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The artist Brian Davis has the profound depth, the
beauty of soul, and the unique composure of a man who truly
understands the creation of a piece of art. Although magnificent
flowers and landscapes are the main choice for his compositions,
Brian Davis says, "The actual job of making an arresting piece of
art has nothing to do with what the thing is."
Known for his magnificent flowers, Brian Davis
transforms exquisite blossoms like roses, calla lilies, and dahlias
into romantic, compelling images with sharpness, color, movement,
edge, and light.
Before he begins his artistic journey on canvas,
Davis combs fields and gardens searching for a flower or landscape to catch his eye.
Brian carries his camera everywhere so he can shoot
a flower or landscape at any moment. Since flowers wilt so quickly,
and it can take weeks to make a painting, the artist has found a way
to create his floral image from a series of different shots for each
flower. He may not do an exact botanical rendering, changing colors
and leaves at will.
Brian believes that the great depth in his art is
derived from his paying great attention to the subtle shifts in
value (relative dark and light). He is often asked if there is a
light source behind his paintings making them look so lit up. "The
light is the real subject of my work. The flower is the stage, the
light is the dancer."
Utilizing two hanging mirrors, so that he can
view his unfinished work at all angles, Brian works daily in his
small studio filled with books, music, and historical videos.
Greatly influenced by the Dutch Masters, along with the artists of the Art
Nouveau and Art Deco, Brian is inspired by images of highly stylized renditions
of birds and flowers and their intensity of color achieved by many, many layers
of paint. |
Brian begins a painting with the darkest shades of colors, representing the
background, and then proceeds to bring layers upon layers of colors "forward" to
achieve the three-dimensional quality of his technique, known as "value
painting".
A native Californian, born into a family of musician parents in 1946, Brian
loved art all his life. Formally educated in Fine Art at Pierce College and
California State University-Los Angeles, Brian continues his work and studies in his current home of Reno, Nevada.
The perfection of the Nineteenth-Century French painting technique, called "pouchoir:
gave Brian instant recognition as a serious painter and Master Print Maker.
Since the early eighties Brian's focus on oil paintings and the further
refining of his "value painting" techniques brought his body of work to new
heights of artistic expression and perfection.
Brian is a true artist with a vast understanding and
knowledge of art. His cerebral view of paintings causes him to say,
"My art, like all art, is at its core a form of communication that
is not easily translated into words - good art transcends words."
His latest editions are a fascinating group of
images that allow the viewer to feel and recognize the light, the
essence of a Brian Davis piece. Brian's work hangs in museums and private
collections around the world. |
