From the moment a friend handed him a set of paints in his early twenties, David Isbester has been captivated by the act of painting. What began as an impulse to draw has become a lifelong pursuit of truth through paint — a discipline honed over decades, and one that has led him outdoors.

Today, David is best known for his plein air oil paintings that celebrate the raw, unfiltered beauty of the Australian landscape. Whether standing beside a dusty outback road, beneath a brooding sky, or near a rusting relic of rural life, he paints directly from life — embracing the challenges of changing light, shifting weather, and the pressure to respond quickly and honestly.

While his early education included formal study at university and TAFE, it was under the mentorship of the late David B. Wilson that his deeper understanding of art began to take shape. Wilson, a gifted teacher of tonal painting and life drawing, ignited in David a passion not just for painting, but for the broader role of the artist in society. “He taught me that painting isn’t only about technique,” David says. “It’s about listening, observing, and responding to the world with sincerity.”