Ode to Joy: The Art of Mark Davis

$50.00

Essay by Jeanne V. Koles

A mobile artist who lives and works in the Boston area, Mark Davis was drawn to the act of creating as a young boy. The discovery of Alexander Calder’s work at the age of fourteen had a profound influence on Davis’s early work, which consisted of stylized jewelry pieces, and has had a continual presence throughout his career. In this lavishly illustrated volume, plants, animals, figures, and landscapes develop within the brightly colored and abstracted shapes that make up Davis’s body of work. Vibrant colors and sheets of metal are constructed to create self-contained, kinetic narratives. Davis explores the three-dimensional spaces within his work, as well as his own internal dialogue, through these dynamic scenes. Tapping into the joyful and childlike elements of human nature allows Davis to convey a personal philosophy about his life: difficult challenges can eventually be transformed to achieve balanced and uplifting results. This publication features photographs of current and past works by the artist and images of his studio.