Thoughts About My Work by Ed Davin

                             
   What does it look like?
        Groups of things arranged in an orderly way.
        Each group is a lot like the others.
        Each group varies from the others.
        The whole set often floats in a sky-like void, but not always.
        Groups sometimes resemble real things-
        box kites, fish, birds, luncheon plates, faces, figures.

   How is it made?
        Some works are drawn freehand or with templates.
        Some are watercolor paintings.
        Some are acrylic paintings.
        Most are in mixed media; watercolor, pen, pencil, collage,
        acrylic, gouache.
        The wall pieces are made of styrofoam, finished plywood,
        or canvas over plywood and are painted with acrylic paint.

   Why?
             My works invite viewers to share in the excitement of their
        making.  Corresponding lines, shapes, and colors are changed from
        area to area inviting comparisons, not only of the forms
        themselves, but of the decisions made in adjusting one to another
        and all to the whole.  The emotional climate can vary from work to
        work, from very severely geometric to very fanciful and loose.

   Analogy to Music
             Variations by J.S. Bach or Mozart are similar in intent.
        They give almost equal emphasis to each variation, none standing
        out as the "star" or "best", but making a pleasing series of
        experiences which allow the intellect of the listener to engage in
        comparisons from one variation to the next.

             Jazz musicians do this on a more intuitive level, playing the
        same tune in a variety of ways, as the mood suits.

             I am inspired by both approaches.

   Analogy to Calligraphy, Comics, and Movies
             Many of my works depend on the natural movement of the hand.
        Like calligraphy, rapid variables of similar forms and their
        improvised balance on the page, are the basis of many works.

             The sequential imagery of comic strips or movie editing has
        especially influenced my work.    A series of views of the same
        object is often suggested as well as a sense of the object
        changing through time.