Upcoming Davis Art Studio Tour will display work from a variety of artists
UC Davis student artists and alumni prepare to showcase their creative spaces
By JONAH BERMAN – arts@theaggie.org
On May 16 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., over 40 artists in the Davis community will open their studios to the public as part of the annual Davis Art Studio Tour. The tour will feature artists of all ages and artistic styles. For many, it will be a unique opportunity to display their work and creative process to the broader community.
One of these artists, Kendall Kennedy, a fourth-year art studio major, has an interdisciplinary approach that combines painting, photography, ink and found materials. However, they did not plan on pursuing art when they first began as a student.
“I actually came to UC Davis to study animal science,” Kennedy said. “In my first year as an animal science student, I realized that this was not for me. I started just painting in my dorm room, doing little arts and crafts and going to the art market every week. I just totally fell in love with it and changed my major.”
Specifically, Kennedy shared that they have greatly benefited from their time in the Art Studio program due to the support of faculty members such as Bryce Vinokurov, a lecturer in the UC Davis Art Department, with whom they studied with in Italy last summer as part of a study abroad program.
“I did the drawing and art program with [Vinokurov] there, which was just a life-changing experience,” Kennedy said. “There's no better place to learn. He’s always been the kind of professor that I can come to and ask questions.”
Fidencio Fifield-Perez, assistant professor of art, is another faculty member whom Kennedy regards as a mentor.
“I didn't meet [Fifield-Perez] until last fall of this school year, but we've built a really good connection,” Kennedy said. “He has introduced me to so many different artists [who] have impacted the way that I work.”
Kennedy shared their excitement to use the Studio Tour to further interact with community members who are passionate about the arts.
“I'm hoping to build connections with art lovers and art collectors in the Davis area and further establish myself here as an artist,” Kennedy said.
Local painter Jerry DeCamp also noted that he is greatly anticipating the tour, which he has participated in for multiple years. Originally from the Chicago area, DeCamp became interested in painting at a young age after seeing work by Paul Cézanne at the Art Institute of Chicago. After attending multiple institutions, including Diablo Valley College, he ended up pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Art Studio at UC Davis and later a Master’s degree in Art History.
“On the wall at the San Francisco Art Institute they had this poster commemorating 100 years of the Art Institute, and it was a painting by [UC Davis faculty member] Wayne Thiebaud,” DeCamp said. “I thought, ‘That's really ironic,’ so I went back and asked my teachers at Diablo Valley. They said, ‘Davis is the place to go for painting.’”
As a student, DeCamp built profound connections with multiple members of the arts faculty, including Professor Emeritus Roland Petersen.
“Another reason I came to Davis was when I went up to the school [and] I saw Roland Petersen's work,” DeCamp said. “I really connected with Roland's work, and I took every class Roland offered. He was a very, very good teacher, and I still love his paintings.”
Many of DeCamp’s most treasured moments from his time at UC Davis were with Professor Emeritus David Hollowell.
“Probably the single most important person for me was David Hollowell,” DeCamp said. “He was a great mentor. I took every class, and during my last year, I had three independent studies with David. He was just a spectacular painter, but also a spectacular person and a real open-minded thinker. He was really incredibly supportive.”
DeCamp’s work mostly consists of landscape and still-life paintings. However, for the Art Studio Tour, he plans on showcasing a different set of subjects.
“This time, because I'm going to have this show at [John] Natsoulas [Gallery] in January, I may pull out my figure work and show that,” DeCamp said. “I've never really had a show of figure work, so this will be a nice kind of warm-up.”
Another local painter and UC Davis alumnus, Deladier Almeida, is also looking forward to showcasing his studio as he prepares for an upcoming show in San Francisco. His body of work frequently depicts different regions of California viewed from above, Tuscany — where he has family whom he frequently visits — and landscapes of the American Southwest.
“It's a good way to be in touch with the community,” Almeida said. “Painters live by themselves, right? I spend eight to 10 hours a day in [my studio] alone. It's not a type of work that's conducive to a lot of interaction with people, so it's very nice to be able to show your work to the community.”
Almeida also graduated from the Art Studio program at UC Davis, which he chose because of perceived shared values between the faculty and himself.
“I felt there was a lot of commonality between my interests and theirs, and so that was a good fit for me.” Almeida said. “Art school is different than, say, engineering, in that you have to find your own path and develop your own program of learning. It's really up to you to pick and choose your influences.”
For young art students, Almeida shared his belief that an integral aspect of artistic development is curiosity and observation.
“Be a keen observer, every day,” Almeida said. “That's the most important thing, to pay attention to what's happening around you, because all of that's going to play a role. It's remarkable how little things that you see today, that seem to be destined to evaporate from your head, are still resonating 30 or 40 years later.”
While these three artists have different approaches to their craft, the Davis Art Studio Tour is an opportunity for them to showcase their passion and display their creative talent. For more information on these artists and more, visit davisopenstudios.com.
Written by: Jonah Berman — arts@theaggie.org