Award-winning artist & tutor Dave West was born in 1972 in Penclawdd on the Gower peninsula in South Wales and grew up in Swansea City.
In 1995 he went to Ireland and has lived and worked there since in Balbriggan on the North Dublin Coastline. 


​Dave studied Illustration at the Carmarthenshire College of Art & Design and in 2013 gained a degree in History of Art through the Open University.​

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Dave's winning painting of the Gold Mayoral Award at the International Plein-Air competition festival 'Art in the Open' in 2017. The painting was acquired by Wexford County Council for their collection.

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His practice covers a broad range from meticulous still life paintings, loose expressive pastel drawings to charcoal and Plein Air (outdoor) painting. He is a regular exhibitor with Ireland and Britain's most prestigious societies and institutions including the;
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• Royal West of England Academy
• Royal Institute of Oil Painters
• ​Royal Society of British Artists
• Pastel Society (UK)
• Royal Society of Marine Artists
• Royal Hibernian Academy
• Royal Ulster Academy
• Eigse
• Pastel Society of Ireland
• Dublin Painting & Sketching Club

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Dave has had over 17 solo exhibitions to date at both private and public galleries.

The archive of all the paintings from selected previous exhibitions can be viewed here.

The next solo exhibitions will be:
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• October 2020: Seamus Ennis Arts Centre, Naul, Ireland
  
  
• Spring 2021: United Arts Club, Dublin
  
  
• 2022: Doorway Gallery, Dublin​

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Complementing his own art practice Dave runs a program of popular classes, demonstrations and workshops both privately, and in art schools and educational institutions.

'Night Drive' - Winner of the 2013 Schminke Award at the UK Pastel Society Annual Exhibition