John Davis Gallery
On Saturday, August 22nd the gallery will have five solo shows (sculpture, installation and paintings). The work will be on display through September 13th with a reception for the artists on Saturday, August 22nd from6:00 until 8:00 p.m.
Main Galleries
William Ransom
Sculpture
"Life is flux. Life is complicated and full of choices. When standing at crossroads we deflect, reflect, procrastinate, rationalize and hem and haw. Sometimes these moments of decision happen while soaking in a sunset, sometimes stuck on the freeway, sometimes hungry in the kitchen. Some folks just turn it over to a higher power or rely on supernatural influence, letting faith tell them they are on the right path. Some make lists and apply reason to the pros and cons and cut the knot only once everything is measured and collated.
The teeth grinding and soul searching must yield something and I find that something in the studio. For me decisions are best made with my hands in material. Larger life questions can wait; right now I create something tangible and real."
William Ransom
Sculpture Garden
Bruce Gagnier
Sculpture
"The clay records nearly all the thoughts and efforts of the Sculptor although some feelings are buried within, beneath the surface which remains agitated, partly due to the effort."
Bruce Gagnier, 2015
Carriage House, Ground Floor
Laetitia Hussain
Murmuration
"Starlings form murmurations as a defensive response to sensing the presence of a predator, such as a hawk, falcon, or other raptor. With perfect synchronization, they create an obscure cloud which both frightens and captivates the viewer. Composed of many unique elements, the murmuration becomes a unified entity which nevertheless has many faces and facets."
Laetitia Hussain, 2015
Carriage House, 2nd Floor
Benjamin Pritchard
Go West East In.
Painting by Benjamin Pritchard
Not taking any shit.
Ben Pritchard, 2015
Carriage House, Third Floor
Peter Bonner
Paintings
"On my Painting:
I make work with primordial intentions, working instinctively at each stage with the goal of knowing experience. I use a process that leaves the possibility of achieving an image open and uncertain. I rely on my body and its wisdom. In this regard I have been influenced by the contemporary Australian Aboriginals and their processes; for example, I lay my surfaces flat when I work, often sitting with the work on the floor. I listen to what comes by attempting to discipline myself to remain in the moment, attentive to what is happening on the surface.
What comes takes many forms, from remembered moments experienced to particular light conditions, familiar shapes or a spatial feeling that I know. These disparate elements may come from different points in time or different events; yet in the studio relate. I have a need for resolution, and I’ve discovered that through working in the studio with materials I am able to find this resolution anew with each new work. I go through a process of re-determining my beliefs and rediscovering what it is that I hold to be true concerning a constantly changing and expanding number of qualities; like color, mark making, structural organization and the space that is evolving within the painting. I get a fleeting sense of what I believe each time I am fully engaged with the materials of paint and charcoal, however I must do it again or that sense that I had passes and feels lost to me.
What happens within this space is something that I get to know more about as the painting progresses, and get to know again and again with each new work. Characters form relationships and narratives between these develop. Language evolves out of the process of clarifying these relationships and narratives, codifying these experiences; these memories and how they relate. Specificity is the degree of intimacy I am able to achieve with the remembered experience, whether I am able to be at one with it, knowing it and make it live as an experience again through paint."
Peter Bonner , 2015
Carriage House, Fourth Floor
Farrell Brickhouse
Paintings
"As a mature artist now 66 years old, I find I have this large vocabulary to draw from. Imagery that has woven its way thru my entire career is available and malleable. I have access to this personal history with a renewed understanding of its original intent and a deepening understanding of how these “forms” can continue to speak for me in paint. I also seek to explore the range of subject matter my paintings can encompass as I look to everyday experiences, tell stories and paint about current events in an expanding as well as deepening vocabulary. There is in Art History an excitement as I see my concerns expressed in new artists and old ‘friends’ offer continued gifts. At its best, making art is a revelatory experience, a conduit to the beauty and mystery in the miracle of simply being here. As I wrote earlier- Painting is the wish and the prayer and the offering all in one. It is an act of faith just to pick up the brush."
Farrell Brickhouse, 2015
Gallery hours are Thursday through Monday, 11:00 till 5:00 p.m. For further information about the gallery, the artists and upcoming exhibitions, visit
or contact John Davis directly at 518.828.5907 or via e-mail:
