ARTicles vol. 2 i.3a: The Work of Kelvin Davies

Kelvin Davies’ paintings challenge the dichotomy between art and science. He studied biochemistry as an undergraduate and molecular biology for his PhD, but at the age of three he had already shown a talent for art. “That’s when I did my first painting,” says Davies amusedly. “It was of a man and a woman. My mother thought I was a genius and rushed out and bought me a paint set.” After moving to New York in 1989, Davies joined the Art Student League. Under the instruction of Anita Steckel, he studied the human form and began developing his artistic style. Davies’ paintings for the A.R.T. production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream have created a world of the subconscious. His eight panels move the characters from reality to Shakespeare’s mind to a dream world to a forest and then back to reality – a world enclosed by a wall. Central to his concept is the figure of Shakespeare. His body forms the trunk of a tree, and his ideas branch out from his mind to form a canopy. The characters are intertwined as the branches of the tree. The bodies of Lysander and Hermia interlock, Demetrius’ and Helena’s limbs stretch in unison, and Puck mischievously clings to Oberon, Titania, and Bottom. Oberon looms above, “to straighten-out the mess that Puck has created,” Davies explains. Davies’ methodical, precise technique left no room for error. Initially, each of the eight panels was outlined in reverse in acrylic onto sheets of Perspex plastic. The panels were then painted and displayed again in reverse. The use of the plastic sheets created a varnished effect and a magical sparkle. Through his paintings, Davies strives to demonstrate that art and science are not mutually exclusive. According to Davies, scientists can be rational as well as creative. During the month of November, part of Davies’ larger project, the Millennium Windows, was included in a three person show at Studio 515 in New York. For more information about the artist, please send e-mails to kelvart@hotmail.com. Kent M.C. Lau, ALB’93, a freelance journalist based in New York, studied costume and set design at ART-one of his assignments included the A.R.T.’s 1980 A Midsummer’s Night Dream.