Blue Spiral 1’s ‘In the Studio’ series highlights the work and process of a number of fascinating artists. In this edition, they feature painter Julyan Davis talking about the narrative running through his current body of work.
The micro-documentary delves into the evocative and haunting world of American Ghosts, an artistic series that serves as a visual and emotional odyssey through time and space. Artist Julyan Davis, deeply introspective, reflects on themes of hope, despair, and the weight of history, threading these emotions into his work with a painterly sensibility that feels both intimate and expansive.
Their journey as an artist is steeped in an understanding of landscapes – both physical and psychological – where empty spaces become imbued with memory, and figures emerge as spectral witnesses to history. The video explores the transformation of their art, from stark, abandoned scenes to the introduction of human figures, reminiscent of ghostly echoes from the past. This evolution is most evident in American Ghosts, which traces the hopes and expectations of three characters venturing westward – a motif that resonates deeply within the American experience.
The artist describes his process as one of witnessing, a blending of the specific and the mythic, juxtaposing the recognizable with the strange to create a narrative that feels timeless yet deeply personal. Their journey mirrors that of their characters, as they retrace steps through their own body of work, revisiting old themes with new eyes. There’s a sense of inevitability, as if this artistic pilgrimage was always meant to happen.
Rooted in personal history, the artist recalls early encouragement from their grandfather, who instilled in them the idea that artists are citizens of the world, belonging to no single place. This nomadic philosophy echoes through their work, where landscapes shift between reality and fable, and figures seem to be both part of the world and separate from it – a tension that lends their paintings an ethereal quality.
Ultimately, the video offers a meditation on storytelling through art, capturing the beauty of myth, memory, and movement. Julyan Davis, an outsider looking in, crafts narratives that transcend time, allowing viewers to feel both the weight of history and the lightness of imagination. American Ghosts is an invitation to step into a world where past and present, real and unreal, coexist in a delicate, haunting balance.
See more of Julyan’s work here: https://bluespiral1.com/artist/710-julyan-davis