Originally from Stirling, David Galletly draws pictures, designs posters, devises album covers and paints murals. He is broadening his horizons, having recently begun to illustrate short animations too. Friendly, humorous and ever-so-polite, David kindly took time to chat to us about art, horror films and the state of the current trends.
Humble and honest, David is quick to point out how his client-based work influences his style; evolving it into something “more polished, tighter and more accessible” than he would like. Naturally, in the world of art; curating and creating don’t always agree and can force the artist to sacrifice some of their individualistic expression. No matter what you may tell yourself after your second 3L of Frosty Jack’s on a Saturday night: you still have responsibilities and bills to pay. David's dreaded bills are paid by his various commissioned projects. His most successful endeavours, so far, are his cityscapes - which are commissioned by The List, for their annual student guide.
However, David's pieces - particularly the inset Glasgow cityscape - remain an excellent example of his meticulously clean-cut visual diction. The jaunty angles, bold straight lines and simple colour layout playfully evoke the quirky, bric-a-brac nature of Glasgow as well as the light-hearted and charming disposition of David himself.
Individuality is a crucial component of David's nature, so it's difficult not to wonder about his non-commissioned work. He tells us that one of his most current influences is the Glaswegian twitter community and home artists like David Ferguson (animator of the devilishly funny Swatpaz series).
David runs his own blog, using this outlet to express all his musings and illustrations, in a place where limitations of outside expectations have no bearing. His WIWT (What I Wore Today) series postulates classic offbeat Scottish humour as well as maintaining the conscientious and quirky style that he establishes through his commissioned work. Through illustrations like these we can see David’s unique expression and love for kooky, off-the wall fashion styles.
Galletly's flair for the weird and wacky stemmed from an early love of comedian Vic Reeves. He also takes inspiration from vintage British children’s animations and horror films. David’s recommendations include ‘It Follows’, ‘VVitch’ and ‘The Orphanage’ (not to be confused with ‘The Orphan’ which he brands as “a bit shit”).
The macabre stylistics found in the above works are evidently echoed in David's art. He drew with these off-the-wall and kooky stylistics from a self-confessed "borderline disturbingly" young age. Galletly wishes to reintroduce more of this fun in future projects. His personal favourite of his own work, is the Headless Dog which he created for friend, Jonnie Common’s album ‘Master of None’. The multitude of clean, short and thick lines exemplifies David’s painstaking attention to detail, whilst the minimalist fashioning keeps the morbid subject matter fresh and eccentric.
So what’s the future got lined up for David Galletly? This question makes him laugh with equal parts dread and amusement. Right now, David has his hands full with personal projects and a large collaborative artwork for a new Edinburgh children’s hospital.
Aside from more animation and branching off into music videos, the main thing on David’s agenda is to take it easy and do more for himself.
Keep your eyes and ears to the ground.
Find David Galletly's work in the following places:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/davidgalletlyillustration/?fref=ts
Twitter - https://twitter.com/davidgalletly Website - http://davidgalletly.com/
Find out more about The List: https://www.list.co.uk/
Intrigued by the Swatpaz series mention? Find out more here www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkB3r7Od504.