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“There are so many different ethnic
groups and tribal groups, and they all have a
different culture, a different way of dressing,
different jewelry, and I could never run out
of subject matter,” he explains.
Along the way he discovered a passion
and talent for the storytelling inherent to
portraiture.
As his confidence grew, Davis branched
out with subject matter and ventured into
variations on his emerging style. He never
received any formal art training, instead rely-ing
on experimentation as his education.
“Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned
through trial and error and reading,” he says.
“I just kept painting and every time I finished
a painting, I learned something new.”
In a series inspired by jazz and blues
musicians, Davis experimented with mood,
contrast, and the extensive spectrum of style
between naturalistic and abstract. The result
is a series that looks very different from the
rest of his work, and reinforces the artist’s
ability to imbue his subjects with an impres-sive
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vibrancy of character.
Among the portraits in this series are
two of jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. Monk
was known for his aggressive, dissonant
and atypical musical style, eccentric perfor-mances,
and an iconic look that included
wild combinations of hats, suits and
sunglasses.
In a painting titled “Monk,” Davis captures
the musician’s cool bravado and unabashed
intellectualism. He paints the pianist in pro-file,
his head tilted back and his lips parted
slightly, loosely holding a lit cigarette. The
smoke billowing from the cigarette turns
into a piano keyboard, flowing from the
artist’s mouth into the air and beyond the
canvas.
Monk looks forward, his eyes are tensed
in thought, and he wears one of his paradig-matic
hats. Davis highlights the lines of the
musician’s face with a primary color palette,
relying heavily on blue with small accents
of green and red. A bright white provides
shadow on the man’s face, creating an
intense contrast apropos of the musician’s
legacy as an unconventional genius.
Monk, 24 x 36 inches, oil on canvas.
Monk No. 2, 36 x 36 inches, oil on canvas.