Mel Davis - CV & Artist Statement
Mel Davis: Begin Here, solo show, March 15th - April 27th ‘13
Mel Davis: A Surprising Turn of Events, solo show, November 5th - December 17th ’11
Artist Statement
The poet Galway Kinnell says that Walt Whitman's tendencies toward revision
in his late poems loses the courage he had from when he was younger.
That Whitman would take out the 5 lines that revealed an "inner experience",
edited out the "things that are embarrassing to the self", concerned now in
becoming the poet for the masses. Kinnell strives in his own poetry to put those
5 lines in. What a radical and refreshing approach to making art.
CV
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.
Awards
Grant: The Canada Council for the Arts-travel grant (2008)
Grant: The Canada Council for the Arts (2008)
Grant: The Canada Council for the Arts-travel grant(2006)
The Irene Pijoan Memorial Award for Painting –The San Francisco Art Institute MFA Painting Prize (2004)
International Student Grant-The San Francisco Art Institute (2004)
Grant: Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Québec, Quebec, Canada(2001)
Recipient of the Mills Prize for Painting -Concordia University(1998)
Collections
Greenfield Partners, Chicago, IL
Hyatt, Santa Clara, CA
Capitol Group Los Angeles, CA
Wellington Management Boston, MA
Apulent, Seattle, WA
Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
Publications
NAT 24 Catalog, Arthouse, Austin, Texas, 04/07/09
Studio Visit Magazine, The Open Studios Press, 01/01/09
The Philadelphia Inquirer- Galleries, “Deep Blue”,, Edith Newall, 10/26/2008
University City Review- Art For October’s First Friday, RB. Strauss, 10/01/08
The Philadelphia Inquirer- Arts and Entertainment, “Gobs of Galleries”, Edith Newall, 09/07/08
Carte Blanche Vol 2. Painting, Magenta Foundation, Toronto, Ontario, 2008
Making Peace catalog, James Elkins, Threewalls, Chicago, IL,10/01/07
The Philadelphia Inquirer- The Arts: “Some apt words for some work in Larry Becker’s summer show, ‘Some’”, Edith Newall, 07/10/07
bridge art fair Miami 06 catalog
www.sanfranciscoartmagazine.com-Art Review: Seeking Out Quality Contemporary Art-Rachel S. Rosen. 02/04/07
The San Francisco Chronicle-Art Review: Inscape-Kenneth Baker 08/19/06
Art in America 2006-2007 2376 p.132
The San Francisco Chronicle-08/17/06. 96 hours.
Chicago Tribune- Art Review: An Old Way Of Playing With Light, New Results- Alan G. Artner, 05/19/06
Time Out Chicago- Issue number 61 2006
Abstraction is Dead-Long Live Abstraction catalog-Jonathan Keats 2005
Alameda Sun 07/28/05
Artweek 03/01/05
San Francisco Art Institute MFA Catalog 05/20/05
New American Paintings-Pacific Coast Edition 12/01/04
Gen Art Catalog-Ariane McLean 11/01/2004
The Westmount Examiner 01/06/2002
The Montreal Gazette 06/23/ 2001
The Montreal Mirror 12/14/ 2000
The Montreal Gazette 11/18/ 2000
Paint-or-die catalog -Jody Pauline Patterson 2000
The Montreal Gazette 10/16/ 2000
Les Femmeuses Catalogue-Pratt and Whitney 2000
Exhibitions
Individual
2011
November- A Surprising Turn of Events, Eleanor Harwood Gallery, San Francisco, CA
March- First Things At The Last Minute, Local 123 Berkeley, CA
2008
October- Sea and Sky, Larry Becker Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, PA
2006
September- Mel Davis-Paintings, Cecile Moochnek Gallery, Berkeley CA
April- Mel Davis-New Paintings, NavtaSchulz Gallery, Chicago, Il
2004
March-Snow Day, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco,
Group
2011
May- Art Market, K. Imperial, San Francisco, CA
2010
July- This Cool, Larry Becker Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, PA
June – Lines, Lanes and Planes, Slate Art, Oakland, CA
2009
May- New American Talent 24, (juror: Hamza Walker),Arthouse, Austin, Texas,(traveling exhibition)
2008
Jan-Close Calls, Headlands Center For The Arts,(Christopher Brown), Sausalito, CA
September- Introductions 2008,(juror: Amy Ellingson), Root Division, San Francisco, CA
2007
Dec- In Light, Larry Becker Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, PA
Dec- Aqua Art Fair/ NavtaSchulz Gallery, Miami, FL
Oct- Making Peace, Three Walls, Chicago, IL
Oct- 2x2, Oakland Art Gallery, Oakland, CA
Summer- Some, Larry Becker Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, PA
June- Polyptychs, COCA, Seattle, WA
May- Ripples, The Oakland Art Gallery, Oakland, CA
April- Artists for Artists-Playwrights Workshop, Saidye Bronfman Center, Montreal, Quebec
Jan- The Cecile Moochnek Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2006
Dec- Bridge Miami Art Fair/NavtaSchulz Gallery, Miami, FL
Nov- Cecile Moochnek Gallery, Berkeley, CA
Oct- Drawn, The Oakland Art Gallery, Oakland CA
Sept-The Shape of Things, NavtaSchulz Gallery, Chicago IL.
Aug- Inscape- Oakland Art Gallery, (juried exhibition) Oakland, CA.
July- Berkeley Art Center 23rd Annual National Juried Exhibition (juror:Paule Anglim), Berkeley CA
June- Berkeley Civic Center Exhibition,(juried exhibition) Berkeley, CA
Feb- Fresh Paint 2006, NavtaSchulz Gallery, Chicago, IL.
2005
Nov- Abstraction is Dead-Long Live Abstraction, Blue Tangerine, San Francisco CA
Oct- New Directions 05’- (juried exhibition),The Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Sept- Black Market Auction- The Independent School of Art, San Francisco CA
Aug- The Water Street Gallery, Princeton, WI
Aug- Contemporary Abstracts (juror: Kenneth Baker), Alameda Center For The Arts, Alameda CA
May-San Francisco Art Institute Vernissage Fort Mason San Francisco, CA
April-San Francisco Art Institute Auction Somarts San Francisco,CA
2004
November-Gen Art Emerge- (jurors: Paule Anglim, Squeak Carnwath), The Old Mint, San Francisco, CA
October- 2004 SFAI+CCA- (juried exhibition), Playspace, San Francisco, CA
July-The Transitional Object, Swell Gallery, San Francisco, CA
February-Suspensions Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2003
September-MFA Continuing Swell Gallery San Francisco, CA
January-Fresh Swell Gallery San Francisco, CA
2002
May-Collective Visions McClure Gallery Montreal, Quebec
May-1st anniversary Sandra Goldie Gallery Montreal, Quebec
2001
October-New Works Sandra Goldie Gallery Montreal, Quebec
2000
November-paint-or-die Montreal, Quebec www.paint-or-die.com
October-Denim Dreams, Museum of Contemporary Art, Montreal,Quebec
April-Les Femmeuses-(juried exhibition), Pratt and Whitney, Longueil,Quebec
