David Gough
David Joseph Gough was raised in the early seventies, by a working class family in a Liverpool terrace,overlooking an 18th century Chinese cemetery. His early years were colored by comic books,skipping school to visit the local Art galleries, Hammer Horror and David Bowie.
After producing a dark scrawl in Art class one day, he was introduced to Heironymous Bosch's Garden of Earthly delights by his art teacher, whereupon he realised his calling.
Following school, Gough enrolled at the same Art and design college that Lennon and Hitler had once attended, but could neither twist and shout or Invade Poland since it had been done already,and as he needed the money, became a hired gun of an entirely different pursassion.
Some years later, following the death of three close friends, one failed marriage and a decade stint as a commercial artist and designer, he decided that rather than consume the bathroom cabinet, he'd cannibalise his past instead.
In 2000 he began painting again,and working through the prospect of Licensing and RPG's, he returned to themes that had been the companions of his youth, mythical creatures now interweaved with dark personal history, issues of mortality, veiwed through the misanthropic cracked lens of a surrealist urbanite.
In 2005, he moved to California, and propelled by his experience in America and being scared witless watching the daily news -his work has begun to take on more theistic themes, concentrating on creationist existential questions, life and death, politics, oppressive dogma,and issues of human origin-all the light stuff then.
His art has been exhibited, and collected worldwide-and featured in a variety of publications, as well as his own self published volume-'Gods and Monsters'
These days he lives in San Diego, CA, with his wife-Lani-a California native-and his cats Pepper & Ronin.
He loves what he does, and wishes he could do it all of the time.