Duncan Robert McCormick, Summer Ferns, 2023

Duncan McCormick creates intentionally positive and optimistic paintings. He chooses subjects that evoke memories of joyful daydreams, such as childhood holidays in Salcombe Bay on the Devon coast, which take on the essence of California and the Mediterranean. He reimagines Scottish mountain landscapes covered in snow as Alpine scenery and transforms deserted streets and empty gardens into sun-soaked spaces.

McCormick starts with a thin, flat layer of pigment and applies acrylic paint rapidly, allowing for spontaneity in his work. His focus is on capturing the colors on the canvas, and the vibrant and luminous tones enhance the dream-like quality of his paintings.

These artworks are a deliberate response to the arrival of Covid-19 and subsequent lockdown measures. After getting married and becoming a father of twins, McCormick moved from the London suburbs to rural North Shropshire. The isolation brought on by the pandemic led him to shift from complex, symbol-laden narratives to simpler and intentionally escapist scenes depicted in acrylics.

Born in Birmingham in 1977, Duncan McCormick attended Hallfield Preparatory School and later boarded at Ellesmere College in Shropshire. With a particular talent for art, he spent a foundation year at Bournville College in Birmingham and earned a degree in art and drama from St Martin's College in Lancaster. Throughout his career, McCormick has balanced his artistic pursuits with the need to earn a living, initially working in the theater and later establishing himself as a professional printmaker with his own screen-printing press. His paintings now grace prominent private and corporate collections, including a commission by Morgan Stanley in 2018 for a series of 11 paintings in their Canary Wharf offices. Recently, his artworks have achieved notable prices at auction, attracting bidders from Taiwan, Turkey, Hong Kong, Europe, and America.

His style is heavily influenced by the famous David Hockney and so his artworks are expected to develop into similar spheres.

Return and cost calculation

• Total value €58,450
• Expected value after 4 years (balanced) €156,870

• Total fees €6,937
• Fees 11.9%

• Annual fees 3.0%
• Annual return 25.4%