Mel Davis approaches her practice by focusing on individual bodies of work. Her style transforms based on the topics she engages with. This method stems directly from how she looks at painting; she places an emphasis on observing the memories that arise each time she encounters a particular work. “It’s impossible to make a painting without thinking of past paintings. We are always in dialogue with images that came before us,” Davis says when speaking about how the culmination of imagery in our lives affects how artists work today. “In an age where there isn’t a hierarchy on how we can use images, artists can take from all different kinds of sources to create their own palette.”
Themes of femininity, delicacy, and tenderness are found in her paintings of hands holding flowers. This is her way of exploring, much like Picasso did, how much you can say with the least amount of lines and color. What can painting do, or describe; what can painting be; in its most abbreviated form? Beyond paintings of flowers, her still lives emphasize objects as an everyday universal truth. Here, the sources may be coming from the past, but these concepts are very much present today.
Mel Davis grew up in Montreal, Canada. She obtained her BFA from Concordia University, (1998), and her MFA at The San Francisco Art Institute. She currently lives and works in the Bay Area. Her work has been the subject of exhibitions at Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, California (2020), Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles, (2017), Madison Gallery, Lo Jolla, (2016) and Olga Korper, Toronto,(2016). She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Quebec,(2004) The Canada Council for the Arts,(2008,2014) and the Pollock Krasner Foundation Award, (2016).
b. 1973 Montreal, Canada
Lives and works in Berkeley, California
EDUCATION:
2005 MFA The San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California
2002 The Slade School of Art London, United Kingdom
1999 BFA Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec Studio Arts
SOLO SHOWS:
2023 Kith and Pine at Barbara Davis Gallery
2020 Hihihi You feel Good *I, Barbara Davis Gallery, Houston, Texas
2018 A Mirror, A Window A Pool, Gallery Urbane, Dallas, Texas
2017 Meet Me In The Usual Place, Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles
2013 Begin Here, Eleanor Harwood Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2011 A Surprising Turn of Events, Eleanor Harwood Gallery, San Francisco, CA
GROUP SHOWS:
2022 Strong Feelings, Oeno Gallery, Ontario, Canada
2020 Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA
2019 Summer, Honor Fraser, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Woman Painters, Madison Gallery, LA Jolla, CA
2016 Between Land and Sky, Olga Korper Gallery, Toronto Canada
2013 Cloud Chambers, The Mayors Parlor Gallery, London, U.K.
2013 In-Between, Contemporary Art Center, Las Vegas, NV
2010 This Cool, Larry Becker Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, PA
AWARDS:
2023 Canada Council For The Arts Grant
2016 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation
2014 The Canada Council for the Arts
2008 The Canada Council for the Arts
2005 The Irene Pijoan Memorial Award for Painting, Painting Prize
2004 The Conseil des Arts et lettres du Quebec Grant
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
2018 New American Paintings Pacific Coast
2017 Comingling of Ideas at Honor Fraser, Blouin Art Info, Los Angeles
2017 What Not To Miss: Los Angeles November Shows, Whitewall
2014 Turps Banana Issue #14, United Kingdom
2013 CCA Notes from the Studio Lecture Series
2013 Interview with Mel Davis at Eleanor Harwood Gallery
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