At an age when most people are winding down, 91-year-old Chatswood resident David Cutlan is just getting started—with a paintbrush in hand and a newfound passion lighting up his days.
David took up painting in February this year after his carer, Megan, gently suggested it might be a fun hobby. “I thought, that sounds like a good idea,” he wrote. “So I bought a few cheap acrylic paints and a couple of blank A4 art books. I took to it like a duck to water.”
In just a few months, what began as a quiet experiment has blossomed into something much more. David has now completed over 20 paintings—landscapes, abstracts, and scenes drawn from memory, photos, and travels—and is preparing for his first public exhibition at the Dougherty Community Centre this October.
“It’s all still quite new,” he says, “but the feedback has been wonderful. I’ve had people respond so positively to my work—on Facebook, in the building here, and from family and friends. It’s been a lovely surprise.”
Photo Credit: Supplied
A Life Well Travelled
Born in Ilford in the UK, David’s early years were shaped by war and music. “I was evacuated three times to avoid the bombings,” he said. “But my main love as a boy was singing—I sang in choirs and musical festivals until I was 16.”
At 16 and a half, he joined the Merchant Navy and sailed across the world, eventually settling in Tasmania in 1953. He married in 1955, raised six children, and worked in department store retail for over two decades, eventually becoming a store manager. When the company was taken over and he was retrenched, he turned to sales before retiring in the late 1990s.
A restorative trip to the UK in 1998, after 45 years away, helped lift a long period of depression. “My depression left me after a lengthy stay visiting my sibling, aunt and uncle and seeing the England I’d never seen in my early years.”
For the past 26 years, David has lived at Dougherty Apartments in Chatswood—a place he now considers home. It’s also where his artistic journey began.
Brushstrokes of Memory
David paints primarily from photographs he has taken over the years—scenes of Tasmanian bushwalks, fly-fishing spots, English countryside lanes, and places rich with memory.
“I just love seeing the scene evolving as I work,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed photography… so it has been from saved photos that I’ve chosen most of my paintings.”
He began with humble materials, $2-shop paints and brushes, plus a few supplies from his daughter; but soon upgraded to better-quality acrylics and canvas boards. “If you want to create something worthwhile, the tools do make a difference,” he noted. “As I sought to create realistic works, I realised I needed better quality paints, brushes and good canvas boards.”
“I paint because I enjoy it. There’s no pressure. The only problem is I get so absorbed, my coffee goes cold.”
More Than a Hobby
Painting, he said, has “added a wonderful recent activity to my daily life” and offered a fresh rhythm and joy. “To me, aging is a natural process of living. It does not worry me at all. I am blessed to still have my faculties intact to enjoy this wonderful pastime.”
Asked what advice he would give to other seniors hesitant to try something new, David is encouraging: “Just give it a go. Have no expectations. Just have fun and the result will surprise you.”
Reflecting on how this creative chapter fits into his broader life story, he wrote, “I guess we all have hidden talents. It just needs someone to light the spark. And you never know where it will lead. Thanks to my wonderful Megan for lighting mine.”
An Exhibition of Discovery
The idea of a public exhibition came from a casual conversation with the receptionist at Dougherty Apartments. “She said, ‘Why not ask the community centre next door?’ So I did, and they were really enthusiastic,” David shared. “I’ll exhibit all my work so that the public can see the progression from beginning to the present.”
Several of the paintings, he added, hold special meaning: “Subjects are of places that hold fond memories—my favourite fly-fishing spot, bushwalking in Tasmania, and reminders of my visit to the UK.”
David’s Paintings
David’s paintings can be previewed on his Facebook page:
Photo Credit: Facebook/David Cutlan
Photo Credit: Facebook/David Cutlan
Photo Credit: Facebook/David Cutlan
Photo Credit: Facebook/David Cutlan
The paintings will be displayed during an exhibition at the Dougherty Community Centre in Chatswood in October this year. Specific details to follow.
This October, when visitors walk through the gallery space at the Dougherty Community Centre to see David’s paintings, they will not just be seeing landscapes or brushstrokes on canvas; they’ll be witnessing a story of rediscovery, late-blooming joy, and the enduring power of saying “yes” to something new.
For those interested in David’s art, he can be contacted at davidsart@davidcutlan.com
Published 17-June-2025