Sydney based artist Paul Davies is building a reputation with a new take on landscape painting; glorious panoramas of moderninst houses in bold washes of colour. Inspired by artists like Richard Hamilton and David Hockney, Davies' take on 1970's modernism has resulted in a world of houses that would make perfect feature material for this magazine.
"My paintings look at the open planning aspects of modern architecture. Although it originated in Europe and America, it's a style of architecture that suits the Australian climate and culture. One of the most inspiring examples is the Rose Seidler house in Wahroonga, by the late Harry Seidler. It has been restored to its original state and is one of Australia's best examples of open plan living. I enjoy painting modernist buildings because the bold horizontal line work definitely stands out, but I also like the perspective drawings and photographs of houses that encourage the viewer to wander through the space they depict.
Sometime in the future, I think it would be great to live in a modernist house, designed functionally, with its surrounding environment just as much a part of the house itself. I would love an Eames chair to put in it, but I think I might be waiting a few years for that. In the meantime, I could make do with a t-shirt by Sydney label Chronicles of Never and a book on German artist David Schnell. My favourite design piece is a timber dinning table from an antique store in Redfern, and timber/vinyl chairs from an antique store in Annandale. The chairs and table are from around the 60's – 70's but the simple style of both appealed to me and they work well together.
Keep your eye on the China Heights collective in Surry Hills. It combines a stidio workspace and gallery for exhibiting. When I joined the Heights two and a half years ago, it had been running for about a year and has since grown, now exhibiting works of Sydney, national and international artists once a week."
