Ken Davies (artist)
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Davies is an American painter based in Madison, Connecticut
, known for his trompe-l'œil work.
Ken Davies was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts
. He attended Yale University
, where he painted his first important oil painting
, "Lighthouses in the Alps". The work captured the attention of New York City cultural figure Lincoln Kirstein
, who helped Davies attain showings of his early works in 1950 at the Hewitt Gallery. He also received a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation fellowship that year. His first solo show was at the Hewitt Gallery in 1951, and every painting sold.
He taught at the Paier School of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, and eventually became the dean. In 1962, he decided to refocus on his stilllife painting, and enjoyed further success, with gallery representation from Hirschl & Adler Galleries. His first solo show there was in 1978.
Davies' labor-intensive technique involves sable brushes, resulting in paintings that appear almost like photographs, but with trompe-l'œil and Surrealist effects.
Madison, Connecticut
Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 18,812 at the 2000 census....
, known for his trompe-l'œil work.
Ken Davies was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
. He attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he painted his first important oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
, "Lighthouses in the Alps". The work captured the attention of New York City cultural figure Lincoln Kirstein
Lincoln Kirstein
Lincoln Edward Kirstein was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, and cultural figure in New York City...
, who helped Davies attain showings of his early works in 1950 at the Hewitt Gallery. He also received a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation fellowship that year. His first solo show was at the Hewitt Gallery in 1951, and every painting sold.
He taught at the Paier School of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, and eventually became the dean. In 1962, he decided to refocus on his stilllife painting, and enjoyed further success, with gallery representation from Hirschl & Adler Galleries. His first solo show there was in 1978.
Davies' labor-intensive technique involves sable brushes, resulting in paintings that appear almost like photographs, but with trompe-l'œil and Surrealist effects.