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| Profile: Becky Davis |
| The South Carolina artist captures the subtle nuances of nature in her compelling framed botanicals |
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(Photo: Cheryl Dalton) |
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Unassuming plants and blooms yield alluring displays.
(Photo: J. Savage Gibson) |
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by Julie Cole
"I always have one eye on the lotus and one eye
on the alligators," says Becky Davis, a South Carolina artist who
gathers indigenous plants for her graceful pressed botanicals.
Hip waders
may be an unusual artist's tool, but for Davis, they're part of
the fun. Known for her floral designs of native grasses and flowers, the
artist has distilled her arrangements into works that preserve the graphic
nuances of plants in the wild. She'll also ditch the waders for city
attire to collect specimens from a home garden to create personalized art for the greenest of thumbs.
| BECKY'S REFLECTIONS |
| Every picture tells a story, and Becky Davis' compelling works are no exception. Here, she shares anecdotes from her experiences. |
| Career inspiration: Simply put, my work in creating a botanical involves gathering the material, pressing and drying it, then affixing it to paper. But the process is so much more than that. It has to do with a sense of place, a love of family and community, and a passion for plants. |
| A day at the office: On a typical day, I might be gathering ferns, jack-in-the-pulpits, and wild violets from the creek near my grandparents' home. As young boys, my daddy and his two brothers were sent to fetch the cow from this creek, and decided to go swimming. My uncle nearly drowned. They threw him, still unconscious, across the cow and high-tailed it home. Fortunately, the jostling of the cow revived him. He lived to be 80 years old, and his granddaughter does the calligraphy on my botanical pieces. |
| On-the-job perks: Once, I was picking black-eyed Susans and saw across the road a tiny, frail woman in a wheelchair on her front porch. I waved, and then walked over to speak and give her a bunch of flowers. Her name was Sarah Bennet, 94 years old, and she told me all about my great-grandparents and grandparents. She sold eggs to my great-granddaddy at his country store for a penny a piece so she could buy candy. She's gone now, but I think of her every time I see a black-eyed Susan. You can see why I love creating the botanicals. They become a part of the wonderful memories I have of people and places and of growing up here. |
| Interesting co-workers: The pressed lotus leaf is a truly stunning botanical, but it is labor-intensive. The leaves must be carefully scrubbed on the underside, and they have a tendency to mildew. Changing the paper and cardboard materials used to press them is a must. Many will be lost, though I don't mind a few small holes. I enjoy gathering large leaves, but there are some challenges. We have a huge lake here (Lake Marion, part of the Santee Cooper system), with lots of coves and inlets. Mature alligators 10 to 12 feet long inhabit the lotus areas. Though I sometimes cut the leaves from my boat, I would rather be in the water -- I can work much faster that way. The gators aren't aggressive, but I hope I don't ever get mistaken for a raccoon or some other food source. |
| -- Stephanie Hoover |
RESOURCES: Becky Davis is represented by
Charleston interior design firm Amelia T. Handegan Inc., 843/722-9373.
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