| |
View more works by Silvia Davis
Artist’s Statement
My development as a sculptor evolved from a keen interest in realism and a strong alliance with past classical sculptural traditions. The process of direct observation has always been the most natural and sensual way of working for me. My sculptures resolve in a realistic fashion as a direct result of a genuine desire to find out how the subject actually appears to me.
My images of animals exist not only as character portraits but, as symbols that embrace heroic qualities. My goal as an artist is to reveal and give value to the magic and power of their world. I look for ways to expose and give credit to their complexity, their grace, integrity and individuality as beings and their capacity for understanding.
Education
1993 M.F.A. Sculpture University of Utah
1980 B.F.A. Sculpture University of Utah
1978 Snowbird Summer Arts Institute
Work Experience
2003-Present Private Workshops Sculpting the Human Head in Clay
Theatrical work for the Pioneer Theater Company. Sculpture for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
Theatrical work for the Houston Grand Opera Company. Monumental Figure sculpture for "A Little Night Music."
1997 Theatrical work for the Utah Opera Company. Nine larger than life figure sculptures for "Coronation of Popea."
1995-1996 Sculptor, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Cedar City,
Utah
1993-Present Instructor, Petersen Art Center, Life Drawing &
Sculpture
1994 Instructor, Woodworking, University of Utah
1994 Sculptor, Consultant, Edwards and Daniels
Architects
1993 Architectural Relief Sculpture for Lowell
Construction. Eric Smith Architect
1984-Present Theatre Technician, Freelance Sculptor and Scene painter. Pioneer Theatre Company. University of Utah.
1984-85 Sculptor, Fossil Preparator and Casting
Technician, Utah Museum of Fine Arts. North American Ice Age Mammals exhibit.
1988 Instructor, Sculpture University of Utah.
Commission Work
1994 Wood Sculpture of St. Elizabeth for St. Elizabeth
Catholic Church. Richfield, Utah
1994 Percent for Art. Life Size Firefighter Carved in
Mahogany for Fire Station on 2nd South 5th East.
Salt Lake City, Utah
1992 Liturgical work St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, Richfield, UT. Sculptures of the Stations Of The Cross.
1992 Collaborative Designer and Sculptor for Public Block 57 Project. Salt Lake City, UT. Works in Bronze and Cast Iron.
1992 Percent for Arts Project. Public Sculpture for Fairmont and Warm Springs Parks. S.L.C., Utah. Bronze Sculpture.
1992 Percent for Arts Project. Interior Sculpture for Arts Council Offices. Wood Sculpture.
1991 Interior Wood Sculpture Commissioned by FFKR Architecture for University of Utah Genetic Engineering and Research Building.
1988 Collaborative Designer and Sculptor for Pierpont Gallery. S.L.C., UT.
1988 Sculptor for "Pierpont Walkway," Bronze.
1987 Commission by The Sundance Institute for the U.S. Film Festival. Interior Wood Mechanical Sculpture.
Awards
1983 North American Sculpture Award. North American Sculpture Exhibition, Golden, Colo. Foothills Arts Center.
Exhibitions
"The Animal In Art". A group exhibition, Utah Museum of Fine Arts
"Utah Art 2000". Norman Building, Salt Lake City, Utah (Catalog Show)
"Women Without Borders". Art Access Gallery, Salt Lake City, Utah (Catalog Show)
"40 Eyes See". Avenues Branch Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah
"Animals, Animals". Phillips Gallery, Salt Lake City, Utah
2000 "Reinventing the West". Kimball Art Center, Park City, Utah
2000 "The Animal in Contemporary Art". Stremmel Gallery, Reno, Nevada.
Three Person Show, Torrey Gallery, Torrey Utah
1997 Three Person Show, Coda Gallery, Park City, Utah
1996 One Person Show - Phillips Gallery, Salt Lake City, Utah. Works in Wood & Bronze
1994 Sculpture for the Garden Phillips Gallery, Salt
Lake City, Utah. Works in Bronze
1993 Faculty Show Peterson Art Center
1993 M.F.A. Graduate Thesis Show. Alvin Gittins
Gallery, University of Utah
1992 Invitational Springville April Salon. Springville Museum, Utah.
1991 Invitational. "Artists of Salt Lake." B.Y.U. Art Museum. Provo, Utah.
1991 Invitational. Utah Sculpture and Craft Show. Union Pacific Depot. S.L.C., UT.
1991 "Toys by Artists." Courtyard Gallery. S.L.C., UT.
1991 Group Exhibition. Dooly Gallery. Park City, UT.
1991 "75 Years of the Salt Lake Art Center" S.L.C., UT.
1990 2 Person Show. Coda Gallery. Palm Springs, CA.
1990 Group Exhibition. Sculpture, Pierpont Gallery, S.L.C., UT.
1990 "Collaborative Art" Pierpont Gallery. S.L.C., UT.
1989 One Person Exhibition. Pierpont Gallery. S.L.C., UT.
1988 "Pierpont Tapestries" Group Show, S.L. Art Center. S.L.C., UT.
1988 "Local Motion" Kinetic group show. Pierpont Gallery, S.L.C., UT.
1988 Wreaths By Artist. Group Show. S.L. Art Center, S.L.C., UT.
1987 "The Best of the Loge." Group Show. Loge Gallery. Pioneer Theatre Co.
1986 2 Person Exhibit. Phillips Gallery. S.L.C., UT.
1985 "North American Sculpture Exhibition." Juried Exhibition. Foothills Art Center, Golden, Colo.
1985 "Henry Moore with 6 Utah Sculptors" Phillips Gallery. UT.
1984 "Women Artists of Utah" Invitational. Springville Museum of Art. Springville, UT.
1984 "Utah 84" Juried Exhibit, Salt Lake Art Center.
1984 One Person Show. Loge Gallery, S.L.C., UT.
1983 "Utah 83" Juried Exhibit at the Salt Lake Art Center.
1983 "North American Sculpture Exhibition." Foothills Art Center. Golden, Colo.
1982 "April Salon" Juried Exhibit. Springville Museum of Art. Springville, UT.
Group Catalogs and Publications
1992 68TH UTAH SPRING SALON. Springville Museum of Art, Springville, UT.
1991 EXHIBITION NOTES. Utah Arts Festival.
PLAYING TUG OF WAR. Salt Lake Tribune. 7/91.
PALM SPRINGS LIFE 8/91.
1990 DISCOVERING A GIFT OF ART, Salt Lake Tribune, Sunday 12/9.
PALM SPRINGS LIFE 8/90.
1989 GALLERY VISITS. Deseret News Sunday 4/23.
SOUTHWEST ART. Collectors Edition, The 4th Dimension 10/89.
ARTWEEK. A Peaceable Kingdom. 5/6/89 Volume 20 #18.
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE 4/6/89.
GALLERY VISITS. Deseret News 4/6/89.
SOME FAVORITE UTAH ARTISTS. Deseret News. 10/29.
PALM SPRINGS. Life 8/89.
ARTS. S.L. Tribune. Sunday, 11/3/89.
1988 LIVING TODAY. Deseret News. Thur. 5/26/88.
PIERPONT TAPESTRIES CATALOG. Salt Lake Art Center.
"THE GREENING OF PIERPONT." S.L. Tribune. Sunday, 5/22/88.
"THE PIERPONT GALLERY." Deseret News. Sunday, May 22, 1988.
1986 Deseret News. Sunday, Nov. 9, 1986.
S.L. Tribune. Sunday, Nov. 9, 1986.
S.L. Tribune. Sunday, March 23, 1986.
1985 "ICONS TO BEHOLD." The North American Sculpture Exhibition Catalog. Foothills Art Center. Sunday Camera.
1984 Deseret News. Sunday, May 13.
THE ART SCENE. S.L. Tribune. Sunday, May 20, 1989.
ART ON CAMPUS. Deseret News. Sunday, May 20, 1989.
S.L. Tribune. Sunday, May 13, 1989.
1983 THE NORTH AMERICAN SCULPTURE EXHIBITION. Foothills Art Center. June 5 - July 10, 1983.
Biographical Information
Born in Cupertino, California to Swedish immigrants, Silvia Lis Davis moved to Salt Lake City at the age of 9. She received a B.F.A. in sculpture from the University of Utah in 1980. The same year she found an old remote warehouse in west Salt Lake which she converted to a sculpture studio and adapted to fit the needs of wood sculpture. Here she began an intense development of a highly personal expression in wood.
To support the work of these early ideas she worked as a theatrical technician, painting elaborate sets of backdrops and carving theatrical sculpture. She also worked as a technician for a natural history museum. Here she prepared, cast and did sculptural work on fossils for skeletal systems. By these means she supported her work for years until it began to receive support.
She has been the recipient of much recognition for her work as a sculptor including the North American Sculpture Award in 1983.
Davis has executed numerous public and private commissions including a commission for the U.S. Film Festival in 1987.
She has shown extensively in group, one and two person exhibits in Utah, Colorado, California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
|
Click here to sign our guest book. |
|
