davsonart.com

Gratitude Series

the With Gratitude series

Davson’s With Gratitude series of paintings declares her maturity in technique and visual presentation. It reflects her spiritual foundations with a confidence that continues through her
later works.

It is through the With Gratitude series that Davson establishes her values and artistic integrity, realising her own skills and celebrating them with gratitude. They mark the “coming of age” of a distinguished artist.

Commissioned by Phil Rudder, the Chief Executive Officer of Rooty Hill RSL Club in Western Sydney, Davson’s With Gratitude series was an integral part of his vision for the intended Resort Complex. Phil Rudder wanted to have a gallery-walk leading to the luxurious Minchin’s Restaurant.

 

The Resort expansion and restaurant plans were designed to accommodate twelve art works by Davson prior to the commencement of building construction.

 

This was a great compliment to the artist.
Usually commissioned works are called upon to fill a specific area and need to be designed to fit existing parameters. In this instance however, the building was designed to fit the artist’s creations.

Building spaces designed specifically to display a successful artist’s work are
usually created posthumously ...

In 1996, Davson’s With Gratitude series became an exception.

Ultra-marathon runner Pat Farmer viewed them by chance . . .

“In the year 2000, I was speaking at a function in Western Sydney when Davson’s art in the venue caught my eye. The detail, the expression, the
colour and the use of Australian native icons left an indelible mark on my mind that night.

So much so, that I decided to contact the artist and commission a work that might explain the turmoil that my life was going through, reflections from my past and the vision I had for the future….”

So the With Gtratitude series of paintings inspired Pat Farmer
to contact Davson, the artist.

And they found common ground within their aspirations for humanity.

and to date,
the With Gratitude series is the ONLY body of art created by Davson
on a specific theme where all of the works of art are the same size.

With changes to both the building which housed them and its management, in 2008 the With Gratitude series of paintings were acquired by various collector investors. In support of the current international world record making venture, some of these works are being again made available to the art market.

So a selection of these paintings is currently available for purchase.

Would you like to own them?

Or at least secure a share in one of these prestigious works?

email: sharon@davsonart.com

You could become part of history in the making.

These paintings represent the starting-point for an unprecedented collaboration between Pat Farmer and Davson the artist.

And we trust you will enjoy being part of history in the making.

 

the With Gratitude series

Davson created the With Gratitude series of paintings in 1996. (Twelve paintings were originally commissioned by the Rooty Hill RSL Club & Resort with a thirteenth image for the private collection of Phil Rudder. The fourteenth and final painting in this series was added later in that year).

In the traditions of fine winemaking, which these images honour, their interplay of tasteful endeavours has richly mellowed over time.

Each painting interweaves the artist’s passion for spiritual and environmental themes with equipment and objects from early Australian wine-making.

Native flora and fauna dominate each image in meticulous detail. Large jig-saw puzzle shapes create a multi-dimensional sense of drifting through time and space. The varying light intensities allow elements of the image to float within an atmosphere of a bygone era.

The viewer chooses their own perspective.

Beams of Light travel between the creatures; and although the birds, animals and objects are painted with a strong sense of realism, in many cases their shadows are missing.

Davson chooses not to portray her pictorial elements in full realism. The illusion of reality captivates the viewer through sumptuous detail, while posing questions for the viewer to contemplate.

Many of the creatures depicted with the relics from a bygone vineyard are endangered or threatened species. Can we make parallel connections about these issues?

The venue that commissioned the paintings is situated close to the site of the first Australian vineyard to produce sparkling wine.

In 1996, Minchinbury Estate still housed many of these old winemaking items, such as the generator and grape crusher.

In Davson’s imagery, Australian flora and fauna have become the ‘caretakers’ of this old vineyard.

provenance of the paintings

2010
Four With Gratitude paintings hung in the Davson ~ toward harmony exhibition in the Davson Arts Museum in Newcastle. The event was officially opened by Brad Franks, Arts Centre Manager of the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, Muswellbrook, New South Wales.

Five paintings from this series hung in the Davson ~ a long journey exhibition in the Davson Arts Museum in Newcastle, which was officially opened by Janice Nitschke, Director of the Millicent Art Gallery in Millicent South Australia.

Two of the paintings hung in the Davson ~ World Leaders & Enlightenment exhibition in the Millicent Art Gallery in Millicent, South Australia. The event was officially opened by Mayor John Breys.

Davson ~World Leaders & Enlightenment is a multi-million dollar survey collection of Davson’s art.

The exhibition is a visual narrative on the artist’s development from her art college days to the present. It showcases her passion to help endangered species and reduce prejudice in its many forms. Davson’s desire to pose questions for the viewer to answer on a personal level is subtly influential.

2009
Two paintings from this series hung in the major retrospective exhibition, Davson ~World Leaders & Enlightenment, which was the opening exhibition for the new Lockyer Valley Cultural Centre in Gatton Queensland. It was officially opened by Wayne Wendt MP for the Honourable Rachael Nolan, Queensland Minister for Transport, on 7 November. Among the guest speakers were Mary Teague - on behalf of the State Library; Councillor Steve Jones - Mayor of the Lockyer Valley Regional Council and Sharon Davson.

The exhibition presented a rich selection of Davson’s work from 1973 to 2009. The majority of pieces were loaned to the exhibition from investment and superannuation fund collections.

2009
Several paintings in the series were reproduced as greeting cards, mouse mats and magnetic jig-saw puzzles. These have been selling in association with both the Davson ~ World Leaders & Enlightenment touring exhibition and the Davson Arts Museum.

2008
Hung in Davson ~ World Leaders & Enlightenment exhibition in the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, Stanthorpe Queensland, opened by Mayor Glen Rogers.

2008
Paintings in this series became available for sale. Several were purchased by self-managed superannuation funds and private investors.

2002-08
Most of the paintings hung in the gallery-walk of the Rooty Hill RSL Club & Resort, with two displayed in the resort's Minchen’s Restaurant.

1999 - 2002
Six of these paintings were hung in Davson’s massive retrospective exhibition titled, With Gratitude For The Light, thus named to reflect the importance of this series of works.

The exhibition showcased over 25 years of Davson’s dynamic and thought-provoking art. It toured public regional art galleries in Australia for three years from May 1999 to April 2002.

Art for this major retrospective exhibition was borrowed from public, corporate and private collections, including the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Coro Corp. New Zealand & Hawaii, Cathay Pacific Airways, Konica Australia, The Ian Fairweather Art Gallery & Museum and the collection of James Fairfax AO. The six paintings from the With Gratitude series were loaned from the Rooty Hill RSL Club & Resort.

2000
In June 2000, With Gratitude For The Light was the Opening Exhibition for a new regional art gallery, the Gatton Shire Davson Art Gallery. This gallery was named to honour the outstanding contribution by Davson, her mother Mrs Win Davson MBE and other family to the arts and broader community.

1996 - 1999
Hung in the gallery walk of the Rooty Hill RSL Club & Resort, Rooty Hill, Western Sydney region.

1996
The paintings were the naming works for Davson’s solo exhibition, With Gratitude, in the Renaissance Sydney Hotel. The exhibition featured the original12 paintings in the With Gratitude series, along with other major works by Davson.

This exhibition formed the core collection from which the major retrospective exhibition With Gratitude for the Light developed.

Two Black Tie Dinners and other functions were held in conjunction with this With Gratitude exhibition.

One of the dinners was held in support of a charity founded
Artists For Life endangered species awareness.
Guest speakers included Horst Rechelbacher, Founder and Chairman of the Aveda Foundation and Member of the International Green Cross Committee, and Robert Hill, at the time a Senator for South Australia, Leader of the Government
in the Senate and Federal Minister for the Environment.

The other Black Tie Dinner associated with this exhibition was held in conjunction with the ’96 Boutique Wines of Australia Exhibition.

For further information on how you can own one of these paintings,
or a share in one, please contact Davson World Pty Ltd

email: sharon@davsonart.com

mobile: +61 . (0)416 026 426
landline: +61 . (0)2 4965 6600

PO Box 216, Jesmond NSW 2299 Australia

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