“My motive is to explore celebrity, it’s dark side as well as what we see in magazines or on TV. That is why I create the mugshots –to display the flaws celebrities have –to prove they are only human like you or me. I also want to recreate the mood and glamour of those bygone eras, whilst putting my own unique contemporary stamp on each piece.”
David Studwell is a contemporary British artist and print maker who studied at Central St Martins School of Art. Having worked as an artist for over 20 years, Studwell harnesses the spirit of the sixties and seventies, the cult of celebrity and the legacy of Warhol to produce iconic screen prints.
His works explore the darker side of fame, nostalgia and Americana-police mug shots of well known stars show them at their most vulnerable, or at their most defiant. Private moments of icons at screen tests or during reflection become graphically public, produced in bold and vivid colours.
Studwell’s work also tracks the legacy of photography, technology and photographers in the 20th century. Studwell worked with Sir Elton John and renowned photographer Terry O’Neill to produce ‘Elton John: Home Run-Dodger Stadium 1975,’ a six-colour screen print with diamond dust. The print is a re-working of Terry’s iconic photograph, capturing Elton at the height of his fame in 1975. Studwell also uses the advancement in technology to his advantage to add more sophistication and dynamic layers to his work.