Leaving school at 16 I undertook various jobs. At 19 I served on a Royal Navy Minesweeper and at 21 I became a prison officer, serving at HM Prison Barlinnie in Glasgow. At 28, I decided to return to full time education as a mature student and travelled daily from Glasgow to Edinburgh to study at Edinburgh Napier University. I graduated with a BA Distinction in Photographic Studies.
For the following 8 years I was primarily based in London and a masthead contributor at GQ / Vogue and Tatler. During this time, I also worked for most other London based magazines and a list of international advertising clients. In 2001 I based myself in NYC and over the following 15 years was fortunate to work, collaborate and be inspired by some of the most creative minds and environments I've ever experienced. In 2008 I was the only non-US citizen asked to participate in USA Networks high profile "Character Project" where I decided to travel Highway 50 from the Pacific to the Atlantic on the last remaining non freeway route, Highway 50. This personally initiated project resulted in the inspiration for Tom Brokaw "Along Highway 50" the following year and my work featured as the largest and opening spread in the accompanying book. One of my images was also selected for the book’s cover.
In 2009 I was invited to launch Anthropologie’s "Who Inspires Us" online arts initiative. This was an idea / project that hoped to reflect an insight into who and what inspired Anthropologie, a company that inspires so many others in turn. I decided to go on a road trip with my daughter, Rachael and create a joint journal that would celebrate love, family, hope, inspiration and a family bond. On the success of this project, I was asked again the following year to create another portfolio and so returned to Scotland to produce the body of work Highland Heart. This was also chosen in 2013 to launch Scotland Week celebrations in NYC with an exhibition at Hudson studios, opened by Scotland's First Minister at the time, Alex Salmond.
I was honoured with a Hon Dr of Arts for my contribution to photography from Edinburgh Napier University in 2011.
In 2012 Panasonic based their national Lumix TV and print campaign around my work and had me star in their cinema and tv commercial. This had me visit Yosemite National Park where the campaign was filmed. Due to this campaign’s success, I was asked again to be part of the 2014 campaign. We filmed this all over Indonesia including Bali, Western Sumatra, and Nias Island.
I've exhibited my work in both private galleries and national museums, including a 70 print solo show in Cork Street, London, sponsored by Deutsche Bank, and which was the subject of a 30 minute BBC documentary. I was the first photographic artist to host a solo exhibition (60 portraits) at The Glasgow Art Club. My work is held in both private and public museums and collections. In 2015 I was the first photographer to have an exhibition in The Scottish Gallery’s 173-year history. In the same year I became Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University, a post I held for 6 years.
In 2016 I decided to base myself back in the UK and in my role as Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University I decided to launch The Chancellor Talk Series where we looked to bring some of the greatest minds to an audience that may otherwise never have had the chance to hear or question. This launched in 2016 with the NYC based legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser, creator of the I ❤️ N Y logo. This talk was followed by a personal insight into the world of the UK's most successful independent film producer and Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas. Other guests have since included polar explorer Ann Daniels, Scottish Lord Advocate, James Wolffe, around the world cyclist and record holder Mark Beaumont and ex Royal Marine Commando now turned TC presenter JJ Chalmers.
In early 2019 I exhibited concurrently two exhibitions in Glasgow: ‘Unique NYC Polaroids’ at SWG3 and ‘Mar a Bha’ at The Royal Glasgow Institute for The Fine Arts. I’ve also enjoyed being a member of The John Byrne Awards judging panel, alongside other panels including The Cordis Tapestry Prize, headed by Miranda Harvey and The Glenmorangie Research Project collaboration with The National Museums of Scotland.
At the end of 2019 I completed an ongoing series titled “Dear John” which includes 12 portraits of the artist John Byrne made over a 30-year period. This portfolio contains an introduction from Sir Angus Grossart.
In 2020 in collaboration with Hugo Burge and Marchmont Estates I made a limited-edition portfolio titled “TREE”. This portfolio is limited to three copies only each containing seven prints and supported with a poem by J Daniel Beaudry, titled “BREATH”. Between 2020 and 2021 I created the portfolio “THIRTY TWO YORK PLACE” featuring twenty four of the Senators of the Scottish College of Justice photographed at the former home and studio of Sir Henry Raeburn. In 2022 this body of work was purchased by The National Portrait Gallery as part of their permanent collection.
In 2023 I exhibited my largest and most diverse body of work to date at The Signet Library in Edinburgh. In association with The Fine Art Society and The Society of Writers to His Majesty’s Signet this exhibition included several portfolios of print, sculpture, and poetry alongside a collaboration with Berlin based Turner prize winner Douglas Gordon, titled ‘LUNCH WITH GERTRUDE’. Under the title of ‘THEREAFTER’ the exhibition featured work created in Paris in 2018 ‘MON AMI’ through to my most recent body of work, a poem I wrote in Berlin in March of 2023 accompanied with print, titled ‘AS THE SNOW FELL’. A large selection of sculptures including ‘STILL’, ‘ALWAYS PRESENT’, ‘PERHAPS THE FINAL BREATH’, ‘HOPE’ and ‘TEMPLE’ were also presented. The exhibitions title: ’THEREAFTER’ is taken from a work which featured and is based on a letter noting my adoption. The ‘MENENTO MORI’ portfolio which had previously been shown at The Fine Art Society, London during London Art Week 2022 also featured in the exhibition.
Likewise in 2023 I was delighted to see The National Museums of Scotland major exhibition Beyond the Little Black Dress eventually come to being having been postponed due to covid outbreak. Prior to the pandemic I was asked to produce and create the leading imagery for this national exhibition.
I have served as a creative advisor to both the private and public sector, including Government bodies and been fortunate to travel the globe extensively.
I am currently scripting an art based short film and a series of 6 x 30 minute TV documentaries.
David Eustace
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