David Storey: Heart and Soul, Thomas and Paul Gallery, London

The Thomas and Paul Gallery in London opens a new solo show by David Storey, former artist to Rocket Records and 2 tone, on 9 April. Works on show will include The Conversation, which is the recent record cover for Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott’s album What have we Become, previously of The Beautiful South.

Born in Workington, Storey spent his childhood in the dramatic landscape of Cumbria before going on to study art at Middlesex University in London. After graduating, he began working in the music industry when he joined Sir Elton John’s label, Rocket Records as a designer. Storey then joined Chrysalis Records, where he worked first as a designer and later as art director.

Over the last two decades, Storey’s paintings and prints have featured in numerous exhibitions, including the 2013 Threadneedle Prize at The Mall Galleries in London, and recent shows at Cultivate, Vyner Street Gallery; Brighton Museum and Art Gallery; and The Gallery in Cork Street. In 2011 Storey appeared on the BBC2 arts programme Show Me the Monet discussing his painting Blue Room.

Storey deals in memories and haunted dreams, employing half glimpsed faces or abstracted figures to create a deliberate buffer from reality. Atmospheric and emotive, his paintings create an environment in which the mood of the scene is heightened by his bold use of colour. In many, he deals with childhood and family history, exploring identities formed from old family photographs.

Heart and Soul, Thomas and Paul Gallery, 20 Bristol Gardens, Maida Vale, London, W9 2JQ, 9 April – 17 May. For more information visit www.thomasandpaul.com.

Credits
1. Couple on a Beach, David Storey. Courtesy of the artist and Thomas and Paul Gallery.