David Partridge (artist)

He was best known for creating works made of nails driven into plywood to different heights forming representational or abstract sculptures which became known as "Nailies".

[1] He attended Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario between 1935 and 1938[3] before studying history, geology and English[1] at Hart House, University of Toronto from 1938 to 1941, under Cavan Atkins.

[4] In 1941 Partridge joined the Royal Canadian Air Force where he served as a flying instructor until the end of World War II.

[6] In 1946-47 Partridge attended the Queen's Summer School of Fine Art where he was under the tutelage of Carl Schaefer, William Ogilvie and André Bieler.

[8] He taught with the St Catharines Art Association for four years before retiring from teaching, and relocating to Paris where he studied under Stanley William Hayter at the Atelier 17 studio in the winter of 1956.

According to his fancy, he polished or trimmed the hammered nail heads, wrapped the Naillie in duct tape to give the surface more texture and lacquered or painted portions of the finished work.

[5] Partridge debuted at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts annual spring exhibition in 1947, returning two years later when he presented a lithograph entitled Poverty, on sale for $10.

[18] The family remained in England for 12 years before returning to Toronto in 1974 where Partridge was to engage the Robertson Gallery as his main agents.

[6] Partridge showed at the 1963 Santiago Bienale[18] and in the same year the Tate Gallery purchased a piece entitled Vertebrate Configuration for $750.

[21] The spring of 1967 saw Partridge present a further one-man show of sculpture and reliefs at the Hamilton Galleries, London, curated by Annely Juda Fine Art.

[23] The Windsor Art Gallery made Partridge's Canadian Shield their largest purchase to date, partnering with Ontario's Wintario Lottery to pay the artist's $30,000 fee in 1979.

[24] Partridge indulged his lifelong passion for flying by buying a DIY microlight plane in 1980 which he partially constructed at his studio before transporting it to the family's summer lodge at Stony Lake, Ontario for its maiden flight.

The Nailies were not only imbued with colour and texture, but arranged in such a manner as to encourage the viewer to interact and touch the works, allowing soundwaves to resonate throughout the gallery.