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David Magee
David Magee (b.1963) is an Irish Artist. He was born and raised in Cork, Ireland.He studied Fine Art at Crawford Municipal School of Art, Cork. In 1982, he attended Glasgow School of Art & Design where he studied under American fine-art landscape photographer, Thomas Joshua Cooper.
Magee's first publication, Outside, a twenty-five year retrospective, was published in 2018. It won international acclaim at awards in Paris, New York, Tokyo and London. He has exhibited globally and his works are held in both private and international collections.
Charlotte Parkin
Head of Marketing & Sub Editor for On Landscape. Dabble in digital photography, open water swimmer, cooking buff & yogi.
Introduction
We published David's article about his exhibition 'Atlanic' in October 2020, of which some of the images are in this article. Living near the Atlantic ourselves, I share David's passion for the coastline. The words at the end of the interview really resonated with me:
"To hear the waves crash against the sheer walls,
to see the gulls swooping down against white-foamed surf,
and to feel the ocean spray, wet and cool against your face… that’s The Old Head”
David's background in graphic design and understanding of the tone of voice, detail and composition all play a part in the making of his images.
What sparked your passion for photography?
In all honesty, the answer is more ‘who’ than ‘what’. It was before the internet, before the digital revolution, and certainly before the advent of social media. My very first weekend at Glasgow School of Art in 1982 was spent on a photographic field trip to Culzean Castle, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. It was there that I first met Thomas Joshua Cooper, who headed up the Fine Art Photography department. I was immediately captivated by the euphoric intensity of his passion for photography as an art form. To this day I have met few people who are as genuinely dedicated to the art they produce. Prior to this meeting, I had never fully acknowledged photography as a true Art form. Thomas has been without compare - my greatest inspiration.