LEIGH DAVIS FURTHER INTO ABSTRACTION
All paintings and sculpture are available for sale on receipt of this catalogue
9 BURY STREET ST JAMES’S LONDON SW1Y 6AB 020 7930 9293 INFO@THENINEBRITISHART.CO.UK WWW.THENINEBRITISHART.CO.UK
Leigh Davis: Further into Abstraction
It was the summer of 2018, and Leigh Davis was finishing off a painting that would form part of his hugely successful show, A New Perspective, at The Nine British Art later that year. On that stifling June day, his studio in an old Victorian warehouse in the middle of Stafford was a hotbed of frenzied activity, as Davis applied the vivid marks and brushwork that would end in one of his most successful pieces, Green Cliffs, Levant. It was noisy, busy, urban. So now, when Davis opens the door to his new working environment – a studio in the corner of a bucolic Staffordshire walled garden, which has provided the backdrop for this new collection Further into Abstraction – it’s impossible not to conclude that with a change of location has come a refinement of his practice, gaze, entire ethos perhaps. “Your attention becomes very inward here,” he says, beginning the early brushwork on another canvas. “That’s helped enormously in terms of the direction of this new work; without distractions there was a chance to evaluate as I was painting, but also become more subsumed in it too. I was literally abstracting myself from my sources of inspiration.” It’s a cold, wet, winter’s day and Davis sets down his oils to chop more wood for the log burner. If it feels like we’re intruding on an ascetic, solitary existence, then perhaps
Davis’ life is simply a heightened reflection of how everybody has navigated the past year. His creative response to that shared experience is thoughtful and moving. “This isn’t a body of work specifically about the various lockdowns we’ve been living under, but a consequence of it,” he explains. In that sense, the title of the show – Further into Abstraction – is perfect. For the paintings
and sculptures that made up A New Perspective, he could visit places – Cornwall, South Wales, Shropshire – for inspiration and create a catalogue of photographic evidence to refer to compositionally. Now, his sources of inspiration were out of bounds, distant, set in aspic. “I was solely relying on memory of a particular scene – first out of necessity and after a while on purpose – and that removal from reality made me focus much more on composition, colour, mark making,” he says, gesturing at an area of his studio where he’s placed Mên-an-Tol , and Porth Hellick.
“Some of these smaller paintings that I began with are far more experimental for me, in terms of application of paint and expressiveness. From an initial idea about a distant place or building, the scenes became further away, and the actual painting took over. There’s a great energy to these first paintings which I wanted to take through the whole series. I’d refer to them regularly.”
He picks up Porth Hellick, St Mary’s, an intimate but vivid reflection on the tidal inlet to the east of the Isles of Scilly and looks at it afresh. “Such a simple painting,” he ponders. “But so fluid; the way the application of paint came together…everything just seemed to work.” It’s interesting that Davis likes to group these paintings together chronologically, rather than make obvious geographical connections or groupings. There’s a sense that themes and forms within his disparate landscapes have become combined in memory to evoke deeper feelings and emotions, rather than become distinct representations of specific place. He speaks of the inherent drama in the conflict between land and sea, of the decay evident in the boat wrecks of Suffolk. “In solitude I was able to find an incredibly deep emotional response to the experiences in these locations, an energy and dynamic which spread right across everything I did in mark making and colour.” And, indeed, sculpture. In A New Perspective, the pieces were often physical representations of the oil work, to the extent that Davis admits he often painted specifically to offer himself a reference point for possible sculptures. “They were almost like a preliminary idea,” he remembers.
But just as the direction of his painting has moved away from the literal, so the sculpture has also become more fluid, expressive, yet still very much thematically linked with the rest of this intriguing collection. Bostalek is probably Davis’ boldest sculptural statement to date and, like other pieces in this exhibition, reflects the circumstances in which he found himself in 2020. Unable to access his usual methods of producing sculpture, he began to think about using found objects in his compositions – some antique Meccano, wood from the carriage of an old van, offcuts of wood sourced from a cabinet-maker friend, an old railway sleeper. “Because some of the usual methods of completing a sculpture became less accessible, it made me more creative, more adventurous,” he says. “I used whatever I had to hand, and there is a lovely feeling of repurposing these materials.” “I liken it to a dry stone wall; when you pick up a rock, you can’t put it down again, it all goes somewhere in that wall. Everything will fit, and you’re constantly thinking about your idea – in this case a mine building sitting precariously on the edge of a cliff – but also how it will work as a composition.” So just like the paintings, in Bostalek there’s also an energy and tension in this work, in the way pieces seem both
connected yet untethered from each other. Which is also a metaphor for the way this fascinating body of work organically grew through periods of calm and creative vigour. “Sometimes, I’d have to put a piece aside, carry on with something else and continue the battle another day,” Davis admits to a process that draws as much strength from restlessness and tension as it does from reflection and restraint. “I’d go back with fresh eyes, get my big brushes out and do something bold, something different.” “For me, it’s always about finding – or rediscovering – that sense of excitement and spontaneity which makes every painting different,” says Davis.
Leigh Davis in conversation with Ben East, December 2020
CATALOGUE 1
Wrecked Barge, Pin Mill, Composition No 1 signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 30 x 50 cms (12 x 20 ins) framed: 41 x 61 cms (16 x 24 ins)
CATALOGUE 2
Wrecked Barge, Pin Mill, Composition No 2 signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 30 x 50 cms (12 x 20 ins) framed: 41 x 61 cms (16 x 24 ins)
CATALOGUE 3
Hull Form, St Martin’s stamped with initials number 1 from edition of 7 cast in 2020 bronze on copper base 16 x 27 cms (6 ½ x 10 ½ ins)
CATALOGUE 4
Moored Boat, Bryher stamped with initials number 1 from edition of 7 cast in 2020 bronze on copper base 22 x 27 cms (8 ½ x 10 ½ ins)
CATALOGUE 5
River Structures, River Blyth signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 60 x 90 cms (24 x 35½ ins) framed: 66 x 96 cms (26 x 37½ ins)
CATALOGUE 6
Barge Structure, Pin Mill stamped with initials number 1 from edition of 7 cast in 2020 bronze on copper base 25 x 35 cms (10 x 14 ins)
CATALOGUE 7
Linear Form
stamped with initials number 1 from edition of 7 cast in 2020 bronze and copper on bronze base 32 x 24 cms (12½ x 9½ ins)
CATALOGUE 8
Porth Hellick, St Mary’s signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 18 x 33 cms (7 x 13 ins) framed: 29 x 44 cms (11 x 17 ins)
CATALOGUE 9
Gwithial, Bryher signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 30 x 60 cms (12 x 24 ins) framed: 44 x 74 cms (17 x 29 ins)
CATALOGUE 10
Headland Granite, St Mary’s signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 30 x 60 cms (12 x 24 ins) framed: 44 x 74 cms (17 x 29 ins)
CATALOGUE 11
Nornour, Eastern Isles signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 30 x 60 cms (12 x 24 ins) framed: 44 x 74 cms (17 x 29 ins)
CATALOGUE 12
Mousehole Harbour signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 46 x 122 cms (18 x 48 ins) framed: 52 x 128 cms (20½ x 50½ ins)
CATALOGUE 13
Ganinick, Eastern Isles signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 30 x 60 cms (12 x 24 ins) framed: 44 x 74 cms (17 x 29 ins)
CATALOGUE 14
Rough Tide, St Martin’s signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 18 x 33 cms (7 x 13 ins) framed: 29 x 44 cms (11 x 17 ins)
CATALOGUE 15
Harbour Wall, Mousehole signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 60 x 60 cms (24 x 24 ins) framed: 66 x 66 cms (26 x 26 ins)
CATALOGUE 16
Peninnis Head Lighthouse, St Mary’s signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 30 x 60 cms (12 x 24 ins) framed: 44 x 74 cms (17 x 29 ins)
CATALOGUE 17
Mên-an-Tol, Composition No 1 signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 18 x 33 cms (7 x 13 ins) framed: 29 x 44 cms (11 x 17 ins)
CATALOGUE 18
Mên-an-Tol, Composition No 2 signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 18 x 33 cms (7 x 13 ins) framed: 29 x 44 cms (11 x 17 ins)
CATALOGUE 19
Blyth Moorings, River Blyth signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 60 x 60 cms (24 x 24 ins) framed: 66 x 66 cms (26 x 26 ins)
CATALOGUE 20
Portheras Cove signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 30 x 60 cms (12 x 24 ins) framed: 44 x 74 cms (17 x 29 ins)
CATALOGUE 21
Bar Point, St Mary’s signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 18 x 33 cms (7 x 13 ins) framed: 29 x 44 cms (11 x 17 ins)
Gardiner’s research into his subjects unearths all kinds of unexpected stories. The title for this work is based on a quote from Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel Moonraker. In 1951, Fleming leased a cottage at St Margaret’s Bay from his friend Noel Coward; the locality became the setting for some of the book’s action.
CATALOGUE 1
An Afternoon of Blue, Green and Gold, St Margaret’s Bay, Kent signed and dated 2019 titled verso acrylic and jesmonite on poplar panel 55 x 79 cms (22 x 31 ins) framed: 68 x 92 cms (27 x 36 ins) Publications South by Southwest, Sansom & Co, 2020, illustrated page 12, figure 4
CATALOGUE 22
signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 60 x 60 cms (24 x 24 ins) framed: 66 x 66 cms (26 x 26 ins)
CATALOGUE 23
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< Balancing Stones, Tresco
Innisdigen, St Mary’s signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 18 x 33 cms (7 x 13 ins) framed: 29 x 44 cms (11 x 17 ins)
CATALOGUE 24
Bostalek
signed and dated 2020 on base jarrah, beech and mecanno on oak base unique 53 x 27 cms (21 x 11 ins)
CATALOGUE 25
Ebbing Tide, St Martin’s signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso acrylic on linen laid on panel 47 x 123 cms (18½ x 48½ ins) framed: 52 x 128 cms (20½ x 50½ ins)
CATALOGUE 26
South of Peraskin, St Agnes signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso acrylic on linen laid on panel 47 x 123 cms (18½ x 48½ ins) framed: 52 x 128 cms (20½ x 50½ ins)
CATALOGUE 27
Levant Ruin
signed and dated 2020 on base unique ceramic on oak base 30 x 27 cms (12 x 10 ½ ins)
CATALOGUE 28
Mine Engine
signed, titled and dated 2020 on base ash, oak, cherry, american walnut, beech, brass unique 17 x 33 cms (7 x 13 ins)
CATALOGUE 29
Mousehole
signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 60 x 100 cms (24 x 40 ins) framed: 66 x 106 cms (26 x 42 ins)
Gardiner’s research into his subjects unearths all kinds of unexpected stories. The title for this work is based on a quote from Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel Moonraker. In 1951, Fleming leased a cottage at St Margaret’s Bay from his friend Noel Coward; the locality became the setting for some of the book’s action.
CATALOGUE 30
Ebbing Sea, Portheras Cove signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 47 x 123 cms (18 ½ x 48 ½ ins) framed: 52 x 128 cms (20½ x 50½ ins)
CATALOGUE 31
Foreshore, Pin Mill signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso acrylic on panel 122 x 200 cms (48 x 79 ins) framed: 127 x 205 cms (50 x 81 ins)
Gardiner’s research into his subjects unearths all kinds of unexpected stories. The title for this work is based on a quote from Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel Moonraker. In 1951, Fleming leased a cottage at St Margaret’s Bay from his friend Noel Coward; the locality became the setting for some of the book’s action.
CATALOGUE 1
An Afternoon of Blue, Green and Gold, St Margaret’s Bay, Kent signed and dated 2019 titled verso acrylic and jesmonite on poplar panel 55 x 79 cms (22 x 31 ins) framed: 68 x 92 cms (27 x 36 ins) Publications South by Southwest, Sansom & Co, 2020, illustrated page 12, figure 4
CATALOGUE 32
Water’s Edge, Pin Mill signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 70 x 123 cms (27½ x 48½ ins) framed: 76 x 129 cms (30 x 51 ins)
CATALOGUE 33
Porthmeor Rocks, St Ives signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso acrylic on panel 86 x 166 cms (34 x 65½ ins) framed: 91 x 171 cms (36 x 67½ ins)
CATALOGUE 34
Seascape, Rushy Bay, Bryher signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso acrylic on linen laid on panel 60 x 100 cms (24 x 40 ins) framed: 66 x 106 cms (26 x 42 ins)
CATALOGUE 35
Hanjague, Eastern Isles signed also signed, titled and dated 2020 verso oil on linen laid on panel 50 x 80 cms (20 x 32 ins) framed: 56 x 86 cms (22 x 34 ins)
Leigh Davis was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and spent his childhood in nearby Broseley and Much Wenlock. After initial education he studied Silversmithing and Jewellery in Birmingham between 1995 and 1997, before taking a combined degree in Ceramics, Woods, Metals and Plastics at the University of Wolverhampton. After completing his studies, Davis took up his first studio and continued to develop his artistic language. Drawing from a deep appreciation for sculptural form, Davis’ work focuses on the deconstruction of landscapes, man-made structures, and derelict industrial buildings. He paints predominantly in oil, creating bold, abstract works that capture the transient aesthetics of their subject matter. Now working from his own self-built studio in the corner of an idyllic walled garden in Staffordshire, Davis has expanded his artistic vocabulary to include assemblages constructed from found and recycled objects. In recent years, he has been hugely inspired by the rich and varied coastlines of Cornwall, notably the Isles of Scilly, and the broad landscapes and natural beauty of Suffolk. Davis has been exhibiting widely across Britain since 2012 with his first major solo exhibition held at The Nine British Art in 2018. He now exhibits and works exclusively with the Gallery and has numerous works in private collections both nationally and internationally.
Published in 2021 The Nine British Art ISBN 978-1-9995993-7-9 The Nine British Art 9 Bury Street St James’s London SW1Y 6AB Telephone: 020 7930 9293 Email: info@theninebritishart.co.uk www.theninebritishart.co.uk © The Nine British Art All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without first seeking the written permission of the copyright holders and of the publisher. Photography: Paul Tucker Photography Design: Alan Ward @ www.axisgraphicdesign.co.uk Print: Graphius, Ghent
Front cover: CATALOGUE 34 | Seascape, Rushy Bay, Bryher (detail) Back cover: CATALOGUE 13 | Ganinick, Eastern Isles (detail)
9 BURY STREET ST JAMES’S LONDON SW1Y 6AB WWW.THENINEBRITISHART.CO.UK