DEREK SECOR DAVIS
My life and my work are greatly influenced by the natural world. I live and work in a rural mountainous area and spend a great deal of time in a quiet and wild setting. My forms are an interpretation and organic conglomeration of what I see in my daily life. Any look at nature reveals a world that is remarkable in its precarious balance and inevitable disintegration and change. This ever changing world is a constant source of inspiration for me as I create pieces that are either in an unlikely state of balance, are showing signs of fracture and disintegration, or are indicative of weathering and erosion. I am interested in simple, elemental forms that can be a metaphor for humankind’s relationship to nature. Similarly, I am drawn to cast off, weathered industrial items that serve as a contrast to my natural elements and are representative of the influence of man in nature. I find in the relationship and presence of both these organic and industrial forms an elusive and mysterious essence that speaks of the ongoing metamorphosis of our world.
Born in Denver, Colorado in 1954, Derek S. Davis graduated from Colorado College with a degree in Music Theory. After ten years of working as both a carpenter and a furniture maker in Grand Lake, Colorado, Derek moved to Boulder where he set up his studio as a full time occupation. Preferring to work alone, Derek creates pieces of furniture that are sold in galleries nationwide. His work is also part of the collection of Design and Graphics in the Denver Art Museum. Derek and his wife, ceramic artist Kate Inskeep, now live and work in their self built home and studios above Gold Hill, Colorado.