CraigDavison
“I cannot explain it - it's down to the viewer to guess what the relationship between them is, where they're going and where they've come from."
where they're going andwhere they've come from. For me it's an illustration for a story that hasn't beenwritten” he says enigmatically, suggesting that art should always be both ‘a workout for the imagination’ as well as aesthetically beautiful, and the artist should not necessarily ‘write the narrative’ for the viewer. Inspired by the natural environment, and the lack of artificial light found in thewilderness, the Timberlyne paintings showa clever contrast of light and shadewhich draws the viewer’s eye towards the little girl, ensuring she is kept firmly in the spotlight. Building up layers of paint and adding depth and shadow in a brown/blue palette, the paintings have a fairytale-like quality to them “I always liked 'Lord of the Flies' as a child, and that sense of survival, and that we are all basically at heart just animals was what I wanted to get across” says Davison. This element is amplified in the stand-alone cast bronze cast statue, inwhich Davison increased the proportionate size of the animal, tomake the feisty little girl (who, incidentally, he says looks like his middle child!) look evenmore fearless and defiant despite her diminutive size. “I ama great believer in simple images” explains Davison. “I like to stop people in their tracks as they walk past the gallery – that’s the goal.” It’s an ambition he achieves on a regular basis!
GALLERY The new collection fromCraig Davison is available now. Viewonline at castlegalleries.com
SPRING2016 FIN e ARTC o LL e CT o R 39
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