“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” – Aristotle
Michael Davis epitomizes the Robert Frost quote: “Any work of art must first of all tell a story.” Recently, I sat down with Davis amidst his show at the Palos Verdes Art Center to discuss his work and influences. He gave me a whole new appreciation and understanding of his serious, thorough dedication to the research he conducts to create his work and to inform his art practice.
During our conversation, I also realized he has been very involved with public art projects and has much to teach us about this aspect of his creativity and activism. In a whimsical collaboration with Eugene Daub, they created a series called “Hats,” located in the Lincoln Park Sculpture Garden in Burbank. He also worked on redesigning Ventura’s California Street Bridge project in 2019. More of his public art can be seen by visiting mad-art.com/public-art.
If you’ve visited the Topaz Building at 222 W. 6th Street, you have experienced his artistry. Davis was selected in an open competition to work with the architect to design the facade of the building. The top of the building has a wonderful dome representing the pearl of the sea, and he designed a series of pieces as a fountain, viewable as you exit the parking lot to the main lobby.
Davis and his wife, Susan (who serves on the board of Angels Gate Cultural Center), moved to San Pedro in 1976, seeking affordable studio space in the downtown area. They had two storefronts on 7th Street and built them out as live/work spaces. The entire block was sold within a year, so they bought a home, built a studio, and stayed to raise their daughters.
Davis was always an artist from as far back as he could remember. His mother was an artist in the WPA program, exposing him to L.A. art galleries early on. Downey High School’s fantastic art teacher, Ray White, gave him the knowledge and tools to create and exhibit work in their campus gallery, organized by his graduating class. Although he started CSUF as a pre-med student, he quickly changed his focus to be an art major.
As an insatiably curious artist, Davis’ inspiration is grounded in examining the culture around him — media, science, history, symbology, and politics. Currently, he is exploring perception and meaning using cultural references to accompany 3D images of global mining operations. Even though the concepts are troubling and impactful, he makes images, luring you in with the sublime through paint, pattern, and the human touch.
The Cold War was the political and social touchstone of his youth. At that time, a popular show on television, I Led Three Lives, had a protagonist, an ordinary family man, who held a secret position as an FBI agent. Working undercover as a communist cell operative, this character glamorized the stark polarities of our conflicted times. In school, he was taught Cold War political objectives, The Capitalist Manifesto, and Christian ideology. The Cuban Missile Crisis defined the ‘60s. For weeks, it seemed the world stood on edge. In school, some of you may remember drills in response to a nuclear attack to “duck and cover” at the flash of blinding light.
His artist statement for the PVAC show explains, “While navigating Landsat records of Earth’s land surfaces from space, I discovered large areas of disturbed landscapes. There were immense open pit mines at numerous locations worldwide, many of which were Rare Earth mines or REEs.
Each Rare Earth artwork includes an archival image of a specific mine rendered in classic 3D (anaglyph) off-registration referencing mid-century exuberant optimism, geo-political history, cultural signifiers, symbolic design patterns, and phenomena.
They are built from a collection of found materials, fabrics, wallpapers, digital imagery, paint, and precious metals. The digital Landsat image is juxtaposed to the other compositional elements to create a disruptive collage/painting of spacial contradictions, surface/depth, and multiple cultural interpretations.”
Palos Verdes Art Center/Beverly G. Alpay Center for Arts Education is presenting Michael Davis: Perception, on view from May 5 through July 8. The art includes works presented to be viewed with 3D glasses provided by PVAC (5504 Crestridge Rd., Rancho Palos Verdes).
Davis’ work will also be in an upcoming exhibition opening on October 18 at Coastline College in Newport Beach, and he is working on a project for the Laguna Art Museum. spt
For more info on Michael Davis, visit mad-art.com.
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