Neil Davies spent his early years in a small fishing village in Scotland before moving south and studying at the Farnham School of Art in Surrey. Determined to pursue a career in painting Neil spent a lengthy and formative period in Florence before returning to the south of England where he taught painting and drawing at various higher education establishments. He moved to Cornwall with his family 14 years ago and now paints full time from his studio on the north coast above St Ives, with dramatic and uninterrupted views of the Atlantic coastline.
Neil spends a lot of time wandering the landscape of Penwith, making preparatory sketches for his paintings. His paintings, reminiscent of Turner in the capturing of light on the landscape, are completed back in his studio. There the walls are splattered through Neil’s liberal application of paint, and the floors covered with saucepans of oil paint mixed with bees’ wax which Neil heats on a stove before applying to the canvas – the quick-drying nature of the mixture allowing the heavily textured style that characterises Neil’s recent work.
Neil’s paintings are widely collected, both in the UK and abroad. He has had regular solo shows across the West Country and throughout the rest of the UK.