Artist: Israel Davis
Israel Davis, MICHIGAN
View artist's current work here
BIO:
My work is an investigation of the symbols, people, and objects that affect perceptions, the subconscious, and life experience. I approach art making as research into thought, memory, and play. It is a study of metaphor through fantasy and authenticity.
This research is driven by the physicality of materials and the intersection of two and three-dimensions. My interests are in digital imaging and design, drawing, and narrative while paying homage to traditional and non-traditional ceramic processes and archetypes. I enjoy the “search” and am invested in the cognitive spaces of art making. I seek to push the boundaries between object and image. I am concerned with dreams, dreaming, wanderlust, relationships, and particulars.
Though ceramics is a passion and plays a significant role in my work, my practice involves music, skateboard art, and the connectivity of community and culture while the design an fabrication of objects often incorporate non-ceramic materials and processes. I have an interest in the use of new and emerging technologies and am excited about intermingling them with traditional methodologies. My quest is to be active in the search, charged with the ambition to continue to progress.
“Progression” is a term often used by those who participate in action sports such as skateboarding. In use it refers to such matters as learning new moves, breaking mental barriers, and practicing to hone one’s skills. I see parallels with artistic progression. One must be active in taking risks, asking questions, and learning the material to visualize ideas with a confidence and competency that breaks new ground.
There are endless problems to solve with ceramics. It requires technical proficiency to truly master it. I simply want to continue to progress as a maker/designer. To try new things and maintain a license to engage in other materials, media, or processes as it fits the project. My work varies in output and is largely project/series based. For me, the work is an investigation of ideas and the physical elements that make up the aesthetic and conceptual quality of the work. Ceramics is not always the right choice because of its physical limitations, but sometimes it’s the best choice because of them.
CV: