Sorry about the extended time off between posts, but I was out of town late last week and into early this week, so I’ve been playing catch-up since I returned. My lack of posting is also due to the fact that I decided to scrap my normal artist lecture and give it a complete overhaul for the museum on October 18th. I also just finished an interview for an art, music and literature blog based out of Chicago, which will be posted in the next week or two.

Another reason for my temporary disappearance is that I started working on a new group of paintings that deal with the concept of coded messages. There is quite a bit of thought going into the work, and I become brain-drained by the end of the day and have had very little desire to write about it. I still have much to work out, but think this idea has the possibility to turn into a pretty large body of work. I’m still in the playing and experimental stages, and have been working on a few small studies, which are much less complex that the larger works would be, but here is an example:


Anyway, the main reason for this post, is the radio segment I mentioned a few weeks back is finally being aired on NPR twice this Thursday (10/4/07). I’ll wait until the mp3 file is archived to fill you in on the full story behind the interview, but if you are interested in hearing the on air broadcast, listen live on the Internet at 7:55am and 4:55pm (EST).

Dayton Public Radio

There is a really well written article about my work and current exhibition at The Dayton Art Institute in this week’s CityBeat newspaper. It’s insightful and a good read, certainly worth a look.

Got Faith?

Labels: NPR, Parishioner Series, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie, update

Although my exhibition at the DAI had been open for three weeks, the opening reception was the first time I saw the work installed in the space. I thought the arrangement and scale of the work looked good for the gallery, although it was slightly disappointing that a few of the pieces had to be cut to keep the show from looking over-hung. Two of my newer paintings were withheld from the show, so since you can’t see them at the museum, I’ll post them for you here.



My work and website have been popping-up on random art sites and blogs lately, but one I’d like to mention by name is artistaday.com. It’s a blog site run by a really nice guy named Geoff, who featured me as artist of the day on Monday. He even dug my work so much, he bought a print from my shop — so for that alone, I need to give him props. Check out his site, browse through the artists, vote on my work (and everyone else’s) and if you’re an artist, send him a link to your site so he can check you out.

Tom Davie at artistaday.com

I recently added ten paintings and five drawings from the Parishioner Series to the studiotwentysix2 shop. I’ve wanted to add the work for a while now, but had to wait until the final work was selected for the exhibition. The work can be purchased through either the Parishioner Series site or the studiotwentysix2 shop. Speaking of the Parishioner Series site, I have added several new paintings to it, including the two shown above.


Here’s an article about my current exhibition from the Dayton City Paper:


One final tidbit, last week, I recorded a segment with Dayton NPR talking about religion and my current work. The segment is supposed to air either next week or the week after — so I will post a link to the mp3 file once it is up on their site. I’ll write about this experience in detail because there’s a good story behind it, but I’ll wait until you are able to hear the finished segment.

Labels: artist, artistaday.com, blog, fine art, Parishioner Series, The Dayton Art Institute, Tom Davie, update

As a loyal blog reader, you are welcome to attend the opening reception of my current exhibition at The Dayton Art Institute. Hope to see you there.

Thursday, September 6, from 6:00 – 8:00pm
Opening remarks at 6:30pm

456 Belmonte Park North
Dayton, OH 45405

Labels: artist, fine art, Parishioner Series, The Dayton Art Institute, Tom Davie

The first article reviewing my current exhibition at the Dayton Art Institute was released in Saturday’s Dayton Daily News — it seems that the article was also published by a handful of other regional newspapers.

I thought they made an interesting choice to have the Religion editor conduct the interview, and to include the story in the Faith / Living section, as opposed to the Entertainment / Arts section. I have yet to decide if this is a good or bad thing. Anyway, check it out.

Parishioner Series Article

Labels: article, Dayton Daily News, fine art, Parishioner Series, The Dayton Art Institute, Tom Davie

Finally...The work has been delivered to the museum, is currently being installed and the exhibition will open to the public on Saturday. I was so close to missing the deadline with the final painting that I was scared to properly wrap it, for fear the recently applied paint would adhere to the plastic during transport. It’s been a few days now, and I never received the dreaded “Um, one of your paintings was destroyed when we took the packing off” call, so I can only assume everything’s a-okay. The image below contains all the splendiferous details, including the reception and lecture times and dates.


Here is the museum’s write-up about my work / exhibition:

Tom Davie’s haunting and evocative images offer an introspective view into the artist’s thoughts on faith, salvation, mortality, and above all, Catholicism. The portraits included in The Parishioner Series are taken from a single edition of the St. Mary’s parish directory in Sandusky, Ohio. “The parishioners are members of the small religious community to which I belonged as a child and young adult, and the 1974 church directory was chosen because it represents the year I was born into this group,” Davie explained. “I have a great deal of respect for this community founded in religion, however, my personal struggles with faith, religious power and mortality prevent me from fully embracing the ideals of my youth.”

Reflecting the influence of Chuck Close, Andy Warhol, and Francis Bacon, Davie’s powerful images offer their own unique graphic signature. Highly stylized and finely crafted, these meticulously hand-painted works are composed of a complex matrix of dots. Layers of transparent washes applied to the canvas’s surface conceal the subtle and fragmentary textual imagery. “As the concept behind my work has become more focused, the layering and complexity have gradually increased,” stated Davie.

There is an uncanny family resemblance among the paintings and drawings in The Parishioner Series. This homogeneity is disconcerting, enhanced by the narrative tension created by such titles as Revelation (Mr. Carl and Mrs. Evelyn D. Bing, 1974); He Shall Inherit (Mr. Leander Bertsch, 1974); They were Judged (Mr. Edwin Hiss, 1974); and His Anger was Kindled (Mr. Edwin Hiss, 1974). “To me these individuals represent righteousness and unwavering devotion -- a uniform belief under the same doctrine,” said Davie.

Tom Davie earned his Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Dayton.

The Parishioner Series at The Dayton Art Institute

Labels: artist, fine art, museums, Parishioner Series, The Dayton Art Institute, Tom Davie

I just updated the Parishioner Series site with three new paintings and five new drawings. The updates for the studiotwentysix2 site are still in progress, but I promise, you’ll be the first to know when they are live.

Parishioner Series update

Labels: artist, fine art, Parishioner Series, Tom Davie

During the past year, there have been a few requests for drawings and small-scale paintings that maintain the look and feel of my larger works. I would periodically brainstorm, experiment and sketch, but enjoyed little success making the transition from large-scale painting to small-scale drawing. For guidance, I even summoned the spirit of the great Bob Ross, but alas, the “happy little trees” remained absent from my forest.

Anyway, I have recently been experimenting with some new ideas, and was able to find an approach that works as both a painting and drawing. The image below is the first tentatively finished drawing.

Your positive / negative feedback is requested. I’m trying to determine if the drawing is resolved and interesting, or just the best of the failures. The framing (and matting) still needs to be finalized. Overall size (including frame) is 17.5 x 10.5 inches.

Labels: fine art, Parishioner Series, Tom Davie

The rumor has been leaking for months, and Sara Pearce of the Cincinnati Enquirer may let the cat out of the bag in Sunday’s paper, so here it is — I have been invited to exhibit The Parishioner Series at the Dayton Art Institute museum.

The work will be shown as a solo exhibition in the museum’s Regional Artist’s Gallery, running from mid-July through mid-December, 2007. The curator for Contemporary American art and I, are in the process of selecting which works will be included in the exhibition. It has been determined that the questionnaire book (which is described in the previous post titled, “Help!”) will be included as part of the exhibition, assuming enough people respond.

I will post additional information about the exhibition as it becomes available.

Labels: Parishioner Series, Sara Pearce, The Dayton Art Institute, Tom Davie

To put this simply, I need your help.

I wish the help I needed was the really easy, two-seconds-of-your-time kind of help, but unfortunately, it is not. It's a brain-churning, somewhat uncomfortable, philosophical, very-personal kind of help. Many of you will not want to participate, and I completely understand, but for those with an open mind, please read on.

For the past three years, I have been working on series of paintings depicting parishioners from the church I attended as a child. As the work has developed, I have become extremely interested in others’ opinions concerning faith, religion, God and mortality. As a way to document those valuable opinions, I would like to create a simple, text-only book (which will accompany my paintings at exhibitions) with insightful responses to a series of eight questions.

I am looking for a diverse group of intelligent, well-thought-out responses. You are only asked to provide your first name and location (anonymity will be protected).

My ability to add this important piece of work to future exhibitions is in your hands, as it doesn't exist without you. Below you will find several links. The first is a downloadable Word document containing the eight questions. Second is a simple HTML page, where the questions can be copied and pasted into a separate document. Third is a completed questionnaire in its final formatted layout; this will give you an idea of how your completed responses will look in the book.

If you decide to participate, you have my sincere thanks. Whether you choose to participate or not, please consider forwarding this to any family, friends or acquaintances you think might have an interest in responding. Your response can either be attached as a Word document or typed directly into an email and sent to Tom.

Word document

Simple HTML

Completed PDF sample

Labels: Parishioner Series, Tom Davie

Ladies and gentlemen, the tease is over.

I have just finished updating the Parishioner Series site with new work. The link below will take you directly to the never-before-seen group of paintings. I have one remaining 24" x 24" canvas to finish, and then it's on to self-promotion and contacting a new group of galleries for exhibition and representation.

View New Paintings

Labels: artist, fine art, Parishioner Series, Tom Davie

It looks as if I'll have ten paintings completed by the end of the week, and as a thoughtful gesture, I decided to photograph one as a preview. The painting below is 40" x 40", which may be my new favorite canvas size. I will post more paintings next week. (High quality image placed on 1/25/07).

Labels: artist, fine art, Parishioner Series, Tom Davie

I was documenting some work today, and while the camera was out, I took a few informal shots of paintings that are in progress. In January, I should be finishing-up a large group of work (around 30 or so canvases) that was started almost eight months ago. Two solo exhibitions are already in the works for 2007, including a large six-month exhibition. I'm not giving away details yet, because things always have a way of falling through, but at this point, I'm cautiously optimistic. More details will follow in the future.

Labels: Parishioner Series, studiotwentysix2, Tom Davie