David King

David King’s paintings hum with atmosphere — coastal skies at the edge of stormlight, mountains lost in mist, and the quiet glow of a landscape between dusk and dark. A former principal baritone with Opera Australia, King has traded one stage for another, swapping arias for oils in a creative journey that feels both bold and inevitable.

Born in Dublin and now based in Bulli, King brings a striking new voice to the Light Colour Landscape showcase. His work is deeply rooted in the northern Illawarra — a region he captures in thick, expressive brushwork and moody, layered light. Mentored by acclaimed painter Paul Ryan, King embraces a “punk impasto” style that gives his scenes a raw, visceral edge.

Though new to exhibiting, his visual instincts have been decades in the making. From early studies in interior design to apprenticing with his sculptor father, Cecil King, and a celebrated career on the operatic stage, King’s life has always been shaped by form, drama, and emotional depth. It was during his years on tour that he quietly rekindled a love of drawing and painting — a passion that would eventually take centre stage.

Now working full-time in oils, King creates landscapes that are at once intimate and expansive. They reflect not only the rugged coastline of the Illawarra, but also the brooding beauty of his native Ireland — its craggy headlands and shifting skies subtly woven into his palette. In King’s work, light becomes memory, and land becomes voice — resonant, lyrical, and entirely his own.