this learning process hasn’t been a painless one. He actually started painting to fight depression some 10 years ago. It’s been a saving grace, but also a struggle, at many levels, not least financially. He rents a studio in Moss, where he works full time, painting and teaching, but there are only a limited number of art buyers locally, and quite a bit of competition. He admits to having once paid a dentist bill with a painting, and considered taking a part-time job to support his family (he’s married with two teenage boys).

David Sandum will be exhibiting at the Varden Gallery in Moss in September. A solo exhibition that means a lot to him. Some 30 of his oil paintings and gouaches will be on display, and this is a real chance for him to get noticed, and find buyers for many his paintings. I hope he does – he’s got talent.

More on David Sandum at www.davidsandum.com

Exhibition at Galleri Varden, Moss, in September (exact dates to be confirmed nearer the time, watch this space) www.gallerivarden.com