The Art of David Paul Downs

Artifact (painting series 2008-2009)
Photography (mixed archive)
Illustration
Music

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Just returned from my West-coast excursion!































I just returned from an extensive drive through the Northwestern and Westcoast of the U.S. with hundreds of photos and a slight tan! Yes, my transparently white skin can brown a little as I get older and grow some melanine... The trip was amazing! Words can't express everything I saw and felt on this trip. The cities and natural sites, the mountains, the ocean, the forests... it's all too much! On my website, I have uploaded over 40 of the black and white shots, and will soon upload the color shots as well. Just go to http://artofdaviddowns.webs.com and click on photography. They are at the end of the photo groups right now, but I will soon edit them into separate pages. I am also planning a book of my photography that will talk about later.

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The Artist:

My photo
I am an artist living in Chicago, Illinois. I work in most mediums, including oil, ink, pencil, photography, digital, watercolor, etc. I am also working on my first extensive graphic novel series, as of yet to be titled.

Artist Statement

Through the combination of careful photographic processes and experimental painting, I am working toward a dialogue between order and chaos. I often use the relationship between man (or man-made structures) and nature (how nature consumes these structures with time) to create this conversation. 
With camera in hand, I seek out man-made structures that have been left behind to wither and corrode with time. Ship graveyards, abandoned buildings, obsolete machinery... these artifacts of modern civilization are what inspire me most. When the right image presents itself, canvas preparation begins. Texture is added layer upon layer using soil mixed with acrylic primer. I alternate between construction and deconstruction, repeatedly dousing the canvas with water and letting it dry to achieve a network of cracks and crevasses to mimic the effects of erosion. The photographic image is then transferred by means of acrylic polymer medium, and then restored by tediously repainting the image in oil or acrylic.

My current work grew from a combined love of photography and painting. I have always been drawn to the clarity and directness of the black and white photograph. A print made through traditional means has a way of feeling “true” in it’s representation of a subject matter. However, a photograph only explains the outer half of the story. Through painting, I can open the inner half. I can express how I was affected personally. My work attempts to bring these conversational devices together in a bold and organic way. As the viewer looks upon my work, they are challenged to see beyond the image that is presented, and absorb it’s greater meaning.    

C. V.

Solo Exhibitions:

2006 “Age and Decay”
The Lucky Cat, New York, NY

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2009 "Die Zeit of Drawing"
Climate/Gallery, New York, NY

2009 "Local Artists"
Las Manos Gallery, Chicago, IL

2009 "New Photographs"
Las Manos Gallery, Chicago, IL

2009 "Deck Deck Deck"
APW Gallery, New York, NY

2009 “Miriam Benezra Memorial Scholarship Show”
Griffin Gallery, Chicago, IL

2008 "2nd Annual Square Foot Show"
The Galaxie, Chicago, IL

2005 “Subversive Means”
Dick Blick Gallery, New York, NY

2005 “NoHo ArtWalk”, New York, NY

2005 “Emily Rosen and David Downs”
Dick Blick Gallery, New York, NY

Education:

2003 The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Scholarships Awarded:
Merit Scholarship

1998-2000 St. Louis Community College at Meramec
Scholarships Awarded:
Merit Scholarship

Workshops:

2008 "Comic Book Creation and Publication" The Galaxie, Chicago, IL
2007 “Comic Book Design and Creation” Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Evanston, IL
2007 “Comic Book Workshop” Chicago Botanic Gardens

Published Works:

2008 Sprocketbox.com (editor, web-designer)
2006 “M” issue 1, Triton Comics (writer, artist)

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