Andrew Davis is a Muswellbrook based artist, who has focused on discovering ways that monumental artworks, can serve the greater public, as catalysts for dialogue and regeneration of local communities.
Andrew is a first generation immigrant, of mixed ‘Cajun’ decent, born in Houston, Texas, USA. Andrew’s parents moved to Australia in the early 1970’s, to work as teachers in the public school system.
Andrew’s output has been guided by a continuing desire to understand life’s mosaic of human discourse and interactions, which being mildly autistic, he has always found bewildering.
Andrew’s murals are true ‘mosaics’, with many new things to be discovered with each new viewing. Andrew even forgets some of the 400+ items, buried in each of his murals. Andrew’s interest in human discourse has been nourished by a long involvement in all aspects of theatre.
Andrew has initiated projects with numerous organisations and engaged people from diverse backgrounds in collective projects that celebrate past, present and inform future of each location activated.
Inspired by the ‘what’s happening in his ‘own backyard’ attitudes of early newspaper comic strips, Andrew expresses whacky, over-the-top, expressions of life, reminiscent of festivals or tickertape parades – with many elements of live action reworked into one large modern jumble of animated activity.
If asked to describe his own work, Andrew exclaims ‘it’s kind of like sitting at central train station, imagining the stories of every person walking past and expressing that in a single work’.
Andrew has fond memories of travelling by train from his South Sydney home to the city, for shopping trips, as a young boy, observing the world going bye. Having grown up in the rough side of town, there was always a lot happening in ‘his street’, which is a recurring theme in his works. Art has always been a way of keeping a diary of Andrew’s own personal journey in a new country.
Andrew’s style is defined by quirky & inventive interaction of numerous elements, and action to be lost in. Andrew begins each work by looking at purpose of place, and then interweaves local stories into a mash of action, familiar to any observer’s shared experience. Some of the stories come from dialogue with participants or observers of the work-in-progress, on site – every work is always a learning experience for Andrew.
Use of accessible colour palette, clean lines (inspired by Golden Age travel posters) and illustrative gestures add a playful, humorous energy, to engage participants and audience in social and historical explorations.
Not having had any formal art training, each of Andrew’s works is more an expression of experience than any rehashing or rehearsal of formal structure.
Andrew works with hand mixed pigments, marble dust and acrylic mediums and varnishes – a result of years of experimentation with many different mediums.
Andrew measures success by how much his completed works are valued by participants and community, and feels more artists should use their creative talents, to help their communities discover their voice.
The Oscar’s Mural, located at the Muswellbrook & Districts Workers Club, NSW, tells the story of human interconnectedness, clubs as gathering place and the importance of culture to happy existence. About 150 people aged from 1-90 years helped paint this work. Due to renovations, the mural will be removed early 2017. We are hoping to recover parts of the mural and give them a continued life on the walls of, and for the benefit of the various organisations that helped paint the work.
The Aberdeen Fire Shed mural, now managed by Aberdeen Men’s Shed, located at Jefferson Park, Aberdeen, NSW, is about celebrating the immense contribution emergency services and volunteer organisations make to our quality of life, in Australia. We are currently extending the mural around the rest of the building. The new additions will be a reflection of the lively sporting and youth culture present at Jefferson Park, Aberdeen.
Andrew has donated over 200 works including:
Muswellbrook South Public School ‘Together Mural’
Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre ‘Horse Mural’
Aberdeen ‘Highland Mural’
‘Autumn Series’ photographic works at Hospitals across Hunter
Current projects:
Writing a musical about gender roles
Guerrilla Lighting – night life activation project
Celebrating diversity – fabric art project & poetry competition
