Daniel Preece

EDUCATION

1989-93                 Slade School of Fine Art, London, WC1                         BA (Hons) Fine Art

1988-89                 Chelsea School of Art, London, SW7                              Foundation Course            

2001                       Runner up - Laing Landscape and Seascape Award

1997                       Second Prize - Gilchrist Fischer Memorial Award

1995                       Boise Scholarship to travel and make work in America

1994                       Finalist - Gilchrist Fischer Memorial Award

1993                       Henry Tonks Medal for Painting

1992                       Slade Project Award to make paintings in North Wales

1991                       Second Prize Slade Summer Competition

1990                       William Coldstream Prize: Slade School of Fine Art

2004                       ‘Subjective’ Sarsh Myerscough Fine Art

2004                       C.A.S Artfutures, City of London School

2003                       ‘Mixed Exhibition’, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art

2003                       ‘London Colour’, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry

2003                       ‘ART 2003’, Business Design Centre, with Sarah Myerscough Fine Art

2003                       ‘Recent Acquisitions Show’, Unilever Building, London

2003                       C.A.S Artfutures, City of London School

2002                       ‘Group Show’, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London

2002                       C.A.S Artfutures, City of London School

2002                       ‘Five New Artists’, Purdy Hicks Gallery, Bankside, London

2002                       ‘Best of ART 2002’, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London

2002                       ‘ART 2002’, Business Design Centre, with Sarah Myerscough Fine Art

2002                       Group Show, Britart Gallery London

2002                       ‘Group Show’, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London

2001                       ‘Urban Rhythms’, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London

2001                       Laing Landscape and Seascape Award, Mall Galleries, London

2000                       ‘Winter Exhibition’, Rowe and Maw Solicitors, London

2000                       C.A.S Artfutures, Barbican Centre, London

1999                       C.A.S Artfutures, Royal Festival Hall, London

1999                       Fox Williams, Solicitors, London

1999                       Attlee Foundation Charity Art Exhibition (Royal College of Art)

1998                       C.A.S Art Market, Royal Festival Hall, London

1998                       Solo Show, Slade Gallery, University College London

1998                       ‘Art Futures’ Contemporary Art Fair, Business Design Centre

1998                       Group Show as part of the Gilchrist Fischer Memorial Award

                                Cadogan Contemporary, London

1997                       Southwark Festival, Price Waterhouse, London Bridge

1997                       Solo Show, Slade Summer School, University College London

1996                       C.A.S. Art Market, Royal Festival Hall, London

1994                       `Making a Mark´ Mixed Drawing Show, Mall Galleries, London

1994                       `Artists for Romanian Orphans´ at Bonhams

1994                       Group Show as part of the Gilchrist Award,

                                Cadogan Contemporary, London

1994                       Stoves Award Winners Show, London

1994                       Solo Show, Slade Summer School, University College London

1994                       Two men show for Lloyds Bank P.L.C.

1993                       B.A. Degree Show, Slade School of Fine Art London

1993                       Group Show for the charity `Prisoners Abroad´, London

1993                       Mixed Drawing Show, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

1992                       ‘Water for Life’ Charity Show at Tower Bridge

1991                       Mixed Show: Pump House Gallery, Battersea

1991                       Mixed Show: ‘Painting and Sculpture´, 20 Bedford Way, London

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2007                       Teaching at the Prince of Wales Drawing School

2004                       Commission for the offices of Topland Group

2003                       Commission to make a painting of Stoke Court for Bayer plc

2002                       Commission for the Canary Wharf Group

1998                       Artist in Residence, Slade Summer School

1997                       Worked in Paris and Burgundy, France on a number of commissions

1996                       Lived and worked in Venice, Italy. Working as Gallery Manager/Steward

                                at the Biennale for the British Council

1994                       Assistant to artist Bruce McLean

1993                       Made background painting of Venetian Sky for Michael Newton, photographer based on                                                                Claudes Seaport with the embarkation of St. Ursula

1992                        Commissioned to make a number of drawings for Ron Bowens Book ‘Drawing Masterclass’

Works in the collections of Bayer plc, Topland Group, Canary Wharf Group plc, Unilever plc, University College London, Peat Marwick Accountants, GMO Woolley,

Steven Drake Solicitors, Prentis, Donegan and Partners and Stoves, Liverpool.

Work also in Private Collections in Britain, America, France, Australia, and Hong Kong.

A VIEW OF LONDON

Daniel Preece was born in London in 1970, and was initially drawn to the gasometers and tower blocks that populate the south west London, interested in expressing these monolithic and isolated forms in space and their surround environs. After graduating from the Slade in 1993, Daniel explored the urban landscapes of North America through a Boise Scholarship to travel and work, using time in New York to explore the more oblique and lesser-known idioms of this well documented and iconic city. Traveling across this vast continent, Daniel used various mediums and photographic techniques to document his journey, while considering his own emotional response. As an outsider, Daniel became increasingly conscious of the ´English Tradition´ in his work, using his journey as an opportunity to reflect on this influence. This was followed by a six-month spell in Paris, completing a number of commissions and documenting the city.

After his time living in New York and Paris, Daniel´s approach to his urban surrounds has been on a grander scale, making large panoramic paintings from high vantage points. This preoccupation started whilst undertaking a commission for The Canary Wharf Group, during which he considered how these relatively new monuments to the city were beginning to dominate and transform the London skyline. Daniel continued to record this transforming cityscape from different points; South, East and in the City, and to consider how from each viewpoint the buildings interact with the surrounding skyline.

Daniels work has recently been included in ‘Subjective’ at Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, Mayfair in September of this year, Art Futures with Contemporary Art Society (Including a review in the Independent on Sunday) and the Jeffrey Charles Gallery, Whitechapel in 2003. He has been selected for the Hunting Prize exhibition at the Royal College of Art in February 2005. Recent commissions have been for the Topland Group and Bayer PLC.

Daniel Preece has always made work about the landscape, focusing mainly upon the urban environment. Born in London in 1970 he was initially drawn to the gasometers and tower blocks that populated the area he grew up around southwest London, trying to express and record these monumental forms in space.

After graduating from the Slade in 1993, he worked for the artist Bruce McLean and then travelled extensively living and making work abroad. This included a year in the USA with a Boise Scholarship and six months in Paris completing a number of commissions.

Daniel used drawing, painting and photography to document his travels. This helped him explore his surroundings, reflect on his experiences, while considering his emotional response to his new environment. Travelling also gave him the opportunity to reflect on the ‘English Tradition’ that influences his work.Now living in London and with the experience of travel he has returned to the city he grew up in for subject matter, constructing expansive panoramic paintings from high viewpoints.

While undertaking a commission for The Canary Wharf group for one of their retiring architects, Daniel began to realise that a series of relatively new monuments to the city were beginning to dominate and transform the London skyline. He decided to try to record these buildings from various vantage points around South and East London and the City, considering how from each viewpoint the buildings interact with the surrounding skyline differently. He imagined himself as a tourist seeing London for the first time.

Drawing plays a strong part in the making of his work. If possible, Daniel will produce drawings from observation recording information specifically to help him inform the painting. This process also gives him the opportunity to reflect on his emotional response to the subject, which in turn dictates the development and style of the work.

Daniel will also record the view with a camera, reconstructing a panorama of photographs, to refer to when making the painting. He is not interested in making a copy of the photograph but uses it as an aid to help build colour and light in the paintings

Recently Daniel has become interested in using the colour values created in photographs taken in low light, without the aid of a flash. This becomes a starting point to help him develop his own use of colour within the painting. Ultimately it may not relate to things seen but be used more as a formal device within the work. It is important that the painting becomes a believable reality where the viewer understands the forms and space being created within the picture. These paintings could be perceived as topographical, but the use of ‘expressive’ colour, can sometimes be interpreted as more personal response to the subject matter.

Running alongside this project, Daniel is also returning to the ideas and images collected during his Boise Scholarship to the USA. It gives him the opportunity to reflect with greater understanding on his time in the States, inventing a new personal narrative. This has also helped him with his new approach to the new paintings he is making about London. Daniel hopes to finally complete the planned series of work about the trip in a possible exhibition around late 2005 or early 2006.

Daniel’s has been selected for the Hunting Prize exhibition at the Royal College of Art in February 2005 and has come second in the Gilchrist Fischer Memorial Award in 1997.  He was runner-up in the Laing Landscape Competition in 2001, and has completed recent  commissions for Bayer PLC and the Topland Group.