REBECCA DAVIS
Born 1950, Denver Colorado.
1968-71 Western Washington State College, Bellingham, WA.
BA Anthropology, University of New Mexico, 1974
Artist in Residence, Roswell Museum and Arts Center, Roswell, NM, 1976; Colorado Chautauqua Arts Feastival,1979.
SCULPTOR USING NATURAL MATERIALS
Living in the western United States (Colorado, Washington, and New Mexico) Rebecca Davis began a multiyear exploration as a sculptor using natural materials. Beginning in 1975, in Albuquerque NM, the artist quickly developed a unique style of large scale sculpture using lashed sticks, and colorful torn rag strips. These sculptures were sometimes hut-like, and sometimes figure or spirit-like. Influenced by the rich environmental and cultural diversity of New Mexico, and having adopted early in life a credo of earth based spirituality the artist moved comfortably with material gathered from nature. Over time the work grew into more geometric forms using lashed sticks and river stone, and, finally yet larger forms using sanded pine poles and stone.
ONE & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS OF SCULPTURES
Colorado Springs Fine arts Center, Colorado Springs CO, 1982
Aspen Center for the Visual Arts, 1981
Clay and Fiber Gallery, Taos NM, 1981
Sebastian-Moore Gallery, Denver CO, 1980, 1978
Mariposa Gallery, Albuquerque, NM, 1978
Fort Lewis College, Durango CO, 1978
Bob Tomlinson Gallery, Albuquerque NM, 1977,1975
Roswell Museum and Art Center, Roswell NM,1976
GROUP EXHIBITIONS OF SCULPTURES
NEW MASKS FOR MODERN LIVING, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix AZ, 1985
OUTER WORLD/INNER VISION, Arizona Traveling Exhibitions Program, Arizona Commission on the Arts, 1984-85
LARGE SCALE SCULPTURE, Downtown Center for the Arts, Albuquerque NM, 1981
COLORADO ARTISTS, Seraph Gallery, Washington DC, 1981
SOUTHWEST ARTISTS, BFM Gallery, New York City, NY, 1981
6th COLORADO ANNUAL, Denver Art Museum, Denver CO, 1980
NORTH AMERICAN SCULPTURE SHOW, Foothills Art Center, Golden CO, 1980
COLORADO ARTIST-CRAFTSMEN, Arvada Art Center, Arvada CO, 1979 (Award)
DURANGO ARTISTS, Fort Lewis College Art Gallery, Durango CO, 1979 (Award)
COLORADO WOMEN IN THE ARTS, Arvada Art Center, Arvada CO, 1979
A LARGER VIEW, Boulder Arts Center, Boulder CO, 1979
COLORADO CRAFTS, 17 VIEWS, Denver Art Museum, Denver CO, 1978
FOUR SCULPTORS, University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque NM, 1977
SOUTHWEST ARTISTS, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks ND, 1976
14 NEW MEXICO ARTISTS, University of Southern Colorado Art Museum, Pueblo CO, 1975
COLORADO 20 / NEW MEXICO 20, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs CO, 1975
SOUTHWEST FINE ARTS BIENNIAL, New Mexico Museum of Fine Art, Santa Fe NM, 1975 (Award)
REBECCA DAVIS
LARGE SCALE SCRIBBLE DRAWINGS
Beginning in 2003, the artist took a diversion from a career focused on installation sculpture using natural materials to create a series of two-dimensional works exploring scribbled pencil lines on paper. Like the Asay/Davis installations using wood or stone, she chose for these drawings simple geometric formats that would highlight within the drawings the movement of the pencil and the immediacy of the graphite. Over time the boldness and durability of inks allowed the artist to expand the scale and intensity of her work.
Many of the images are created through constant random pen movement done with curves, angles, skips and dashes. Through this fluid process Davis is able to build layer upon layer of line that grows like sculpture into form. The drawing surface retains an energy inherent to the movement of the line and the dance between solid line and the empty space of paper it attempts to cover. In these drawings the more the artist scribbles over an area the more structured it becomes, gradually taking on the appearance of an organized organic matrix. Over all this series speaks to that which is quiet, dark and meditative.
EXHIBITIONS OF DRAWINGS
Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse, Prescott AZ 2016, 2 Person
DRAWING WITH EVERYTHING; Sky Harbor Airport, Phoenix AZ, 2015/16
RENDERED, Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse, Prescott AZ 2010
BEYOND A GIFT OF TIME, Roswell Museum and Art Center, Roswell, NM 2008
WORKS ON PAPER, Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale AZ, 2005
BIENNIAL: PAPER, Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe, AZ, 2009
DRAWING ENERGY, Herberger Theater Center, Phoenix AZ, 2007
DANCING GRAPHITE, Yavapai College Art Gallery, Prescott, AZ, 2006, Solo exhibition
