Proud Tissue

David is a Brisbane/Meanjin-based artist who works primarily in oils within a biomorphic-abstract style. This visual language allows him to explore and express aspects of his lived experience with childhood trauma, generalised anxiety disorder, burnout, and ADHD. His paintings often reflect themes of trauma and repression, as well as transformation, growth, change, and mortality.

David’s personal history profoundly shapes his practice. His father passed away at a young age due to complications from poor mental health, and more recently David left full-time work to care for his terminally ill mother. The visceral and mentally demanding realities of being a carer are mirrored in the biomorphic forms he creates on canvas, carrying both struggle and resilience.

Follow David on Instagram and check out his website.

‘Proud Tissue’ is the healing (granulation) tissue which grows abnormally when a wound is not healing properly. In 2024 and 2025 I produced a series of works that reflect my experience as a carer for my terminally ill mother. They attempt to define the trauma and psychological changes that I experienced during this time. The strange, organic forms, composed vertically, represent - on one level - the visceral nature of caring for the dying. On another, the forms represent the psychological growth and change that I experienced. It was during my time as a carer that I grew, like proud tissue, in unusual and unexpected ways.