Meet Brad Davis | Oil Painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brad Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brad, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The pursuit of being an artist or any sort of creative occupation is all consuming and requires complete and total immersion. Working for an employer from 9-5 meant that I was stripped of my own time management. As an independent artist, I often work well beyond that time frame in a given day but I have the flexibility to make my own schedule. This means that I can be at the studio until 4 AM if necessary or I could take a week out of state to participate in an artist residency.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I find most of my inspiration from my immediate surroundings. The majority of my paintings are done on site, meaning that I take my easel out into the city and paint from direct observation. In my work I seek to transform what is mundane for others and simultaneously preserve what will inevitably be lost to history. Many times I paint a building or some other feature of the city only to come back to the same spot later and find that it has been torn down or turned into a brewery.
The path I’ve taken as a painter has definitely not been an easy one. I have studied and worked in a traditional, at times classical, method that is not in favor among the elite of our current art world. However, I continue to believe that in my unique vision of the world, others will find a reflection of their own lived experience. My studies have taken me far beyond the little farm town where I grew up in Hillsboro, Ohio and I have developed professional relationships all the way up the East Coast and beyond. I now work with galleries in Philadelphia, New York, and Denver Colorado.
One of the important lessons I’ve learned so far in this journey is that when times get tough, work harder and get creative! Many times, I set the wheels in motion for a major milestone at the depths of a low point. In these times that feel hopeless, I am more brave and willing to try what may have seemed risky before. Cold calling an institution for an opportunity to show, experimenting in the painting process itself, or leaning on the advice of others–all of this can and does function to rejuvenate the stagnant points in my career.
At the end of the day, I always continue my practice of painting because I believe in it. Using art as a lens for experiencing my own world is a rewarding way of giving back to others. I want my work to change the way people engage with their visual surroundings. The best compliment to me is when I’m out painting and someone looks at what I’m painting and says “I never even noticed that”. From that point on Cincinnati is a little bit different for them.
Just this summer, I was painting the demolition site behind the old Crosley Factory and day after day I watched as one man reduced tons of concrete walls to neat piles of organized rubble. Near the end of the week, he came up to me and asked what I was doing. When he saw the painting that I was working on, he told me of all the exceptional feats of craftsmanship he’s come across while tearing down old structures and I was amazed to learn how creative the job of demolition is. He introduced himself as Mike Allgeier and purchased the painting. It now hangs in the office of Allgeier and Son demolition, the oldest family operated demolition company in Cincinnati.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Any time a friend visits from out of town our first stop is Skyline in Clifton, of course. After that I would take them to the Cincinnati Art Museum to visit all of my old friends (Frank Duveneck, E.T. Hurley, Elizabeth Nourse, and other painters from Cincinnati). One of my favorite hidden gems is the Mercantile Library with its fantastic collection of plaster casts and high rise views. After that, we would grab a drink at Rhinegeist on the rooftop and then head over to Camp Washington so they could see my studio at the corner of Hopple and Jessamine.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to thank my wife, Alex, who believes in me when I do not. And my parents, Doug and Karen, who gave me an incredible childhood that made it so easy for me to find the hidden beauty in the world and to know the joy of painting it.

Website: https://braddavisartist.com

Instagram: @braddavisartist

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/brad-davis-4568a9118

Facebook: Brad Davis Artist

Other: Email me at [email protected]