John F. Davis (artist)
Encyclopedia
John Davis (July 28, 1958) is a South Australian artist, who lives at Maslin Beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula
. Davis is best known for his paintings of the Fleurieu Peninsula coastline.
He is a caretaker of Maslin Beach for the Kaurna People.
, South Australia
, of Indigenous Australian, Welsh, Spanish and German ancestry. He got his interest in art at very young age and sold his first painting at the age of 15 to a high school teacher (in 1973). Once he left school, painting was put onto the background, as he was working full time. In 1998 John Davis decided he needed a new focus on life, and became a full time painter. He married Evelyn Roth in 2000 in North America, near Vancouver
. Evelyn is also an artist, worldwide known for her inflatables , wearable art and story telling events for children, and who has always been a great help in guidance and support for John.
John Davis lives at Maslin Beach in the City of Onkaparinga
with his wife Evelyn.
, abstract art
, and native art from around the world.
and the effects on ice caps and wildlife.
In 2008, Gregory Hemmings, environmentalist, writer and movie maker, organised a sailing ship expedition Around North America, to highlight the environmental issues. John Davis was asked to be the ship's on board artist, but he declined as he did not feel like a sailing person. As an alternative some of John's work featuring polar bears and one of Evelyn Roth's inflatable salmons were part of that journey. It was meant to be a 2-year voyage starting at Tromso in Norway
, sailing down the West coast of North America
, through the Panama Canal
then up the east coast, and ending back in Tromso. The expedition ended after 12 months, taking half of the planned time for the trip.
Fleurieu Peninsula
The Fleurieu Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Adelaide in South Australia, Australia. It was named after the French explorer and hydrographer Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin as he mapped the south coast of Australia in 1802.Towns of interest in the...
. Davis is best known for his paintings of the Fleurieu Peninsula coastline.
He is a caretaker of Maslin Beach for the Kaurna People.
Biography
John Davis was born on July 28, 1958 in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, of Indigenous Australian, Welsh, Spanish and German ancestry. He got his interest in art at very young age and sold his first painting at the age of 15 to a high school teacher (in 1973). Once he left school, painting was put onto the background, as he was working full time. In 1998 John Davis decided he needed a new focus on life, and became a full time painter. He married Evelyn Roth in 2000 in North America, near Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. Evelyn is also an artist, worldwide known for her inflatables , wearable art and story telling events for children, and who has always been a great help in guidance and support for John.
John Davis lives at Maslin Beach in the City of Onkaparinga
City of Onkaparinga
The City of Onkaparinga is a local government area located on the southern fringe of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the Onkaparinga River, whose name comes from Ngangkiparinga, a Kaurna word meaning "The Women's River"...
with his wife Evelyn.
Influences
John Davis is a self-taught painter, not particularly influenced by any style, but with a deep interest in surrealismSurrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
, abstract art
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
, and native art from around the world.
Environment
John Davis is involved in environmental projects, locally e.g. with the Red Ochre at the City of Onkaparinga coast line near Maslin Beach, and globally e.g. with global warmingGlobal warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
and the effects on ice caps and wildlife.
In 2008, Gregory Hemmings, environmentalist, writer and movie maker, organised a sailing ship expedition Around North America, to highlight the environmental issues. John Davis was asked to be the ship's on board artist, but he declined as he did not feel like a sailing person. As an alternative some of John's work featuring polar bears and one of Evelyn Roth's inflatable salmons were part of that journey. It was meant to be a 2-year voyage starting at Tromso in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, sailing down the West coast of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, through the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
then up the east coast, and ending back in Tromso. The expedition ended after 12 months, taking half of the planned time for the trip.