Mel Davis
Hihihi
You feel good
*I
Mel Davis’ abstract paintings are distinguished by being more than a painted object; they create a reality of their own. Davis forms collages from elements derived from Popular and Museum Culture. This source material is used as a first thought and memory aid to compile more fully orchestrated compositions for transposition to canvas.
Painted in vibrant hues that push the limits of physicality and test our perceptions of material, the work is a consequence of replicas of replications, faithfully, and artfully organized and interpreted by Davis.
The aesthetic of fragmentation is inherent in her painting process, adapting a multi-layered, harmonious composition, using singular elements in a medley of styles. For Davis, this intricate system reflects the complexity of navigating information today. At the center of Davis’s project is the question; how do we absorb information and arrange it?
The title of the exhibition "Hihihi You feel good *I," is a direct quote from a text message from Davis’ daughter, Calliope. It is an example of the compression and collision of language, which is how Davis experiences making paintings. Davis sees optimism in new modes of expression; this belief and brightness are exhibited in these new works.
Consonant With The Moon
Oil on canvas 22x28 2020 |
Doorslam
Oil on canvas 22x28 2020 |
U Make Me Laft
Oil on canvas 52x60 2020 
Curtains
Oil on canvas 20x24 2020 
Place a Shadow On The Ground
Oil on canvas 22x28 2020 
Rish and Foses Oil on canvas 52x60 2020 |
U Make Me Laft 1
Oil on canvas 52x60 2020 
Lets Build A House
Oil on canvas 40x30 2020 
Double Rainbows
Oil on canvas 20x24 2020 
Eyes
Oil on canvas 52x58 2020 |
Grass 1
Oil on canvas 30x34 2020 
Moving the Hill Down
Oil on linen 60x52 2020 
Poor Butterfly
Oil on canvas 20x24 2020 
Grass
Oil on linen 22x28 2020 
The Snow Doesn't Give A Soft White Damn
Oil on canvas, 52x58, 2020 |
Rish and Foses 1
Oil on linen 52x60 2020 
Among the Worst Something Left Oil on canvas 20x24 2020 
U Feel Good
Oil on canvas 30x34 2020 
Brick
Oil on canvas 22x28 2020 
Lets Build A House
Oil on canvas 40x30 2020 |
ABOUT BARBARA DAVIS GALLERY
For 39 years, Barbara Davis Gallery has brought groundbreaking contemporary art to Houston. Driven by her intuitive sensibilities and perennially fresh vision, Barbara Davis has championed a generation of significant contemporary artists. In the process she has challenged a generation of art collectors, both seasoned and aspiring, to see the beauty and value in their work through dialogs and panel discussions with prominent museum curators and artists from across genres. She has launched the careers of international artists such as Julie Mehretu, one of the most important contemporary artists of our time, and Mie Olise Kjærgaard, a rising star from Denmark discovered in a Saatchi Sensations exhibition, having given Mehretu her first gallery exhibition and Olise her first U.S. exhibition. She was also one of the first to bring to Houston the influential names of Joseph Beuys, Kiki Smith, Jonathan Borofsky, Allan McCollum, and Gilbert & George among many others. She brought progressive international exhibitions such as Leipzig Select, artists from the New Leipzig School, and exhibitions for Beijing East Village artists Zhang Huan and Li Wei. Barbara Davis Gallery was one of the first Texas galleries to be included in the influential and prestigious Art Basel Miami Beach art fair. The gallery’s exhibitions have been reviewed in international publications such as ArtForum, Art in America, Art News, Flash Art International, The Art Economist, and The New York Times among many others. Her passion for exhibiting innovative contemporary art and her commitment to educating her collectors and the community has driven the focus of the gallery for 39 years.