David Remfry has a long established reputation as a draughtsman and watercolourist. He trained as a painter/etcher and is unschooled in the traditional techniques of watercolour, having relied on, and enjoyed, the process of discovery and happy accidents, as well as being frustrated by the elusive nature of the medium. ‘I was somewhat dismissive of watercolour until I contracted sarcoidosis in 1969. As the disease affected my respiratory system and all joints, lifting a glass of water was a major effort so oil painting, even during recuperation, was out of the question. I started to make watercolours and quite quickly became hooked on the medium for its capriciousness and immediacy.’
David painted simple still lifes of china crockery, portraits, or young women sitting at tables. Although these paintings were very successful, by the late 1980s he had become tired of such straightforward subject matter and was looking for renewed inspiration. A breakthrough came in the form of three female stilt-walkers, dressed in black drapery, who were roaming around the Henley Festival. They agreed to model for him and he captured their performance in his sketchbook at Kensington Gardens. Since that series David has felt empowered to paint anything from figures dancing salsa to accordion players.