September 9 – November 15, 2008
Reception: October 4, 2008, 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
David Leapman was born in London, UK and studied fine art at St. Martins School of Art, Goldsmiths College and Chelsea School of Art. He has exhibited nationally and internationally since 1981. His solo shows include the Ikon Gallery Birmingham, Todd Gallery, Hales Gallery and Beaux Arts in London.
Leapman exhibited in the Venice Biennale, represented Great Britain at the International Festival of Painting and shown work at the ICA and Serpentine Gallery in London. Leapman also won the John Moores, Britain’s oldest and most prestigious painting prize. His work can be found in many public and private collections around the world and is currently represented by Beaux Arts London.
This is Leapman’s first solo show in Riverside and gives him an opportunity to show some of his key images: Box Man, Trier testers, Existence harness, Burden and the Petal thinkers. The show’s title Compliant Keepers is indicative of his aspirations for his images; these characters have a connected history and are searching and journeying.
Forms that appear in Leapman paintings begin life as small gold line drawings on cream paper, the first of which was made on January 1st 1983. His work grabs the viewer’s attention quickly with unusual materials, such as, mirror flake, cristalina, diamond dust and interference pigments.
For nearly twenty years Leapman visited California frequently and in the summer of 2007 his family settled in Riverside. Leapman’s RAM exhibition is in partnership with La Sierra University and the Brandstater Gallery where he is having a solo exhibition from October 13 to November 3, 2008 (Reception on Monday, Oct. 13 from 6-8 p.m.). In addition, Leapman will be exhibiting at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England in spring, 2009.