David Remfry

One of the UK’s best-loved artists welcomes us to his London studio. Interview and photos: ANNE-KATRIN PURKISS

- Anne-katrin Purkiss

Dancers are often the subjects of your work. Do you like to dance?

I love it. In Hull, where I grew up, I used to go to the Locarno and other clubs, which I found inspiring for subject matter. I used to go to Argentine tango in Turnham Green, London, then I did a series of drawings at Roselands in New York and, later, tango clubs including La Nacional on 14th Street in NY.

What is the attraction?

It’s the physicality of dancing that gives a context in which to paint and draw people who are embracing or touching one another. I am ineluctably drawn to the human condition. This does not make me the enemy of abstract or conceptual work because painting is always a form of abstraction.

Is there anyone else in your family with an artistic inclination?

My father was a trademark agent and lawyer. He used to make precise drawings of cars and, for birthdays, made whimsical cards for my siblings and me. They were a cross between Edward Lear and Hilaire Belloc. All four of my sons are either artistic or musical.

Can you describe your artistic development?

As a very young child, I wanted drawing books with good-quality paper. At around the age of 10 or 11, I announced I was going to be an artist. Later, I went to Hull College of Art and graduated in 1964. My early works were drawings, etchings and oil paintings. In 1969, because of a debilitating illness, I had to switch to watercolour because it was physically easier, thinking that it would be temporary. When I got better, I was hooked on this capricious medium of watercolour and the possibilities that it held.

Do you always start a drawing with graphite?