Dave Rutlidge

I didn’t begin as an artist. My early career was in IT, structured and predictable; a world away from what I do now. It was only later, through my own journey of healing, that I found my way into people-centred work as a therapist and hospital chaplain. Somewhere along that path, I also found my way back to art after fifty years away.

Painting, for me, feels like returning to something quiet but essential. I work mainly in watercolour, drawn to scenes of children, couples, and places that carry a sense of peace and belonging. Many are inspired by my travels, especially the in between moments, away from crowds, where life feels most real.

My Christian faith sits beneath everything I create, shaping it more than announcing itself. I’m not trying to make statements so much as offer a feeling: hope, peace, safety, a kind of remembered warmth.

When I’m not painting, I'm often baking bread, organising or taking part in person-centred encounter groups, or building websites like this one, another form of creative expression. However it takes shape, my work is about connection: to self, to others, and to something deeper that gives meaning and purpose to it all.