Art & Exhibitions

David Phillips makes art from recycled beer cans (feature)

18th February 2009

A Plymouth property developer crippled by the credit crunch has discovered a new career in the art world – thanks to recycled beer cans.

Inspired by watching the sea crashing on to rocks near his Wembury home, David Phillips, 43, cuts up the cans and uses the metal to make the waves in his art stand off the canvas.

Within the art world David is believed to be the first person to use this style of work to enhance his contemporary art, which is primarily based on coastal scenes of rough seas and stormy skies.

David passed his art O-level at the age of 14 and has always remained a keen amateur artist, although his main career has been in the world of development.

From his home near Wembury he has in the past painted all sorts of subjects and while many friends have told him he has talent, David has enjoyed his art but never felt he would see his work in a major gallery.

When the recession hit his business, however, sales slowed up and he looked to diversify his talents.

In a bid to remain calm and think through how he could survive the current financial crisis he started to paint again, using materials which his wife Kay would normally put into the recycling bin.

David’s technique involves cutting the thin metal cans into small strands and then pasting them on to the canvas so that they build layers to give a 3D view of the sea smashing into the shoreline.

The paintings can take a month or longer to complete and consume up to 30 cans – but under a spotlight the recycled tins give off a glint almost bringing the sea to life, which has made David’s work unique.

And to add impact, some of his biggest and brightest work has been done on huge six-foot screens, which David has as freestanding paintings at home after his wife said she really liked them.

His inspiration for using beer cans came from his desire to experiment with different materials to develop his art in a special style that will allow people to enjoy his work and feel as though the picture is alive.

He said he uses painting to relax and, while he has always liked to hang his work up at home, he had never thought he had a future – until an art dealer was instantly bowled over by them.

He said: “A friend came round to photograph the family and saw a couple of paintings hanging up in the house and asked my wife where we had got them from. Kay told him that I had done them and he laughed.

“When he eventually realised that I had painted them he said I should take them to a friend of his. I loaded them in the back of the car – to be honest I looked a bit like Del-Boy – and drove to the gallery.

“Mike Hocking, the art dealer, came out to the car and looked at them with a colleague. He was very quiet and then told me they were amazing and that he wanted to put them in his new gallery, which was just about to open.

“I was delighted and on the opening night there were my pictures hanging alongside some of the best artists in the country. It all happened so quickly that the gallery didn’t even have time to produce a leaflet about me.”

Mike Hocking, who runs the Masa Fine Art gallery at the Royal William Yard said David’s work is very special, and that he had never seen anything like it.

Mike said: “In the couple of weeks that David’s work has been on show there has been massive interest and I see his work as unique.”

Mike has valued David’s work at around £4,000 per piece and later this year his work is expected to go on show in London.

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