Barrier Daily Truth

Homewares are where the Hart is

Monday, 20th February, 2012

SELLING WELL: David Hart’s Waltzing Matilda range which has been put out by Maxwell & Williams.

By Gayle Hogan

David Hart doesn’t take offence when his artwork is compared to that of his famous father - he takes it as a compliment.

While the similarities in their work is obvious, David has managed to carve out a name for himself and recently landed a lucrative contract with one of the world’s best known suppliers of homewares. 

David speaks matter-of-factly about his success, acknowledging he has inherited the famous Hart name, but wouldn’t be where he is today if he had no talent.

“It doesn’t offend me at all. It’s quite a compliment,” David told the BDT of the comparison.

“You have to be able to paint or people won’t buy your stuff.”

David speaks fondly of his father, Pro, who succumbed to motor neurone disease in 2006.

“He was an incredible artist. I’ve never known anyone like him.”

David recalls his dad waking up at 4am, bursting with energy and painting well into the night.

“He always had an idea.

“If I can sort of come out of those shadows, I’m very happy.”

David said his father was “a bit rougher” with a paintbrush, while his own technique is more refined.

“In the end you can teach people technique but art is something that is individual.

“You can see lots of influence (from my dad) but I like to do my own thing.”

David has two galleries - one in Mooloolaba on the sunshine Coast and another in Noosa. 

His work can also be seen on a range of Maxwell & Williams Designer Homeware.

The upmarket company has created six individual floral mug designs to collect as part of David’s Tangled Flowers project.

The mugs have gone all over the world and came out in Australia about 10 months ago.

David said the range has been selling well and Maxwell & Williams had expressed an interest in transferring it onto other products.

“We kicked off with the floral range. It kind of travels quite nicely across borders.

“They are the top sellers for us.”

Maxwell & Williams have also used David’s six scenes to tell the story of Waltzing Matilda on sets of six boxed coasters, placemats, and mugs.

The Waltzing Matilda and Tangled Flowers ranges are available locally at Thom, Dick and Harry’s.

David said Maxwell & Williams was a brand that wouldn’t “cheapen” his artwork.

“I’m always careful what I do.

“I’ve had offers from lots of different companies

“The reason we went with Maxwell & Williams is they are one of the biggest - if not the biggest - homewares companies. It’s a very classy name.”

And it seems to have paid off for the married father of three who now lives on the Sunshine Coast.

“It’s been very well received. They’re going really well.”

David acknowledged he had done well for a Broken Hill boy who left school after year 10.

“Broken Hill’s really produced some hardworking, good quality people,” he said, mentioning the likes of his father and the late opera great June Bronhill, who was in the same school year as Pro.

“There’s a lot to be said for Broken Hill. A lot of ingenuity has come out of there.”