Art collections are very personal. They are components of a timeline of our lives, and what is relevant to us is filled with collected recollections.
The Jayla Ash Davis and Chris Davis collection is mysterious, melancholy, reminiscent, and erring toward a dark ambiance with a large pinch of humor. The past becomes the present, and obsolete items are reincarnated into beautiful, thoughtful art. There are memories and beauty in the discarded, the re-use of everyday objects in assemblage works, countless 3D sculptures utilizing small pieces of antique artifacts, and artworks made from organic media, including antique hair, bones, and other mementos. These keepsakes are given another purpose, meaning, and existence, becoming new heirlooms and objects d’art. 2D works include quirky and curious meaningful pieces containing questions, messages, endless childhoods, and the avant-garde. Every piece has its own story.
Many of the selected works are by Jayla, an accomplished multi-faceted artist. Describing her work as “realism with a touch of abstraction,” Jayla works in 2D and 3D. “I draw in pencil, colored pencil, charcoal. I also play with media, using ANYTHING to create a rich, interesting surface to camouflage the images I use as personal symbols in my work. I occasionally build constructions to house the objects and images in my pieces, creating different levels to explore.”
Curator Annette Palmer states, “This exhibition is a dip into the past and a nod to the future. It’s about longevity and preservation, tradition with a modern approach, and a view forward using experimental techniques and approaches.