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Paul DaviesABOUT THE ARTIST
Channelling the bleak panoramic vision of a young David Hockney, Australian artist Paul Davies’s newest series of paintings, on show this month at Sydney's Tim Olsen Gallery are a contemporary lesson in pure aesthetics. Taking his original spark of inspiration from an Aspen holiday magazine, Davies’s block-coloured, eerily empty paintings are a clear expression of the artist’s obsession with line and form. With a keen interest in the Bauhaus and late modernist buildings, Davies’s paintings offer a striking synthesis between artistic control and abstraction. Constructed using both stencils and free hand painting, Davies multi-disciplinary approach results in overall flat paintings with an unexpected depth. With 1970’s low slung Miami-style buildings peering ghoulishly out from amid the Peter Doig-esque trees scattering the foreground of the canvas, Davies invokes a disconcerting sense of nostalgia. Devoid of life, the paintings are lent a surprising warmth by Davies’s striking colour combinations – Hockney he may not be, but there is no denying that what Davies does, he does remarkably well. WallpaperMagazine, Online 2009
Sydney based artist Paul Davies has been exhibiting with Australian and international galleries for the past five years. Raised in Gosford, NSW, Davies learned traditionalist painting techniques from local landscape painter Kell Connell. He then studied toward a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales (College of Fine Arts), majoring in Sculpture. Davies then travelled to Asia, Africa, Europe and North America; and spent several months developing his paintings in England. It was in London that Davies held his first solo exhibition at DK Gallery in Russell Square. At this time he was also awarded a prize from London’s TNT Magazine for excellence in photography. Returning to Sydney in 2001, Davies held consistent and original solo exhibits with Space3, Knot Gallery and Firstdraft Gallery. His 2005 solo show at 'blank_space' in Sydney was the first sell out exhibition for the gallery. Largely working with Australian and international modernist architectural facades and interiors, Paul Davies work features the use of delicate hand-cut paper stencils, that provide a perspective, content and detail within a painterly abstract environment. These stencils are created using both Davies’ own and researched photographs.The buildings in Davies paintings remain vacant of people to reinforce the original idea of its architect, allowing the viewer to experience an “open plan living” ideal. Davies work looks at both the restored and forgotten modernist buildings in a way relevant to today rather than isolating them in their time. In creating this unique style of landscape painting, Paul Davies sights inspiration from some of the world's greatest living artists such as Peter Doig, David Hockney and David Schnell. Davies' work appears in private and corporate collections both here and overseas and has been commissioned to create works for a diverse range of companies including; Historic Houses Trust, Stockland and BYL Companies Philadelphia. Recent publications include Art & Australia, Art World, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Belle, Wish, Inside Out, Urbis, and Yen magazine as part of the China Heights Collective.
“Sydney based artist Paul Davies is building a reputation with a new take on landscape painting; glorious panoramas of modernist houses in bold washes of colour. Inspired by artists like Richard Hamilton and David Hockney, Davies’ take on 1970s modernism has resulted in a world of houses that we feel a bit put out don’t exist in reality – they’d make perfect feature material for this magazine.”
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 Photo by Benjamin Ong
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Artist EncountersPaul Davies has dedicated the past five years to refining subjects based on the distinctive use of architectural facades and interiors; inspired by bold colours and minimal designs prevalent in 1970s modernism. Prior to his 2008 exhibition at Tim Olsen Gallery, Paul Davies talks to Tim Olsen about his work and inspiration, from his Surry Hills studio through to his opening night.Paul Davies has dedicated the past five years to refining subjects based on the distinctive use of architectural facades and interiors; inspired by bold colours and minimal designs prevalent in 1970s modernism. Prior to his 2008 exhibition at Tim Olsen Gallery, Paul Davies talks to Tim Olsen about his work and inspiration, from his Surry Hills studio through to his opening night. » more |
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