In Focus: Archer Davies

The source of the paintings came about after being invited along to the Ekka – Royal Queensland show – by friend and fellow painter Lucy Culliton, herself renowned for painting a number of series documenting the Sydney Royal Show. Archer used his time there as the base, using Degas and Toulouse Lautrec as inspiration for the composition. The sketches of the event plus those inspirations create a beautiful amalgam that renders the pieces timeless, with amazing movement and light.

Working with the subject of horses and animals in his last project this is a natural further exploration of themes of carnival and show spectacle.

BM: In an ideal world if you could choose anyone to paint, who would you be drawn to?

AD: It is almost always someone I know but I am drawn to features that you can trace a line over, an aquiline nose imagined as a really elegant line or a certain strength in the line; or a bone structure where the light hits the planes of the face in a sculptural way. 

BM: How do horses compare to humans?

AD: Painting animals is so different to people. It is less particular to the complex individual psychology of the subject and more of a response to the nature of the animal.

BM: Why did you choose Melbourne? 

AD: I was born, raised and studied in QLD, so after graduating I felt that I had done all I could as an artist in Brisbane. Melbourne offered more opportunity and at least then, was cheaper than Sydney. Melbourne seemed dynamic as a city and I am interested in its history.

BM: Would you live anywhere else? 

AD: Cliched as it is, perhaps Paris or NY. I’d like to visit Greece next time I travel.

BM: They are cliches for a reason, they give us good reason to keep returning to them. 

Five years ago he transformed this shed here in Brunswick into his workspace, building walls, adding skylights, even insulating the roof to make the space functional and his own. Despite the comfort I personally felt inside, Archer said returning each morning is where the anxiety lies, the constant thought of only being as good as the last painting.

BM: What are the rituals involved in your daily routine?

AD: I’ll make a cup of coffee and then sit in the chair and read for a while, procrastinate, then procrastinate a little more and finally around 1pm I will start to work. There are a few hours after that when I’m at my most productive. 

BM: Do you listen to music?

AD: I do listen to music. Recently I’ve started listening to poems on Spotify and now my algorithm thinks that is music and so my ‘daily mix’ will include poems and songs. The words can be comforting and it somehow closes off a part of the brain and opens up new possibilities.

BM: Consciously you probably didn’t think about this and retrospectively you’ll never know BUT, coming from a family of painters, did you find it hard to find your own style?

AD: It is not something I consciously ever thought of, no. I grew up drawing Batman, I was obsessed. it was all about action and movement which is still a part of my work. It wasn’t until high school that painting became my interest. When I was around 5 we were pretty broke and so my mum made a batman suit out of paper mâché, blue gumboots, women’s tights, my dad’s belt and a little cape. At the time it seemed to me to be a perfect recreation of the original. One thing I never had was parents who resisted what I was doing so I was privileged to have their support. 

AD: I love colour in clothes but silhouette and lines are the thing I most look for. I love the drape and movement of fabric when it is cut and tailored thoughtfully. I think it’s most important in pants. 

BM: Lastly,  stupid bonus trivia question, is there any living figure you would love to paint in person? Sorry, I couldn’t help it.

AD: There is a French impressionist painter called Berthe Morisot. She is one of the first impressionists. I’ve learned a little about her recently in the book ‘Paris in Ruins’ by Sebastian Smee. Through her letters she comes across as such a thoughtful, intelligent person with a lot of depth. She was frequently a subject in Manet’s paintings. I would love to meet her and hear about Paris in the 1870’s!