Final Draft
ARTIST UNCOVERED
American folk artist, Robin Davis, has established herself within the world of art beyond her own imagination, as she continues to create to fulfill her passion, and make a living.
BY: RAVIN DAVIS
Robin Davis already has paint smudged across her cheek and smeared over her palms as her worn brush makes its first stroke of white upon the board in front of her. She considers her reason for pursuing art, tilting her head as she continues painting, before saying, “I want to leave behind beautiful things that will be here long after I’m gone.”
Aa a self-taught American folk artist from Madison, Maine, Davis describes her work as imperfect, but relatable, and from the heart. She has completed over seven-hundred unique pieces capturing the image of chickens, old homesteads, flowers, oceans, cats, and more. She only gives a humble laugh as I refer to her as an “artist.”
Lifelong friend, Wende Maniaci, explains the folk artist style as she has observed it through Davis’s work. “Their special talents were not learned from books or teachers but come from a love and understanding of people and the world around them.”
Davis’s art is further defined by its unique canvas. Her preferred media consists of acrylic paint on repurposed wood. She commonly uses barnboard, old piano parts, barrel slats, doors, and anything she can get her hands on. “Someone might find it complicated to paint on something other than canvas, but I think the grains of wood compliment my work,” she says while adding large strokes of brown across the bottom of the piece in front of her.
Davis largely attributes her success to her family history. She remembers her mother working with pen and ink, and both of her grandmothers painting together. “I think it is definitely an inherited love,” she says while dunking her brush into a puddle of light gray paint.
“I always knew they painted together, but it became really clear two years ago when I found a half-finished painting done by my Grammy Henderson. I decided to finish the painting for her, and as I did, I realized who she had been painting. It was a portrait of my Grammy Smith and my grandfather.” Davis gestures to this now finished painting hanging on her wall, a symbol of where her skills came from.
Davis’s father, Byron Henderson, shares his love for his daughter’s work as he describes his favorite piece. “This painting showed two moose in the woods, sitting within the fog. That was quite a good piece of art, but I think it has been sold by now.”
In Davis’s gallery, her walls are covered with her work, but it is only a fraction of what she has accomplished. Last year, Davis set a goal of selling one-hundred pieces. She made that goal, and she is already ahead of schedule to surpass that same milestone in 2020.
“There’s two sides of me. One is a businesswoman, and the other is a creator. Sometimes I paint what others want so I can sell it, and sometimes I paint out of relaxation,” she says while reaching for a fresh brush and a tube of dark green paint. “There’s nothing I love more than when someone loves a painting that I done out of pleasure though.”
Davis sees her artistry as a balance. Making a living off of her love can sometimes be a challenge, but she bolsters pride for truly feeling like she has found her dream job. “It’s not a perfect world. If you want to paint for enjoyment, that’s wonderful. If you want to paint to sell, sometimes you just have to paint what people want. I have to feed my creative and monetary desires at the same time,” she says with a bottle of dark brown paint in hand.
Maniaci explains with certainty that, “Robin paints with a zest for life, and you can see it in her works. She truly loves to paint and no matter the subject, you can feel the passion she has for her art. I am a proud owner of many of her paintings, and like her customers, I treasure each and every one. To look deep into a person’s soul and see their heart is a true artist indeed.”
Davis struggles to pinpoint what she enjoys painting the most. She is regularly inspirited by the seasons, painting summer scenes in August and winter wonderlands in December. Perhaps her paintings of children’s book style characters stand out in particular as leaving her with the most joy.
“Maybe my favorite painting is ‘Wonder Bear.’ I just cannot part with him.” She sets her brush down and takes a moment to leave her current piece. In the other room she points to “Wonder Bear” hanging on the wall. She briefly admires her painting, traces her fingers down the middle of the bear’s polka dot outfit.
Davis remembers her first piece of art at the age of fourteen, a panda bear painted on popsicle sticks. “I have done art my whole life. ‘When have I not done art’ would be a better question,” she says while sitting back down at her painting with a tube of yellow paint. She recounts her Grammy Smith helping her “draw like Picasso” with varying scribbles, colors, and abstract shapes. Although it was about ten years ago when her artwork and business began to flourish, her talent has always been there.
Davis finds herself in awe as colors come together underneath her brush. “I love how deep rich colors blend in the background. Seeing that thrills me, but I have never been able to pick a favorite color. It’s impossible. They all belong,” she says as she swirls her brush through a glass of water.
She flips her current masterpiece around to show me what she has completed during our interview, a bucket of sunflowers sitting upon an old wooden table. The petals are bright and whimsical. Her strokes are large and purposeful, yet simple.
Davis considers how the current situation of COVID-19 has influenced her work. “I get up and I do not have to go anywhere, but I can sit, and paint, and paint, and paint all day long. It rescues me from worries.”
Her work has become more than her job or her hobby. It’s become a passion that helps her thrive even in times of uncertainty. She is most certainly an artist, despite her refusal to admit it.
Henderson boasts pride for Davis as he confirms this to be true. “She’s definitely an artist. I’m very proud of her work. The ideas she comes up with are unbelievable. You just don’t know how she gets some things in her head.”
Davis’s work can be viewed on her Instagram, @americanfolkartpainter, and in her gallery located at 270 Main Street Madison, Maine.
First Draft
HEADLINE
Subheading
BY: RAVIN DAVIS
Robin Davis already has paint smudged across her cheek and smeared over her palms as her worn brush makes its first stroke of white upon the board in front of her. She considers the purpose for her artwork as she tilts her head judging her work before saying, “I want to leave behind beautiful things that will be here long after I’m gone.”
Aa a self-taught American folk artist from Madison, Maine, Davis boasts pride for her pieces she describes as imperfect, but relatable and from the heart. Her over 700 pieces range from images of chickens, old homesteads, flowers, oceans, and cats. She gives a humble laugh as I call her an artist.
Davis’s work is defined by its unique canvas. Her preferred media consists of acrylic paint on repurposed wood. Her pieces are commonly done upon barnboard, old piano parts, barrel slats, doors, and anything she can get her hands on. “Someone might find it complicated to paint on something other than canvas, I think the grains of wood compliment my work,” she says adding large strokes of brown across the bottom of her piece.
Davis largely attributes her success to her family history. She remembers her mother working with pen and ink, and both of her grandmother’s painting together. “I think it is definitely an inherited love,” she says while dunking her brush into a pile of light gray paint.
“I always knew they painted together, but it became really clear two years ago when I found a half-finished painting done by my Grammy Henderson. I decided the finish to painting for her, and as I did, I realized who she had been painting. It was a portrait of my Grammy Smith and my grandfather.” Davis gestures to this now finished painting hanging on her wall, a symbol of where her art came from.
In Davis’s gallery, her walls are covered with work, but it is only a fraction of what she has accomplished. Last year, Davis set a goal of selling one-hundred pieces. She made that goal, and she is already ahead of schedule to surpass that same milestone in 2020.
“There’s two sides of me. One is a businesswoman, and the other is a creator. Sometimes I paint what others want so I can sell it, and sometimes I paint out of relaxation,” she says as she reaches for a fresh brush and a tube of dark green paint. “There’s nothing I love more than when someone loves a painting that I done out of pleasure though.”
Davis sees her work a balance. Making a living off of her love can sometimes be a challenge, but she bolsters pride for truly feeling like she has the best job anyone could ever have. “It’s not a perfect world. If you want to paint for enjoyment, that’s wonderful. If you want to paint to sell, sometimes you just have to paint what people want. I have to feed my creative and monetary desires at the same time,” she says reaching for dark brown paint.
Davis struggles to pinpoint what she enjoys painting the most. She’s commonly inspirited by seasons, painting summer scenes in August and winter wonderlands in December. Perhaps her paintings in which she has created children’s book style characters is her most unique and favorite to do.
“Maybe my favorite painting in ‘Wonder Bear.’ I just cannot part with him.” She sets her brush down and takes a moment to leave her current piece. In the other room she finds ‘Wonder Bear’ hanging on the wall. She briefly admires her piece and traces her fingers down the middle of the bear’s polka dot outfit.
Davis remembers her first piece of artwork at the age of ten, a panda bear painted on popsicle sticks. “I have done art my whole art. ‘When have I done art’ would be a better question,” she says sitting back down at her painting with a tube of yellow. She recounts her Grammy Smith helping her “draw like Picasso” with varying scribbles, colors, and abstract shapes. Although it was about years ago when her artwork began to flourish, her talent has always been there.
Davis struggles to decide what she loves about painting the most. “I love how deep rich colors come together and blend in the background. Seeing that thrills me, but I have never been able to pick a favorite color. It’s impossible. They all belong,” she says as she swirls her brush through a glass of water.
She flips her current masterpiece around to show me what she has completed: a bucket of sunflowers sitting upon an old wooden table. The petals are bright and whimsical. Her strokes are large and purposeful, yet simple.
Davis considers how the current situation of COVID-19 has influenced her work and explains, “I get up and I do not have to go anywhere but I can sit, and paint, and paint, and paint all day long. It rescues me from worries.” Her art has truly become more than her job or her hobby. It’s become a passion that helps her thrive even in times of uncertainty.
