GILT Studio Gallery is the creation of artist David Graff. His unique work incorporates traditional gilding techniques in the creation of contemporary works of art.

David Graff has had a circuitous but continuously creative route to his current status as an accomplished visual artist. From an early age, David was a dedicated and passionate creative person, but music was where his interest and abilities first led him. This took the shape of a lengthy career as a singer/songwriter, including a stint as a songwriter/recording artist in Los Angeles in the late 80’s. In 1994 the urge to expand into the visual arts led him to start a decorative arts company, David Graff Decorative Painting, specializing in complex paint finishes, gilding and murals. That company enjoyed considerable success with their highly sought after work on high-end residential and commercial projects in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and China. His work on the lobby of the Wilshire Grand in L.A. won an Interior Design Institute Award in 2001.

He began his Gilded Series of paintings and three-dimensional work in 2002 by applying the processes and techniques he had previously employed in large scale installations to the smaller substrates of wood panels and glass. The unique combination of metallic leaf, transparent colour glazes and high sheen resin drew much attention and allowed him to quickly gain representation in numerous galleries across Canada and the U.S. His work is in private and corporate collections around the world and can be seen in movies, television shows and magazines.

Artist Statement

For nearly two decades, my approach to my art has been very much rooted in the materials and processes I use and the place I live.

Working in gilded media, I love exploring the possibilities inherent in the use of transparent colour over a surface that reflects light in such a dynamic way. Living on the west coast, the constantly changing light informs our everyday lives both practically and emotionally. The dynamic interaction between light and the natural elements that surround us leads to an understanding/appreciation of the fleeting nature of time, and an opportunity to revel in the fact that each day is an opportunity to start anew, to embrace all that we are offered.

In the way that my materials are highly reflective, my aim is to invite inspection of the dynamic play of light within a piece, prescribing, through its elements, a path to inner reflection. I’m constantly challenging the ability of my materials in order to capture the fleeting feelings of being in the natural world. Inviting the viewer to experience form and texture in a setting that embraces the capriciousness and happenstance inherent in the media I employ is constantly exciting and challenging.