Long-time local resident and highly skilled craftsman David Pearce opens a portrait studio in Ferragudo
Staying with the theme of the 50th edition of Inside Carvoeiro magazine, we stopped by Ferragudo to see our old friend David. Having presented his stunning handcrafted wooden boats in a previous edition, we were pleased to hear that he was doing something a little less physical now that he’s in his 70s.
David now dedicates his time to painting portraits. Using watercolour, acrylic and oils, he’s always keen to find a medium to enhance the commissioning customers’ memory of the subject they want. “I work from photographs,” said the artist. “People come to me with a photo of their pets, people or places and I get to it.” With many of his commissions being of loved ones and pets, he takes great joy out of delivering the final pieces and seeing the emotion on the faces of the buyers.
When asked about his formal training, David explained: “I studied art at Worthing College, in West Sussex, where I later went back to teach for a brief period. I then trained as an architect, which was probably a terrible thing to do as a free artist, everything began to be very linear. Although, saying that, it did give me discipline, which is always welcome,” he joked. As an internationally acclaimed portrait artist, previously with studios in California and London, the artist’s modest gallery in the Algarve is located on Rua da Hortinha, in Ferragudo, next to the coffee shops. He usually spends his mornings here working on commissions, and, if the door is closed, he’s never too far away.
David is a man of many talents. He has sailed and lived around the world, is a highly skilled carpenter and even turned his hand to the restaurant business. People may remember him from the old Tasca David, where he was known to serve the best ribs in the Algarve for years. There aren’t many people around like him, a lovely, funny and fascinating character who has chosen to settle in this sleepy corner of the world. That is quite an endorsement considering that he has been to so many places.
David welcomes a subject for portrait painting commissions that touches your heart: painted portraits of family, pets, landscapes or even your home. For an initial quotation, he requires a good quality photo of the subject for the portrait painting in person, by email or post. You can see some examples of his work on his website or pop into his studio and have a chat about what you would like to achieve. David is a master craftsman, and if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, he would be more than happy to get creative.
There’s the saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none”; and then there’s David, who’s a master of many.
