Interestingly, David Hart’s Black Dog paintings were inspired by left over and cast off paint from his easel and palette. David would literally scrape the paint onto a knife and energetically flick the paint onto the canvas creating a vibrant mix of colour and texture.

At times he would let the paint build up over a period of six months before beginning to work on balancing the piece with paints straight from the tube. Once satisfied with the composition and colour, David would draw on the technique of one of his heroes and mentors, Jackson Pollock. He would bring the work to life by embellishing the artwork using enamel and sticks.

In the final stages, a carefully selected amount of small black dogs would be cleverly scattered amongst the folds and drizzles of paint. This allowed the viewer to become actively involved in their visual experience as they searched to discover the exact location of each dog.