Further into Abstraction was grounded in the events of the past year. As Davis worked in his new studio in the corner of a rural walled garden, his initial sources of inspiration - coastlines, abandoned mining structures, harbours, dilapidated boats - became increasingly distant in his mind. Fluid themes and forms from these different landscapes combined in memory to evoke deeper feelings and emotions, rather than distinct representations of specific places. The exhibition featured a purposeful, energetic series of paintings in which Davis was more focused on composition, colour and mark making than ever before. Such sense of adventure is repeated in his sculpture, where lockdown forced him to use found objects in his assemblages, using offcuts sourced from a cabinet-maker friend, an old railway sleeper, antique Meccano. There’s a fascinating energy and tension in these bold works which signal a new direction in his long association with sculpture.
