A Passage of My Mind
Anthony Davies is a printmaker, first and last. But this does not mean that his work can easily be recognised by his chosen medium. Chameleon-like, Davies moves from one genre of printmaking to another. Constantly setting himself new technical challenges has been his way of overcoming the isolation of solitary work in his studio in Whanganui, of keeping productive without the stimulation of an interactive workshop.
Davies’ print versatility is strikingly demonstrated in his recent exhibition at the Wallace Arts Centre at the Pah Homestead, Auckland, where he exhibited three print series. The first of these, Aotearoa (2008–10), consists of black-and-white drypoint etchings in large format, each overprinted with an unexpected intensely red organic shape. Marathon Man (2020) is a series of lithographs, their smaller scale dictated by the size of his stones, and uses more fluid contours to define forms, modified with colour, tone and texture. The most recent, A Passage of my (2021), comprises reduction linocuts, printed in red/orange and charcoal grey, the simplified forms reminiscent of the boldness of political posters. Diversity is the hallmark of this artist.
