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David and Luke Edmonson A Family Affair - part 2 of 1 2 3 4 5 6

Published 01/10/2015

A man after my own heart, David loves to spend time studying the workof the Old Masters in art galleries. 'I didn't study art history in college, soI've had to go back and revisit it. I want to be able to connect with mygrandchildren, some of whom live in other countries, to share stories withthem about the art and time periods that I've been studying.' Of courseit's not just about sharing stories with his family, for David it's also aboutcommunicating through his photographs. 'I have studied Caravaggio andI try to light in a way that would give honour to his work. He also usedexpressions differently to many artists of that time period which makes hiswork dramatic. I also love Vermeer because of his use of optical devices andmirrors - I wanted to have those influences in my own personal work.'But while David lists Van Gogh and the Old Masters as his favourites, Lukehas followed a different path. 'I really enjoy the work of the Germanyartist Joseph Beuys and of course French artist Marcel Duchamp. There's anumber of British artists that I'd love to be able to go and see too - FrancisBacon is somebody whose life and work I would love to study. And of courseHenry Moore; I think it's wonderful how he takes the same subject, like areclining woman and reinterprets it multiple ways.'

But what I really wanted to know was what drives David and Luke to makecreative images. 'I believe that it's just part of being creative,' David saysafter considering the question. 'We're just made to be creative beings andour desire to create is constant. Every part of us, whether we try to createorder in our house through design, the art we enjoy, or the clothing we pick- we're creative beings. And the best part about it is that we get to makean income out of it.'

Room with a telescope
David: 'This picture is of my granddaughter and her aunt; it's part of aseries that I wanted to do for my family. I also included my daughterwho lives in Rome in the shot - the Marie Antoinette-style paintingon the wall that I commissioned from China for just $59 representsher! My granddaughter loves Pride and Prejudice, so I wanted thewhole room to feel like it might be from Mr Darcy's house. It's just asingle exposure, there's no Photoshop layers or masks here. I usedboth cool and warm tones because I wanted the cool of the night tocontrast against the warmth of the love from our family.

'My granddaughter had just lost her mother before we shot this, sothe picture is all about looking out of the window to understandabout heaven, while her aunt metaphorically has her back. Thecasket behind the sisters represents her mother, so it's about havingthe sisters together again in one room. We also represented theattributes of our family in the shot - we love to travel so there is aglobe. We love music so I placed a mandolin in the image. We loveGod so our family bible is there and we love art so that's representedwith the sculptures lying on the floor. That's what the image meansto our family.'

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1st Published 01/10/2015
last update 09/12/2022 14:53:06

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David and Luke Edmonson A Family Affair - part 2 of 1 2 3 4 5 6