How did you get into making art?
Oh that is pretty hard pin down. I grew up playing a lot of music and involved with skate culture. I didn’t skate but rode BMX. The culture is pretty comparable though. I loved counter culture from a really young age. I would draw the logos and graphics I was being exposed to through T-shirts and punk music/BMX videos. But, I was in Montana so capital A “Art” wasn’t really around like… at all. I had a group of friends in highschool and we would make things together. Paintings and music and whatever else we could think of but we didn’t think about it being Art so it wasn’t until undergrad I guess. I was studying philosophy and wanted to move over to graphic design but didn’t even know the term existed. I ended up in business marketing for a semester! haha but then was lead to graphic design from there. Then, I had to take the base level Art History course where we read Art Through the Ages. After seeing Duchamp and taking my first few studio courses, I was sold. I majored in Graphic Design and then did an additional split degree in Painting and Sculpture. I was in undergrad for like six or six and a half years! Just wanted to do it all. Then came to grad school in Chicago. Now I’m mainly a painter.
What are you currently working on?
Well, paintings. Just painting and painting some more. I’ve started letting collage back in to my work. I used to do quite a bit of collage with really obscure materials. All kinds of stuff really. Kicked it out for some reason. Can’t say why. Anyways, I’m letting it back in now and loving it. Also, I’ve been navigating how to get a good crate built for a Biennial in Curatiba Brazil. From what I understand there are venues all across the city in conjunction with the Biennial but I’ll have work at the the Oscar Niemeyer Museum so I want the crate to be good! Don’t want the paintings showing up all messed up or something! The issue is resolved now but that was a total mess for a while. There are specific kinds of wood you need and then to get it built, packed, and moved is a whole thing and that’s all before even shipping the thing. But, I recently got that figured out so thats a relief. Other than that, I’m really just working on having good days, eating well, and getting the right amount of sleep.
There is no difference between what the paintings present as an image and my feelings about what a painting is for.
Tavin Davis
What inspired you to get started on this body of work?
You know, the line when I started the body of work is a little blurry. It’s structure, by which I just mean the empty landscape structure, has been in my work since I started making paintings. But, I do remember a very distinct conversation I had with a friend in my studio and that really opened my eyes to my work. I’ll keep that conversation to myself but I gifted him a painting after that as a thank you. After that, I realized my practice has mainly to do with getting rid of, or at least far away from, problems and worries and that there is no difference between what the paintings present as an image and my feelings about what a painting is for or why I use them. These things just fold into one another. That’s when I started to focus mostly on my empty landscape structure or the landscape plus some images that maybe deals with the time of year or just time passing. If my biggest thing on my mind in the studio is how to describe a cloud or what time of year it is then I’m probably doing alright. Why would I want more problems for myself? I don’t mean to say I don’t care about cultural issues! I care a lot about the state of the world and the problems people are dealing with but I guess I just feel that using my studio and my paintings as a place for that stuff would be kind of masochistic for me. Like why would I use this particular space that allows for anything to exist to feel those problems even more? I’m already overwhelmed by them. I think getting away from the rest of the world is a pretty legit use for art. It’s practical and real. That’s what I need and I trust that maybe that’s what someone else out there needs too.
Do you work on distinct projects or do you take a broader approach to your practice?
Yes is the best answer haha I don’t know. It’s a continuum. I have my project and that is pretty distinct. It’s a painting project. It’s a way of living project. It’s an existential project. It’s a mental state project. It’s a philisophical project. It’s a spiritual project. It’s a “let’s be a little bored” project. It’s a “let’s be a little less bored today” project. It’s all that in one project. In short, I’m not sure how to answer that. Was that an answer?
What’s a typical day like in your studio?
A lot of painting. I don’t really sketch nor plan much. More accurately, I don’t sketch or plan at all. So, I go in and kick a painting around. Sometimes I’m cutting out pictures and phrases from magazines or, and this is really rare, sculpting something. I’ll read, study colors, or mess around on the internet sometimes but it’s really just painting. I go paint because I need it. I need to paint and to spend time in and on my surfaces. If I want something else I’ll usually just go do something else. It’s rare I want something else so when the want arises I do that instead.
Who are your favorite artists?
My friends are my favorite artists! I like that I can talk to them in live time about what they are feeling and thinking. Of course there are historic artists I love. So many I don’t really want to list them all. But, my friends work makes me the most excited to engage with.
Where do you go to discover new artists?
All over the place. Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, going to exhibitions, books, magazines, word of mouth. All kinds of places. My favorite is when a friend will tell me about or show me an artist they like. It’s a way to bond or have good dialog.
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