Maggie Davis

It starts with the mark

My life as an artist started with the mark, that simple unconscious gesture that affirmed my existence. Drawing on the kitchen floor with a crayon at age 6 gave me back something of myself and allowed me to drift away from a world of chaos. It took an art teacher in third grade to bring my latent talent to my mother’s attention when he showed her my apple tree covered with abundant leaves and apples glowing among the greenery. I was still hopeful at age eight.

With little art education in the schools I persisted independently. Growing up on eastern Long Island I was aware of the modern art movements. Jackson Po***ck and Andy Warhol were familiar and admired for their brashness in breaking the rules. By college time, it was clear that art would be the backbone of my life. It took 6 schools, ten more years and a relocation from New York City to Miami, Florida to complete my BFA. Buoyed by commercial and critical success while still in school, I launched into an MFA program immediately. Working full time as a bar tender, cocktail waitress and food waitress, with loans and grants, I eventually emerged as a credentialed artist.

Over four decades I have sought my own voice. As a student I tried to conform and allow influences to operate but I always sought an independent vision and language for my paintings. Between the early recognition in the mid 60s to the most recent emergence as a seasoned artist there were many years of incubation.

My marks have matured from sketchbook scratchings to full blown, full color, painted abstractions of life experiences directed specifically to the viewers who will encounter the work. While I am in full control of the elements and principles of painting, I continue to stand on the edge of knowing so that you can feel the same courageous uncertainty.

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