Davey's studio is lively. When I enter, there is already a group of people deep in conversation. I notice Davey at the center of it all, getting lots of attention. The crowd appears to be a mix of old friends and new visitors. For several minutes I’m just an observer, watching as people flow in and out, buying and complimenting the artwork. Located right at the waterfront in the romantic City of Sausalito, Davey's studio offers stunning views of the Bay. It is spacious, well organized and super clean.
Davey notices me standing at the threshold and immediately welcomes me inside. He’s wearing white overalls, a red hipster hat and big designer glasses. Davey is an extrovert, art fanatic and one of those people with a spice of cool. Davey is highly educated in fine arts and art theory; he studied in a PhD program and taught lessons at an art college. After growing tired of academia, Davey decided to quit his teaching job and pursue a full-time career as an artist.
Davey's work is minimal, colorful, and appealing to many. He is very intentional in his art practice and very articulate about his intentions. Like other minimal artists, Davey ads by removing. He reduces reality into amazing colors and pleasing tonalities of natural light. To achieve this, he creates custom gradients that reference colors from his own photographs of nature. Then, he prints these gradients on archival paper using customized ink.
Davey shows me his latest prints, a variety of gradients in vivid and pastel colors. They remind me of desert sunsets, tropical waters, stormy ocean waves, and bustling urban landscapes. His artwork feels like blurred memories that are vanishing into abstraction. I’m impressed with the quality of ink Davey uses and his overall precision. Looking at his work, I enjoy how smoothly colors flow into one another and fill out the shapes of perfectly square canvases.
Davey's art is affordable. His prints come in a few sizes, satisfying most collectors. We flip through several unframed prints, I'm looking for a dark one. Eventually, I find one that I love, it's deep blue transitioning to dark blue, then back to bright blue. It looks like a storm cloud on the ocean horizon with a reflection in the water. It's a bit outside of Davey's typical color palette.
While we talk, I’m struck by how full of energy Davey is, and how easy he is to relate to. He seems genuinely curious when he asks about me and my career. He shows me around the rest of his studio and we chat some more, mostly about ideas for new pieces. Finally, I help him pack up my print and we exchange contact information. I leave holding my new, beautiful piece of artwork with a huge smile on my face.
If you are into minimal art and love works on paper or if you want a colorful piece that gets lots of compliments, visit Davey Whitcraft's studio in Sausalito.
