Original Art
David Roman's original artworks are made by hand in his Birmingham studio, using hand-engraved and embossed surfaces gilded with genuine 12, 22 and 24ct gold leaf made in the UK.
The collection spans figurative and geometric compositions rooted in ancient ornamental traditions. These pieces are created at a time when handmade, unhurried things carry a special importance.
Every piece is acquired directly from the studio, shipping to collectors worldwide.
The artist behind the work
David Roman is an independent artist working from his studio in Birmingham, UK. His paintings are built on intricate surfaces of hand-engraved and embossed detail, gilded with genuine gold leaf, addressing contemporary questions around consciousness and what gets lost when human experience is reduced to data.
The human figure runs through everything he makes, never quite solid, constructed from pattern and on the edge of dissolution.
Roman uses ancient craft as a deliberate counterposition to a culture that has made speed and data the measure of everything. His work is collected internationally, and collectors engage directly with the studio.
Questions about original art
Original art exists across a wide range of price points, from smaller works and works on paper upward. The word 'original' refers to a single handmade object, not a reproduction (even if the reproduction is hand-embellished). Starting with something you genuinely want to live with and made with quality materials is the best way to go.
An original exists as a one-of-one handmade object. A print is a reproduction made in quantity using varying methods. The difference is not primarily about price but about what the object is: one carries the direct trace of the hand that made it, the other documents an image. For collectors, that distinction matters more over time than it might at first.
The price reflects the artists' status and the demand for their work primarily, as well as material costs, the time embedded in the work, and the fact that it exists once. Buying directly from the studio removes gallery commission from the equation, typically 40% to 50% of a gallery price or marketplace mark-up.
Genuine uniqueness in art comes from a developed and specific point of view and taste, expressed consistently across a body of work in a way that is recognisably the artist's own. It is not not about any technique or subject, but how deeply authentic artists can express themselves.
It means the price reflects the work without institutional overhead, provenance comes first-hand from the person who made it, and you have a direct relationship with the artist. Every piece here comes with a signed certificate of authenticity and the artist's direct contact.