David Graff
David Graff has had a circuitous, but creative journey to his status as an accomplished visual artist.
Originally, David’s creative energy was channeled into a burgeoning career as a singer/songwriter, including a stint as a writer/recording artist in Los Angeles in the late 80’s. But in 1994, the urge to expand into the visual arts led him to start his own faux-finishing company. Through this, David enjoyed considerable success with his highly sought-after work on high-end residential and commercial projects in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Hong Kong, and China. His work on the lobby of the Wilshire Grand in L.A. won an Interior Design Institute Award in 2001.
In 2002, he began his Gilded Series of paintings and three-dimensional works by applying many of the processes and techniques employed in large scale installations on walls, floors, and ceilings to canvas and wood panels. The unique combination of metallic leaf, transparent colour glazes and high-sheen resin drew much attention and allowed him to quickly gain representation by numerous galleries in Canada and the U.S. His work is held in private and corporate collections around the world and can be seen in movies, television shows and magazines.
Graff lives and works on Bowen Island, B.C., where he and his artist/writer wife Holly, own their own gallery where they produce both paintings and a unique line of home accessories. All their work employs the time-honoured craft of gilding but in a thoroughly modern context. Using techniques they have developed over the last seven years, they create pieces with singularly striking depth and visual impact.
West End Gallery respectfully acknowledges the Lekwungen peoples, specifically the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, on whose traditional lands our Victoria gallery stands. We also acknowledge that our Edmonton gallery is situated on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples, including the Cree, Blackfoot, Metis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway/Saulteaux/Anishinaabe, and Inuit.