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Friday, May 19, 2006
Linda Davidson's standout piece is a stunner that defies typecasting
Artist Linda Davidson collects fleeting excerpts of life. She savors images caught on the run and words streaming by in torrents of sound and print. For her, it's all "mental static," a state that hinders a single train of thought but fosters her flow of ideas.
In "Souvenir," Davidson displays oil on canvas nature studies and abstracted human relationships. "Drive By," a series of square-foot canvases, range from winter's moody dark to spring's glowing light.
Stylistically, they move from Impressionist loose brush strokes to tightly delineated trees, a too broad array that fails to gel, although one grouping of trees succeeds well. Beautifully resolved are the Turneresque red, orange and yellow roiling skies. Mounting in a diamond position enhances their intrigue.
However, all that pales alongside "A Snag Is a Fog Type," an 86-by-52-inch black tree on white paper. She typed (yes, typed -- no computer involved) it out on an old-fashioned Smith Corona, non-electric typewriter. Tree trunk and braches, painstakingly made by hitting keys and hand-turning paper, sprawl across the quilted mural of 8-by-11-inch paper. Tapping out her mental static into tree segments probably took an eternity, but the startling results work.
The paper, attached at only the top corners, curls and waves like loose alder bark. The sculptural-drawing effect is mesmerizing. Getting up close reveals shading produced from layering, pressure and the amount of ink. Computers look out: You cannot compare. This tree is poignant, gorgeous and divine.
"Souvenir" runs through May 27 at Catherine Person Gallery, 319 Third Ave. S.; 206-763-5565; www.catherinepersongallery.com Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
-- Judy Wagonfeld
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