Joey Davis is an emerging local artist whose innovative and distinctive contemporary artwork echoes passion and atmosphere. Tangible feeling resonates from all of this artists work, whether abstract, figurative or landscape, and this, mixed with a love of the artistic process facilitates the creation of stunning images that are thought provoking yet peaceful and relaxing.
Joey’s love for art began when she was very young. Inspired by Tony Hart (a television artist) and his children’s TV show she began exploring her creativity drawing cartoons in her scrapbook. Years on her inspirations and influences have broadened and matured much like the artist herself.
Following her passion for art she completed GCSE and A-Level Art at Kingsbridge Community College before going on to be accepted to Loughborough University to study Fine Art. Joey decided to defer her university course for a year and took the opportunity to attend Plymouth College of Art to focus on further exploring artistic mediums. Here she experimented with all types of creative outlet including metalwork, pottery and photography. Although she feels she greatly benefited from this process it became very clear to her that her enthusiasm for painting was unmatched and that this was her true passion.
After three years at University she graduated with a 2:1 in Fine Art. Throughout University Joey’s influences shifted and challenging, groundbreaking artists such as Orlan and Salvador Dali began to directly impact on her. The questions of convention and social acceptability addressed by these artists became instrumental in building her own belief in what she was trying to achieve. She continued to broaden her horizons and found that traditional artists such as Turner had just as much to offer.
The success of her final exhibition and the completion of her degree gave Joey the confidence boost she needed and her newfound conviction fueled her desire to continually develop as an artist. Experimentation and exploration is clearly a strong reoccurring theme for this artist. Her inspirations are drawn from the gradual development of her ideas, all of which are influenced by her experiences.
In particular Joey highlights growing up in Devon as a defining characteristic of her work. Her love of being by the ocean and fascination with its ability to change mood so often is the direct result of where she grew up. “In Devon we get these unbelievable skies. You have to take a picture for it to be believed sometimes. That type of beauty is something I really strive to capture. The beach is where I go to relax and de-stress. When I paint a sunset or a landscape I want the viewer to be able to look at it and feel that space without actually having to go there. I use acrylic for my landscapes because as a medium it flows and that is an unmistakable feature of that environment.”
True to form Joey doesn’t limit herself to simply painting traditional Devonshire landscapes. She paints vibrant abstract land and seascapes too, which represent a different relationship with the environment and one that she likes to leave open to interpretation by the viewer.
Uniquely Joey also paints figurative work. Her exquisite portraits of female faces are eye-catching, often provocative pieces. For these paintings she mixes media such as acrylic, gloss and emulsion to provide texture, interest and intrigue, it’s difficult not to reach out and touch them. Joey explains, “I like to use more than one canvas and I give each canvas a slightly different texture. It creates different dimensions and reflects my experimentation with each separate element to achieve the desired overall impact. I’m always evolving my approach to painting; I never stick to one thing and try new things as often as possible. If I have an idea or see something that sparks my interest and I think other people might enjoy it then I pursue finding a way to translate that idea onto canvas.”
Joey is a self-confessed perfectionist and considers herself her own harshest critic. Coming close second is her boyfriend Will, “He sees himself as quite the artist so sometimes he’ll come home after I’ve been painting all day and comment on my choice of colour, he’s very honest, which is a positive thing. My Mum likes the Devonshire landscapes but if she isn’t sure about something she will go very quiet. My brother on the other hand loves everything I do and his house is my second Gallery!”
Currently Joey is working as a designer for Salcombe Holiday Homes. When she isn’t painting or working Joey can be found walking the local coastlines, antique and clothes shopping or socializing with friends. When asked whether she would prefer to be a full time artist she explains that at the moment she feels balanced and that in some ways having limited time available to paint has emphasized her passion for it, “I wake up on my day off excited that I have the whole day to paint. It makes it feel special and precious and right now I’m really enjoying that. I also feel that my experience in everyday life feeds into my artwork, it contributes to my creative ideas. My greatest aspiration at the moment is to have my own studio. I’m currently using the sitting room because it’s practical and it has a lot of natural light but eventually I really want to have my own studio space. I have a habit of spontaneously deciding I really feel the need to paint. Sometimes I’ll paint late into the night and that’s not always ideal, if I had a studio that wouldn’t matter so much, but for now, as long as I can paint, I’m happy!”