1、1Asian Influences on Davson ArtDo you ever consider the influences of Chinese and eastern culture on modern Australian art？ Possibly not； even though the historical influence of Chinese art on European and American art and artists is well documented. Chinese and other eastern images， concepts， philo
2、sophies and themes have also played an important role in the development of the art of Australias highest valued living artist， Sharon Davson. Sharon Davson has been an internationally successful artist for about thirty years， with her art represented in Royal and public art gallery collections. The
3、re is both a painting and a drawing by her in the Royal Collection of Great Britain and one artwork in the Royal Collection of Malaysia. Australias Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin， and Japans Hikaru Memorial Museum in Takayama are examples of high-profile museums with sign
4、ificant paintings by Davson in their art collections. Her art， including drawings and original prints， has for several decades been housed in over forty public regional art galleries and civic collections in Australia， Japan and New Zealand. 2However， long before her professional career successes， s
5、tarting as a Fine Art student at the College of Art in Brisbane， QLD， Australia， Davson says； “I was fascinated by the beauty and delicacy of Chinese paintings and the bold colours and patterns on Oriental ceramics. I also read Chinese philosophy and Buddhist texts and was blending these ideas with
6、my western style upbringing in rural Australia. They became important influences in the development of my creative thinking.” Many of her student creations were far more stylised with minimal design images compared to the art images created by her art college peers. She allowed Eastern influences to
7、 help her express a spiritual depth through focussing on simplified imagery， with bold colour and design. These interests and influences have remained throughout her career， prompting her many trips to China and various Asian countries over three decades. So who is Davson and why are increasing numb
8、ers of people in the Chinese cultural and business communities taking an interest in her art？ Davson is a visually articulate artist who chose to be artistically relevant in a modern world. She creates art in 3which people can find meaning， be uplifted and encouraged to continue efforts to make our
9、world a better place for all its inhabitants， human or other. Her images promote emotional， mental and physical wellbeing through their beauty， joy and thoughtfulness. Choosing a positive and uplifting approach to imagery has been a progressive development. As Davson says； “It meandered through my a
10、rt from early on to become a core feature of my work from the late 1980s onwards.” Her art is passionate and layered with meaning. It both reflects cultural history and forges its own path for others to follow. In correspondence written in 1999 by Wairah Marzuki， Director of the National Art Gallery
11、 of Malaysia， she states； “Sharon Davsons art has a sincerity and beauty， conveying messages of hope in an uplifting and inspirational approach to art. Sharon lights a path leading us forward. Her art is strong， confident and reaches out to people of diverse cultural backgrounds.” Yet， in the tradit
12、ion of the great masters， her work has mostly sold before being created. Davson works mostly on commission without ever compromising her style or the veracity of her intent to raise questions and communicate. Giving her art meaningful relevance to its surroundings， 4whether it is a large scale paint
13、ing， sculpture， glass work or intimately drawn etching， print or woven image， has always been a priority for Davson. She believes that her creativity is enriched by working with people， geographies and histories. So for three decades， working on commission has afforded her considerable freedom in th
14、e international marketplace. When her art works resell （and they do） ， it has mostly been directly from one collector to another， with minimal involvement from commercial galleries or auction houses. This also means Davson has maintained a level of privacy for herself and her high-profile clients. E
15、ach original Davson painting has been carefully documented and authenticated. In an art world plagued by paintings not worked on by the artist and by potential forgeries； this is a necessary reassurance. Creative leadership means Davson follows her passions to make a positive difference in our world
16、. Over 400 celebrities have endorsed her World Flag and charitable ventures for world peace and endangered species awareness； art galleries are named after her， and she has been acknowledged as the leader of a new art movement. Along the way， she has become the highest valued living artist in Austra
17、lia with multiple record 5making seven figure sales. For an artist to have their creative development exhibited throughout a series of public art galleries requires high artistic achievement and reputation. From 1999 to 2002， the retrospective exhibition“Davson - With Gratitude for the Light” toured
18、 Australia. Of the 65 exhibits （ dating from 1972 to 1999） ， many were on loan from public， corporate and private collections as Davson owns few of her own paintings. In 2000， this impressive retrospective provided the opening exhibition of the Gatton Shire Davson Art Gallery in Davsons home town of
19、 Gatton， Queensland. However， this gallery closed in 2007 to make way for the new Lockyer Valley Cultural Centre. From 2008 to 2011， a second major retrospective exhibition， “Davson World Leaders and Enlightenment” toured public art galleries and venues. Many of the 45 artworks （dating from 1972 to
20、2008） were on loan from superannuation and other investment fund collections. It previewed at the Hunter Valley Gardens with acclaimed British-Australian singer Leo Sayer and the Cessnock Mayor John Clarence officiating. “Davson World Leaders and Enlightenment” became the 6opening exhibition for the
21、 new Lockyer Valley Cultural Centre in Gatton in December 2009； and provided the opening exhibition of the Davson Arts Museum in Newcastle， New South Wales. Patrons for “Davson World Leaders and Enlightenment” included： Newman Haas Racing with Carl Haas and film star Paul Newman， Sir Jack Brabham， K
22、elly Slater， Layne Beachley， Sir Cliff Richard， Dame Cleo Laine， Leo Sayer， and other international sporting and entertainment celebrities. According to racing car driver Sir Nigel Mansell， the 1992 Formula One World Champion and 1993 IndyCar World Champion from the United Kingdom； “Davson is a rema
23、rkably gifted artist who can even get race car drivers to pay attention.” For collectors of rare and valued works， it is important to note that Davson has only created about 100 paintings. Many comparable artists created thousands of pieces in order to reach the same level of acclaim！ This is a surp
24、risingly small number for an artist who is best known for her paintings； and who has lived and supported charitable initiatives from the sale of her art for over thirty years. Thus accessing her art for many becomes a rare endeavour 7and a precious achievement； ownership of a Davson painting is a pr
25、ivilege afforded to only a small number of people across the world. Fortunately， in recent years the artist has been keeping a register for as many of these paintings as she can. This includes where the art， and the full provenance on each piece， as well as which collectors could be willing to re-se
26、ll their precious paintings created by her. Some of these works have changed hands seven to nine times over the decades with values of her paintings doubling around every three or so years for over thirty years. Very rare for a living female artist！ Davson made a choice to be a professional artist.
27、She held her ground in good and bad times. With integrity， her art has provided her studio and staff， charities and organisations in which she believes， with necessary finance since the early 1980s. At 30 years of age， Davson became Australias youngest truly professional fine artist， and has remaine
28、d purely professional for many decades through her 40s， 50s and now 60s. This is unheard of in Australia； and even very rare among women artists internationally. Most fine artists teach parttime for at least a couple of decades. 8Davson chose her own path and her distinctive style evolved naturally
29、and progressively. At the Queensland College of Art where Davson studied from 1972 to 1974， the dominant emphasis was on the abstract vision. However， within these institutional confines she quickly began forging her own style. In 1978， in her early 20s， Davson worked as a school teacher and evening
30、 art class teacher and lived on a small acreage in rural QLD. Here she created large collaged art works featuring images cut from magazines and assembled as landscapeswith environmental and political themes. Jig-saw puzzle pieces entered Davsons art in 1979. She had loved jig-saw puzzles since child
31、hood. With a passion for nature and animals， her then hobby was breeding Appaloosa horses； and her philosophic inspiration was the Tao and its Chinese philosophy for change. In her drawing titled “Drop Zone”， about the sport of skydiving， she added some pieces of cut photography to a landscape drawn
32、 as a jig-saw puzzle. She says； “The jig-saw puzzle piece was the perfect shape through which to visually communicate. It has both Yin and Yang - male and female components. A puzzle piece can function well on its own as an 9individual， yet when combined with other pieces they can create a greater p
33、icture； just like people and communities.” “These jig-saw puzzle shapes also give the viewer entry points to seek， understand or question the multi-layered concepts and ideas embodied in my works of art.” Those jig-saw puzzle shapes had started by re- flecting the yin and yang energies ?C the female
34、 and maleness - in her compositions； as well as the singular and the collective， however， with time they came to represent much more， encompassing a visual autobiography of the artist herself. Thus， jig-saw puzzle and similarly shaped imagery such as water pattern motifs have remained a pivotal sign
35、ature element of Davsons art， along with her spiritual understandings and passion for the natural beauty of our environments. Do you enjoy and value art in your home， work place or investment portfolio？ Do you love the colour and textural interest art brings to your life， dinner conversation， and se
36、nse of emotional and future well-being？ Davsons art provides all of the above and more. “I love the creative process； from the conception of a work to the participation of the audience.I am grateful to those who make each step in the process possible. We achieve nothing by 10ourselves， so gratitude
37、for interconnected effort is important.”Davson plans to build centres for the Arts and Earth. Acquiring her major works can give such art owners veneration for generations to come in these centres. A gallery in such a complex could bear the name of the collector / investor， as well as information on
38、 permanent display concerning that person， family or entity. Such is the artists vision and passion for enlightened creativity， and our Earth and all it sustains， including the endangered species both great and small. To Davson； “Endangered species is more than an urgent environmental issue. It is o
39、f major cultural importance. As we lose species from the wild， their inspiration is lost to future generations of artists. Our culture， as well as our environment， is diminished.” In April 1992， Davson started her “Hands Up”campaign to assist endangered species awareness. American singing legend Neil Diamond launched the Hands Up project with her at a national press event at the Regent Hotel in Sydney， Australia. Since then， Davson has conducted this activity with over 400 celebrity leaders from World Champion sportspeople to
