Len Davis: A Thousand Words

Len Davis, A Thousand Words #1, collage and graphite on newsprint and panel, 8" x 5.” Courtesy of the artist.

Anna Lamar Switzer Center – Pensacola

By Claire Fenton

“A Thousand Words” includes 100 8” x 5” pieces by Los Angeles artist Len Davis. With a background as a graphic designer, Davis creates works in which he combines found objects, pages from newspapers, books and novels, collages, drawings, gouaches and pastels, among other mediums. Each of these pieces displays a different individual’s face, drawn in pencil. Each face is surrounded by a large variety of symbols and signs. The spectator must interrelate these based on multiple semiotic associations with the image and the text on which they are placed. In this way the artist illustrates the well-known phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

The oeuvre of Len Davis is based on life, on daily occurrences and on his own experiences as well as those of others. Through this combination of symbols, the artist challenges the public to reflect and to take sides, questioning their ethical stance when faced with specific problems and situations.

His oeuvre has been widely exhibited throughout the country and has appeared on numerous movie and TV sets, on channels such as: CBS, NBC, Fox, HBO, ABC, Paramount and Warner Bros, among others.

Through July 18, 2013