Davis Birks
American, 1957
Blackboard, #10, 2005
white permanent ink and black acrylic paint behind sanded acrylic sheeting
47 1/4 x 47 1/4 in.
SBMA, Museum purchase
2007.36
Photo of Davis Birks by Julia Arkhipova, December, 2013
“After finishing the first Blackboard I hung it in the living room of our home. Later on as I was walking towards the living room, I noticed my 9 year old son Emmanuel analyzing the piece. I stopped and watched him. He was unaware of my presence. He looked around to see if anyone was watching him and then he reached out and lightly touched the surface of the piece, gently rubbing his pinky from one side to the other to see if he could erase what he thought was a chalk line. He told me he thought I had drawn the spiral on a black chalkboard, hence, the title of the series.”
Davis Birks
RESEARCH PAPER
“Blackboard 10” created in 2005 is a piece within a series of spiral artwork the artist, Davis Birks, has created using a single line. This single line of a spiral form afforded him the opportunity to create forms with a simple system where chance plays a role in the process and execution of the work. His motivation to start the spiral series came from looking at a topographic map. He was studying an area to hike, and became conscious of the line creating the topographical elevations. The lines weren’t spirals, but his imagination took over and the lines became spirals which in turn became undulating, organic forms. This experience with the topographic lines related to his relationship with minimalist drawing and became the inspiration for the Spiral Series.
The minimalist works of artists Sol LeWitt and Agnes Martin from the 1960’s and 70’s interested him the most. “I was able to break from a certain geometry found in the majority of this kind of work and find a simple system that also allowed me to incorporate the element of chance. Using the spiral form was the solution…it was a very simple system which enables me to create images where chance can play an essential role in the development.” The series has developed with experimentation using a variety of materials; drawing and carving into existing walls, rock slabs, canvas, ceramic tile and more recently, acrylic sheeting.
“Blackboard 10” is a spiral drawn in white ink directly on back of a piece of sanded acrylic, which is then painted over with black acrylic paint. Using Sanded Acrylic in this piece, Birks explains, “I am interested in distancing the viewer from the actual line of the spiral form and in turn create a sense of mystery regarding the process. Sanding the acrylic sheet helped to create this distance and mystery.”
In using the spiral form he could start at a point and create a complex work with a simple system and not have a preconceived idea of what it would look liked before it was finished. In describing his mode of delivery he states, “In this way the journey and process becomes more exciting. It is the beauty of not knowing. I am happy that within the work I produce I have this series that has certain limitations, but at the same time is unpredictable. I have an idea of what the spiral will look like, but I can never anticipate the outcome. It is beautiful. Who really wants to know what their future will be? Part of the anticipation and beauty of each day is the challenge of not knowing what the day will present.”
Birks demonstrates the mastery of his artistic genius using a single line to create these organic forms in the spiral series. He depicts the process thusly,”…they require a surprising amount of concentration and focus (I find I cannot listen to music while I work on the more complicated spirals). As a piece develops, I make decisions regarding the general forms, distance between line segments and subsystems I am incorporating. As I draw around the circumference of the form I need to remember key points that need to be taken into consideration. A good analogy would be a journey around the globe where you have to drop in a visit each of your friends as you move on with your travels. The process is definitely a form of meditation.”
When asked about the black and white imagery of “Blackboard 10”, “…my intention for the Blackboards was not to create works that appear photographic, but simply works that emanated a sense of mystery…work that was not easily deciphered at a first glance, but which had to really be examined and invited a second look., I had an interest in creating a reference to the mystery that surrounds us. We look through telescopes with awe at the spiraling galaxies around us as well as through microscopes at the fractal systems that create our world. In the Blackboard pieces, I was interested in paying homage to that mystery.”
Davis Birks is an American artist, living in Mexico, who knew he was an artist at the age of 9. “Like most children, I liked drawing and doodling... I made a conscious effort to improve my drawing starting first to draw what was around me. My father worked for ATT and was always bringing home cool materials and gadgets. I also began to force myself to use my imagination and memory. At home I would work on landscapes and portraits. …soon I was selling them at a small profit.” High School was his first public exhibit, wherein he sold most of the work. This acceptance of his work at an early age cemented the idea of the possibility of actually living and working as an artist. While attending Arizona State University he was awarded a scholarship to work in Guadalajara, Mexico, his friends urged him to see the Mexican Riviera. In Puerto Vallarta his paintings were immediately accepted by Galeria Uno, Vallarta’s oldest significant gallery. Currently, he works as an artist and lives in Puerto Vallarta.
Prepared for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Docent Council by Mary Winder, January 2014
Bibliography
Photograph of “Blackboard 10”, provided by artist, January 2014.
Photograph of Birks, Julia Arkhipova, December, 2013.
Cabana Home, “April Art Show- Featuring Steve Schmidt & Davis Birks--Cabana Home- Santa Barbara April Art Show”, April 7, 2013, http://www.cabanahome.com/april-art-show-featuring-steve-schmidt-davis-birks/
Charles Donelan, “Davis Birks: Strata and Susan Manchester: New and Recent Works on Paper. At Edward Cella Art+Architecture. Spiral Center”, May 10, 2007, http://www.independent.com/news/2007/may/10/emdavis-birks-strata-and-susan-manchester-new-and-/ .
Davis Birks web site, http://www.davisbirks.com/
Edward Cella Art + Architecture, 2014, http://www.edwardcella.com/html/
John Strawn, Curator ecoArts, “Davis Birks – The Patterns of Existence”, September 23, 2011.
Latin American Art, “Latin American Art”, http://www.latinamericanart.com/en/artists/davis-birks/biography.html .
Luis Dominguez, “Conceptual Art In Puerto Vallarta - PV Pulse”, March 21, 2012, http://www.pvpulse.com/en/news/news-from-banderas-bay/conceptual-art-in-puerto-vallarta .
Mary Winder, Written and Verbal Interview, January 2014.
Santa Barbara Museum of Art, “Heavenly Bodies, February 22-May 25, 2014” http://www.sbma.net/exhibitions/heavenlybodies.web
Santa Fe Gallery Association, “IDLE HANDS: GROUP SHOW”, November 22, 2013—December 15, 2014 http://www,sabtafegakkertassociation.org/