I work and live in a city, Barcelona, and grew up in London before I moved to Lyme Regis in Dorset as a child. Whilst I crave the serenity of being by the sea with its ebb and flow of the tide and the passage of time, I equally love the energy and architecture of the city.
As well as recording visual sculptural details such as the connection between the helix of a staircase to an ammonite on Monmouth beach I’m also fascinated by the repetition of elements and Palladian’s theory of harmony in space. Light, urban decay and renewal, nature’s constant reclaiming of abandoned spaces and I try to grasp the fleeting beauty in all of these aspects: the grey of the city and Blue Lias in Lyme through to the golden glow of a church in Barcelona. This is manifested in quickly-created sketches, studies on canvas or printed photos that I scatter on my table in the studio.
Sometimes the ideas can take years to become fully realised into a piece, distilling them down into the simplest representation. Copper, steel, canvas, paint, seawater, oil, gold, silver and copper leaf are my base materials. The canvas I use is either primed or un-primed. Steel with all its industrial and urban connotations once weathered becomes inert but equally beautiful. Copper when straight from the factory glows a deep red which I’m obsessed with recreating into sticky, sweet, highly glossed abstract paintings. Then the green/blue patina that forms over months of subtle treatment is redolent of the salty sea.
The Hunter’s Moon is still a primary source of fascination after all these years. Photography and Sculpture tie many of these elements together. The simple elegance of a B&W photograph is still the most satisfying photography of all. It is timeless and in my monochromatic paintings I try to realise the same feeling.
I've recently become fascinated by the technique of using Chiaroscuro from the Renaissance. The interplay and intensity of the use of light and dark such as in Caravaggio's work suits my way of working perfectly. I build up multiple layers of thin washes of oil paint and suspend gold, silver and copper leaf in between. Then using ageing varnishes I create darker areas that throw the lighter areas forward giving the sense of depth.
I studied sculpture at the old Hornsey Art College in North London, whose alumni include Richard Wilson, Richard Wentworth and Anish Kapoor. In her second year she completed a 3 month Erasmus sculpture programme at Valencia University.
I then moved to Barcelona shortly after completing my degree enthused by the light and cultural dynamism of the Catalan capital. After a break bringing up my children I returned to my practice and spent time designing bespoke furniture from steel and wood and working in Interior Design.
In 2009 I was offered my first solo show with Tasneem Gallery in Barcelona and was able to move into a large studio next to Tapies' studio in the bohemian Gracia area of the city. My work grew in size and commissions for paintings became a fundamental part of my practice often working with local architects and International clients who walked past my studio.
I was delighted when I was awarded the Artist in Residence at The Boat Building Academy, Lyme Regis 2010/2012 a mutually beneficial working experience where the line between craft, sculpture and painting became further blurred for me. It allowed me to explore the themes of 'Shoreline' bringing the strands together of corrosion and using steel and sea water.
I have had a long standing relationship with the Russell Gallery in London with whom I’ve had four solo shows. I also continue to be represented by Villa del Arte both in Amsterdam & Barcelona where I have had 3 solo shows in Barcelona and two in Amsterdam. I have successfully shown at art fairs from Singapore to New York, London to Art Karlsruhe in Germany.
Sarah the founder of New Blood Art has said about my work ‘Since the beginning of time, anything with a heartbeat has looked up to the moon and pondered on that small spec; a luminous hole punched out of a nebulous canopy. As we evolved, we began to explore and even create, but we never shook our fascination with that pearly beacon: the moon. The magic of the moon and the sky has seized the mind of one particularly talented artist, Chelsea Davine.
‘Autumn Dusk Moon,’ is a spine-tingling impression of the glowing orange-moon commonly sighted towards the end of the autumn equinox. The dramatic orangey hues coupled with Davine’s use of an overlay of varnished gold leaf, make her piece look so igneous you half expect it to combust before your very eyes. The moon in Davine’s depiction, is the kind of moon you envisage lit the sky during some of history’s great and private moments.
Her piece, ‘Antes de Amanecer,’ almost seems like a continuation of ‘Autumn Dusk Moon.’ A reflection of an autumnal sky, Davine has considered not only the colours of the sky, but the colours of the traditional Harvest Festival. This piece gives you a slice of time, of tradition, of ancient values. For example, the vibrant orange prevalent in the piece is highly reminiscent of pumpkins and other root vegetables typically harvested at this time, and the red of the piece is incredibly similar to the strawberries that are picked from the fruit fields during this season. The darts of gold dappled over the surface of the piece reflects the colour of the traditional ‘Corn Doll,’ a descendent of the Goddess, Ceres. Davine’s work does not seek to simply capture an image, but to create an impression of a moment in to time, to bottle an essence and release it onto a canvas.
The work of Chelsea Davine is rich both in colour and content, and her work is one of those rare cases in which the longer you look, the more you find…’
The art critic Alex Bahna-Philips notes, Chelsea's inspiration is the small, often unnoticed details which make up everyday life: "Chimney smoke, burnished gold, patterns under peeling paint, broken stairs leading nowhere, the ravages of time etched onto metal, a pathway through an arid landscape…"
Since moving to Barcelona with her family in 1998, Chelsea's work has also been deeply influenced by the light and colour of Spain.
"In London, I used concrete and grey; in Barcelona I use steel, red and gold" , she says.
With her roots in sculpture and her fascination with the passage of time and the relationship between objects and their environment, Chelsea's work fits into the tradition Eduardo Chillida and Andy Goldsworthy, whose work plays on the temporality of nature with the large abstract expressionism of Rothko and his colour fields.
Sarah Russell-Walling, owner of the Russell Gallery, which represents Chelsea in London says:
"Chelsea's work has an immediate appeal and a very direct visual impact coupled with an international flavour."
Tasneem Salam believes that it is precisely her ability to celebrate the mundane along with the vibrancy of Chelsea's palette and the richness of her texturing that underpins the unique allure of her work. She explains:
"Chelsea's work, with its wonderful juxtaposition of texture and colour, is an affirmation of the beauty of life, if we know how to look for it."
Testimonial: I hope you are doing well. I am delighted to share ‘El Bosque Nevado’ installed. It is absolutely breathtaking, Simple yet elegant. The layers and textures of the painting change with the angle of light, incredible. What was once a blank canvas is now a stunning dining room…please share these amazing photos with Chelsea without her amazing talent, I would have missed the beauty which I have recieved’
CV
1971 Born London
1991-92 Foundation Chelsea School of Art, London
1992-95 Fine art degree Middlesex University, London (Including 3 months Erasmus at Valencia University)
2004 Solo photographic exhibition and founded 5 in a box artists' cooperative
2006 Founded Milk interiors/design studio and gallery, Barcelona.
2008 Solo painting, sculpture, photographic exhibition C/Mallorca, Barcelona
2009
Solo Show, Evidence of Life, Tasneem Gallery
EuropArt Fair, Geneva with Tasneem Gallery
Affordable Art Fair, London with Russell Gallery (22-25 October)
Exhibited Abstracted - Distracted (Collective Exhibition), Barcelona with Tasneem Gallery (22 October - 14 November)
Mixed Christmas Exhibition, London with Russell Gallery (3 December - 23 January)
2010
Artist in Residence at The Boat Building Academy, Lyme Regis 2010/2012
20/21st Royal College of Art (16-21 February )
ARTSFEST Lyme Regis at The Boat Building Academy (15-22 September)
AAF Battersea, London (21-25 October)
2011 Solo Show, Russell gallery
AAF Battersea,
AAF Hampstead Russell Gallery
2012
'Coast' Group Show, Malthouse, Lyme Regis (30 December - 9 January)
Women in Art 2012, The Gallery at MOA Miami with Crisolart Gallery, Barcelona (9 March)
2013
Solo Show, Russell Gallery, London April
Spring AAF Amsterdam, AAF Milan, Villa del Arte Galleries
'Albion', group exhibition Cock 'n' Bull gallery, Shoreditch, London (7-14 April)
'Come into the Light' Solo Show, Russell Gallery, London (4-21 July)
Shed Gallery Summer group show, Lyme Regis, Dorset, England (21 August - 6 September)
Autumn AAF Battersea Russell Gallery, London,
AFF New York, Seattle, Stockholm, Singapore Villa del Arte gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2014
AAF Brussels , Villa Del Arte (7-9 February)
Palm Beach , Villa Del Arte (14-18 February)
AAF Milan , Villa Del Arte (6-9 March)
AAF Hong Kong , Villa Del Arte (21-23 March)
AAF Maastricht , Villa Del Arte (2-6 April)
Chelsea Art Fair , Russell Gallery(10-13 April)
AAF Brussels , Villa Del Arte (24-28 April)
'Tallers Oberts' (Open Studios) in Barcelona, Calle Carolinas (3-4 May)
AAF Toronto, Villa Del Arte (7-11 May)
Art Fair at the RCA (20-21 May) Russell Gallery (15-18 May)
20/21 International Art Fair Russell Gallery (17-18 May)
AAF Singapore, Villa Del Arte (21-25 May)
AAF Battersea Russell Gallery (22-25 Oct)
AAF Stockholm (1-4 Nov)
Sleep Design event with Go Figurative Gallery
2015
Winter Collective, Russell gallery 2014/2015
AAF Brussels, Villa Del Arte (6-9 Feb)
ART Karlsruhe (5-8 March) Villa Del Arte
'Open Studio' March 18th Barcelona
'Broadchurch', West Bay, Shed Gallery (29 April-1 May)
Chelsea Art Fair, Russell Gallery (16-19 April)
20/21 International Art Fair Russell Gallery (14-17 May)
AAf Hampstead, Villa Del Arte, (11-14 Jun)
Open Studio, Lyme Regis, August 1-31 August
Summer Collective July/August Russell Gallery
AAF Battersea (22-25 Oct)
AAF Amsterdam Kromhouthal with Villa Del Arte (29 October-1 November)
2016
Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong, Villa Del Arte (May 13-15th)
Affordable Art Fair Hampstead, Villa del Arte (June 16-19)
'Instant' Group Photographic and Painting exhibition, Lyme Regis (August 18th - 1st September)
Affordable Art Fair Battersea, Russell Gallery (October 20-23)
2017
Solo Show 'FLOW' 6th March - 1st April, The Russell Gallery, London.
Affordable Art Fair New York, Villa del Arte Gallery (31st March - 4th April)
Affordable Art Fair Hampstead, London, Russell Gallery (11th - 14th May)
Donostiartean Art Fair, San Sebastian, Galería Gaudí, (20th - 23rd July)
Bazaar Art Jakarta, Indonesia, Villa del Arte Gallery (27th July - 2nd August)
Art Stage Jakarta, Indonesia, Villa del Arte Gallery (11th August - 13th August)
'Reflecting the Light' Solo show, Courtyard Gallery, Lyme Regis, (17th August - 5th September)
Berlin Liste, Berlin, Germany, Galería Gaudi, (15th - 17th September)
AAF Stockholm, Sweden, Nordic, Art Agency, (12th - 15th October)
AAF Battersea, London, The Russell gallery, (19th - 22nd October)
2018
Group show Pop-Up Malmo, Sweden, Nordic Art Agency, (1st - 21st March)
The Other Art Fair, Saatchi Art, (20th - 22nd March)
'Rooms' Green Gallery, Scotland, (18th - 25th March)
Affordable Art Fair, New York, Villa Del Arte Gallery, Barcelona (22nd - 25th March)
Nordic Art Fair, Copenhagen, (20th -22nd April) Nordic Art Agency
Affordable Art Fair Hampstead, London, (10th -13th May) The Russell Gallery
Stories from the City - Stories from the Sea, Solo Show, (28th June - 11th July) Malthouse Gallery, Lyme Regis
Artist Exposé - Nordic Art Agency, Malmó, Sweden, (6th - September to 6th October)
START Art Fair - SAATCHI GALLERY - London (12th - 16th September) Eclectic Gallery Stand 11.3
Affordable Art Fair Battersea, London (18th - 21st October) The Russell gallery
2019
Solo Show 60 Threadneedle Street, (31st January - 15th May) London
‘CHIAROSCURO’ SOLO Show - (21st February - 9th May) The Russell Gallery, London
SITGES Feria de Arte (6th - 8th April) Artist led Fair
Affordable Art Fair New York (28th - 31st March) Villa del Arte Gallery
Affordable Art Fair London, Hampstead (9th - 12th May) The Russell Gallery.
SOLO show The Malthouse Gallery, Lyme Regis, Dorset (27th June - 10th July)
‘BARCELONA COLLECTION’ SOLO Show Nordic Art Agency, Sweden, (29th August - 8th October)
Affordable Art Fair Stockholm, (10th - 13th October) Nordic Art Agency
Affordable Art Fair Battersea, (17th - 20th October) The Russell Gallery
2021
SOLO SHOW Stora Nygatan 50-56, 211 37 Malmö (May 2nd - June 30th) through the Nordic Art Agency
SOLO SHOW Villa del Arte Gallery, C/Tapineria GOLDENHOUR 15TH JULY -15TH AUGUST.
Affordable Art Fair Stockholm, (10th - 13th October) Nordic Art Agency
2022
SOLO SHOW The Russell Gallery, London. 31st March - 23rd of April
Spring Showcase SOLO SHOW C/La Palla, Barcelona 1st April 15th May
Group Show at NAA at Stora Nygatan, Malmö 1st April - June 24th.
Affordable Art Fair Hampstead 4th May - 8th May through the Russell Gallery.
No Line on the Horizon, Solo Show, 5th - 11th Malthouse Gallery, Lyme Regis, UK.
2023
SOLO SHOW Villa del Arte, Amsterdam 1st January - 30th January
ART KARLSRUHE Germany, May 3rd - 6th
SOLO SHOW Villa del Arte, Amsterdam 4th September - 4th October
SOLO SHOW Villa del Arte, Barcelona September 23rd - 14th October