David Wilsher

Country of Birth

England

Qualifications

• Bachelor (Hons), Illustration and Graphic Design, Brighton College of Art, England
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

Experience

Born and educated in London, David Wilsher plied his trade in Europe where he spent some years on the Greek Island of Corfu earning a living as an artist selling paintings and working as a portrait sketch artist at many of the island’s top hotels.

On returning to England, David taught himself signwriting. It was the foundation for starting his own business, where he later developed a reputation for his brilliant pictorial work, including painting murals at fairgrounds and amusement parks.

Moving to Sydney in 2000, David continued his long-held tradition of keeping sketchbooks to document his life and experiences in pictures. He applied it to his new home in Balmain, where began recording the local area in pen and ink drawings. This led to the publication of his first Balmain Calendar in 2005, which was followed by a series of art calendars for various Sydney suburbs.

A professional artist, David’s role as tutor at Sydney Community College is an opportunity for him to pass on his skills and insights to others.

Achievements

David recently illustrated two children’s books about the environment, one of which, Weather or Not: It’s a Climate for Change, was short-listed for the 2008 Wilderness Society’s Environment Award for Children’s Literature. In 2008, one of his students was chosen as Visual Arts Student of the Year.

David’s drawings are part of Balmain Library’s Local History Collection.

Teaching Style

David’s classes are renowned for being relaxed and friendly. His hands-on approach means his students can expect lots of drawing demonstrations and guidance on attaining results in easily achievable steps.

Something Unique

From October 2008 to March 2009 David was artist-in-residence for Sydney Heritage Fleet. The experience involved recording the activities and characters of the organisation from a studio on the historic Sydney Harbour ferry Kanangra, situated at the fleet’s shipyard in Rozelle Bay. It culminated in a solo exhibition on the Kanangra in March 2009. As a result of the exhibition, David has been invited to join the Australian Society of Marine Artists.

David’s work can viewed at his website at www.davidwilsher.com.