David Welch – bio

The inspiration for my painting comes from the rhythms of nature, from the color and light of the natural world. Much of my work explores the extraordinary light and landscape of New Mexico. Through plein air watercolors and larger oil paintings I have addressed both grand expanses of land and sky, as well as the more intimate, domestic spaces of farms and gardens.

Among my frequent subjects are the farmers of Albuquerque’s North Valley, as well as Monet’s garden at Giverny, and other gardens in France. I am interested in the gardener at work, the figure as a part of the landscape, man in harmony with nature. The gardeners’ labors are cyclical and meditative, suggesting care and constancy, as well as reverence for the land.

I grew up in Southern California and studied art at Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, and Wesleyan University. As an ardent naturalist, I have traveled in Central and South America, Australia, and throughout the United States, recording my observations in watercolor habitat studies. I taught art at Albuquerque Academy, and live in the village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, where I share a studio with my wife, artist Cynthia Wister.