David Charles Exley

Born 29th August 1948. Died 28th April 1990, San Francisco.
David Exley remembered in 1990 by Eddie Squires:
From his early work you can see that David Exley was an original designer with an exploratory imagination, capable of adapting his artistic textile training to the more traditional requirements of Warner Fabrics.
David designed originals such as ‘Kentia’ and ‘Zantha’. The ‘Kentia’ he drew from a shadow on the wall. For ‘Zantha’ I supplied a brief, together with research information, and David Exley carried out the commission in a marvellous style. He also created the design ‘Ribbon Cascade’, working from a simple brief and thumb nail sketch.
Warners would not have been without his expertise in archive/document designs such as ‘Flamestitch’ and ‘Tree of India’. The latter though sketched in 1980 was only launched at Decorex 1989. His freelance work for Warners in the 1970s and 80s makes an impressive list.
His early work shows just how difficult it is for original design ideas to be placed in the conservative furnishing market. David’s document artwork for Warners was always excellent, but his personal creative imagination was rarely allowed to emerge in furnishings. In dress print designs, murals and other surface decoration and design his ideas flourished.
David Exley’s artistic work went further than textiles and surface decoration embracing paintings, watercolour sketches and a large series of pencil drawings, which were exhibited in the USA.
David Exley trained at Rochdale College of Art, and later the Central School of Art, taking a BA degree in Printed Textiles.