David Avery continues to exploit the constraints inherent in black and white line etching at his studio in San Francisco. His work is included in the collections of the Library of Congress, the Fogg Museum at Harvard University, the New York Public Library, the Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts, the Stanford University Library among others, and has been noted in the New York Times and the Washington Post. Even though “black and white doesn’t sell”, he has eschewed the use of color, finding the subtleties and tonalities of black and white most capable of creating the psychological mood that allows his work to be effective.
AWARDS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
2021
Selections from the Crocker-Kingsley; Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA.
Purchase Award 36th Annual International Exhibition; Meadows Gallery, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX.
2020
Don A. Tilton Purchase Award, 2020 Delta National Small Prints Exhibition; Bradbury Art Museum, Jonesboro, AK.
Purchase Award, 33rd McNeese Works on Paper Exhibition; McNeese University, Lake Charles, LA.
Lonnie Eugene Stewart Award of Excellence, Galex 54 National Juried Exhibition; Galesburg Civic Art Center, Galesburg, IL.
Juror’s First Prize, Earthworks: Art in Ecological Context; Barrett Art Center, Ploughkeepsie, NY.
Honorable Mention, Under Pressure: National Printmaking; Lincoln Center Art Gallery, Ft. Collins, CO.
2019
Selections from the Crocker-Kingsley; Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA.
Director’s Choice Award, 2019 National Juried Exhibition at Larkin Arts; Larkin Arts, Harrisonburg, VA.
Solo Exhibition, David Avery; Arts Club of Washington, Washington DC.
2018
Purchase Award, 31st McNeese National Works on Paper Exhibition; Grand Gallery, Shearman Fine Arts Annex, Lake Charles, LA.
First Place Award, Impression; d’Art Center, Norfolk, VA.
Juror’s Award, Pressing Matters 2018; San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, San Luis Obispo, CA.
Third Place Award, Texas National 2018; SFA Gallery, Nacogdoches, TX.
2017
Second Place Award, 2017 Fine Arts Exhibition; Dalton Gallery, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA.
Second Place Award, 2017 Printmaking National Exhibition; Mark Arts, Wichita, KS.
Purchase Award, 11th Biennial International Miniature Print Competition 2017; Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT.
Purchase Award, Currency, 11th Turner National Print Competition and Exhibit; Janet Turner Print Museum, Chico, CA.
Kristy and Dr. Carl Cates Sponsorship, 2017 Delta National Small Prints Exhibition; Bradbury Gallery, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AK.
Honorable Mention, 26th Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition; Bradley University Galleries, Peoria, IL.
2016
Purchase Award and Juror’s Award, Sixty Square Inches 18th North American Small Print Exhibition; Purdue University Galleries, West Lafayette, IN.
Lindquist Purchase Award, 2016 Delta National Small Prints Exhibition; Bradbury Art Museum, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR.
Grand Prize (Solo Exhibition), National Small Works 2016; Washington Printmakers Gallery, Washington DC.
Juror’s Choice Purchase Award (x2) and President’s Choice Honorable Mention, Ink & Clay 42; Kellogg University Art Gallery, Pomona. CA.
2015
Purchase Award, 24th Annual Parkside Small Print Exhibition; University of Wisconsin-Parkside Galleries, Kenosha, WI.
Juror’s Award, Ink & Clay 41; Kellogg University Art Gallery, Pomona, CA.
Third Place Award, The Fine Arts Exhibition, Decatur Arts Festival; Dalton Gallery, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA.
Third Place Award, International Miniature Print Exhibition; Manhattan Graphics Center, New York, NY.
Honorable Mention, PLU National Print Exhibition; University Gallery, Tacoma, WA.
Honorable Mention, National Small Works 2015; Washington Printmakers Gallery, Washington, DC.
2014
Chancellor’s Purchase Award, 2014 Delta National Small Prints Exhibition; Bradbury Gallery, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR.
Purchase Award, Lilliputians March National Small Works Competition; Purdue University Galleries, West Lafayette, IN.
Juror Award, Ink & Clay 40; Kellogg University Art Gallery, Pomona, CA.
First Place, Paperchaser 2014; 308 Gallery, Muncie IN.
2013
Purchase Award, Ink, Press, Repeat 2013; Ben Shahn Center for the Visual Arts, William Patterson University, Wayne,IN.
Lindquist Purchase Award, 2013 Delta National Small Prints Exhibition, Bradbury Gallery, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR.
2012
Juror’s Merit Award, Pat & Roger Carlisle Sponsorship, 2012 Delta National Small Prints Exhibition; Bradbury Gallery, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR
2011
Lakeview Museum Purchase Award, 33rd Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition; Bradley University, Peoria, IL
1st Place, San Francisco Open Studios Exhibition; San Francisco, CA
4th Place, National Small Works 2011; The Washington Printmakers Gallery, Silver Spring, MD
2010
Purchase Award, 23rd Annual McNeese National Works on Paper Exhibition; Abercrombie Gallery, Lake Charles, LA
Best of Show and 1st Place in Printmaking and Drawing, Affaire in the Gardens; Beverly Hills, CA
2009
Otis Philbrick Memorial Prize, Boston Printmakers 2009 North American Print Biennial; 808 Gallery at Boston University, Boston, MA
Awarded solo show, 3rd Annual California Centered: Printmaking 2009; Merced Multicultural Arts Center, Merced, CA
Purchase Award, 32nd Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition; Heuser Art Center, Peoria, IL
Honorable Mention, Marin Society of Artists Third National Exhibition; Marin Society of Artists, Ross, CA
Juror’s Choice Award, Artspan SF Open Studios 2009 Exhibition; San Francisco, CA
2008
Honorable Mention, Twenty-second International Juried Show; Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit, NJ
Purchase Award, 21st Parkside National Small Print Exhibition; Communication Arts Gallery, Kenosha, WI
2007
Multiple Interpretations: Contemporary Prints in Portfolio at the New York Public Library; New York, NY, artist’s work noted in the New York Times, Dec. 4
Awarded Best in Show, Angels & Demons: Blessed or Possessed; A Shenere Velt Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1996
Purchase Award, Tenth Parkside National Small Print Exhibition; Communication Arts Gallery, Kenosha, WI
1994
First Place in Printmaking, KTEH Art Auction Juried Exhibition; McPherson Center for Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA
MUSEUM AND LIBRARY COLLECTIONS:
The Library of Congress
The Fogg Museum of Fine Arts, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Lakeview Museum Permanent Collection, Peoria, IL
The Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, San Francisco, CA
Stanford University Library, Special Collections, Stanford, CA
The Turner Print Gallery, California State University, Chico, CA
The Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C.
St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA
New York Public Library, New York, NY
San Francisco Public Library, Book Arts and Special Collections
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO
Georgetown University Library, Washington, DC.
Lakeview Museum Permanent Collection, Peoria IL
Arkansas State University Permanent Collection, AR
Purdue University Galleries
Bradbury Art Museum, Jonesboro, AR
Kellogg University Art Gallery, Pomona, CA
McNeese University Permanent Collection, Lake Charles, LA
University of Texas at Tyler
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
2018
Wood, Aluminum, Copper: Exceptional Prints by Toru Sugita, Jenny Robinson and David Avery; Inclusions Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
29th National Drawing and Print Competitive Exhibition; Gormley Gallery, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Baltimore, MD.
Mini Prints Berlin 2018; Galleri Heike Arndt, Berlin, Germany.
The Print Effect 2108: Small Works/Big Impact; Manhattan Graphics Center, New York.
2017
Solo Exhibition, Pursuing Invisible Reflections: The Etchings of David Avery; Washington Printmakers Gallery, Washington DC.
Global Matrix IV; Purdue University Galleries, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.
30th Annual McNeese National Works on Paper Exhibition; McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA.
Creation and Resistance: Printmaking in Dark Times; Juan Fuentes Gallery at Accion Latina, San Francisco. CA.
2016
Solo Exhibition, Abstracting the Quintessence; Sarratt Gallery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
Ink, Press, Repeat: National Juried Printmaking and Book Arts Exhibition;University Galleries, William Patterson University, Wayne, NJ.
The Printed Image 6; Alice B. Sabatini Gallery, Topeka, KS.
2015
Boston Printmakers Exhibition at Childs Gallery; Childs Gallery, Boston, MA.
Solo Exhibition, The Mysterious Conspiracy of Existence—Etchings by David Avery; New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM.
Ethereal Visions; Three Person Exhibit, Sandra Lee Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
The Future: Los Angeles Printmaking Society International Exchange Exhibition; Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, Venice, Italy.
35th Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition; Bradley University Galleries, Peoria, IL.
2014 New Prints 2014/Winter; International Print Center New York, New York, NY. 27th Annual McNeese Works on Paper Exhibition; Abercrombie Gallery, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA.
The Boston Printmakers Selects: a Distillation from the 2013 North American Print Biennial; SGCI 2014, Cannery Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
New Prints 2014; Christie’s Rockefeller Center Galleries, New York, NY. Print Facets: Five Centuries of Printmaking; The Curator Gallery, New York, NY.
2013 34th Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition, Bradley University Galleries, Peoria, Il.
24th National Drawing and Print Competitive Exhibition;, Gormley Gallery, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Baltimore, MD.
26th Annual McNeese National Works on Paper Exhibition; Ambercrombie Gallery, Lake Charles, LA.
3rd National Exhibition of Intaglio Prints; New York Society of Etchers, National Arts Club, NY, NY.
Boston Printmakers 2013 North American Print Biennial; 808 Gallery, Boston University, Boston, MA.
2012 From Dublin to LA and Back; Monster Truck Gallery, Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland, Global Matrix III; Purdue University Galleries, West Lafayette, IN 2nd National Exhibition of Intaglio Prints; New York Society of Etchers, National Arts Club, New York NY.
Ink and Clay 38; Kellogg Art Gallery, CSPU, Pomona, CA.
2011
In Extremis, Prints Monumental, Intimate, and Encompassing; Meridian Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1st National Exhibition of Intaglio Prints; New York Society of Etchers, National Arts Club, New York, NY.
2011 Delta National Small Prints Exhibition; Bradbury Gallery, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR.
Ink and Clay 37; Kellogg Art Gallery, CSPU, Pomona, CA
2010
Solo Show, Merced Multicultural Arts Center, Merced, CA
The Parkside National Small Print Exhibition Retrospective: Works from the Permanent Collection of Purchase Awards; Communication Arts Gallery, Kenosha, WI
Miniprint Finland 2010; Lahti Art Museum, Lahti, Finland.
2010 Pacific States Biennial National Print Exhibition; Campus Center Gallery, University of Hawaii at Hilo, HI
2009
22nd Parkside National Small Print Exhibition; Communication Arts Gallery, Kenosha, WI
Washington Printmakers National Small Works 2009; Washington Printmakers Gallery, Washington DC
2008
Relevant Traditions; Commonwealth Club of California, San Francisco, CA
Art of Democracy: War and Empire: Meridian Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2007
Selections 07, a juried exhibition of work by artists from the 2006 San Francisco Open Studios, 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Printmakers Bay Area, Richmond Art Center, Richmond CA
2006
First Annual Juried Exhibition, Axis Gallery, Sacramento, CA
The Printed Image: the First Biennial Midwestern Graphics Juried Exhibition, Alice B. Sabatini Gallery, Topeka, KS
Back to Basics, Traditional Printmaking, Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael, CA
2005
Works in Ink and Light, Two-person exhibit, Meridian Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2004
Printmakers of the Golden Gate, Claudia Chapline Gallery, Stinson Beach, CA
Printmaking and Process: an Overview of Contemporary Practice; Arts Benicia, Benicia, CA
Ink and Clay 30; W Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA
17th Parkside National Small Print Exhibition; Communication Arts Gallery, Kenosha, WI
2003
Night Shift (Aspects of the Night); Collector’s Gallery, Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, CA
2002
Scratching the Surface; Three-person exhibit, Fetterly Gallery, Vallejo, CA
Four Artists Four Directions; Sanchez Gallery, Pacifica, CA
Proof of Life, Fiftieth Anniversary of the Graphic Arts workshop; Meridian Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2001
Fourth International Miniprint Triennial; Lahti Art Museum, Lahti, Finland
Imprints; Arts Benicia, Benicia, CA
David Avery, Etchings; B. Beamesderfer Gallery, Highland Park, NJ
14th Parkside National Small Print Exhibition; Communication Arts Gallery, Kenosha, WI
2000
Inside the Eye; SOMARTS Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Pacific Prints 2000, 10th Biennial; Pacific Art League of Palo Alto, CA
1999
Merit Award, Things with Wings; Artisans, Mill Valley, CA
12th Parkside National Small Print Exhibition; Communication Arts Gallery, Kenosha, WI
1997
Juried Exhibition of the California Society of Printmakers; Institut Franco-Americain, Rennes, France
Beyond Boundaries, the North American Printmaking Exhibition; Richmond Art Center, Richmond CA
1996
Selections, a juried exhibition of work by artists from 1995’s San Francisco Open Studios, Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA
1996 Print Biennial; Silvermine Guild Arts Center, New Canaan, CT
1995
Traditional Techniques/Contemporary Prints; Stanwood Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1992
Selected Works, Members of the California Society of Printmakers; Memorial Union Art Gallery, U.C. Davis, CA
Pacific Prints 1992, 6th Biennial; Pacific Art League of Palo Alto, CA
1991
Contemporary Printmaking Invitational; the Turner Print Gallery, California State University, Chico, CA
Images and Objects 1991; ACCI Gallery, Berkeley, CA
1990
Works on Paper ’90; Koret Gallery, Palo Alto, CA: Honorable Mention
Fourth Parkside National Small Print Exhibition; Communication Arts Gallery, Kenosha, WI
Pacific Prints 1990; 5th Biennial; Pacific Art League of Palo Alto, CA
Tenth Mini Print Internacional, Cadaques; Taller Galeria Fort, Cadaques, Spain and other locations in Spain and Japan
1989
David Avery, etchings, a one person show; Warner Roberts Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
Miniature Print Biennial, International Graphic Arts Foundation; John Szoke Gallery, New York, NY
U.S.-U.K. Impressions, California and Los Angeles Society of Printmakers and British Printmakers Council;Barbicon Art Center, London, U.K.
Third Parkside National Small Print Exhibition; Communication Arts Gallery, Kenosha, WI
MUSEUM AND LIBRARY COLLECTIONS:
The Library of Congress
The Fogg Museum of Fine Arts, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Lakeview Museum Permanent Collection, Peoria, IL
The Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, San Francisco, CA
Stanford University Library, Special Collections, Stanford, CA
The Turner Print Gallery, California State University, Chico, CA
The Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C.
St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA
New York Public Library, New York, NY
San Francisco Public Library, Book Arts and Special Collections Center
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
We live in an age where words, images and objects seem to have been looted of meaning. In response to this perceived state of affairs, I have come to think of the etchings I make as being miniature Rorschachs, acting upon the experiences and senses of both the careful viewer and the artist. The varied tonalities and wealth of detail that it is possible to achieve within the medium of black and white etching act to heighten the viewer’s perceptual receptivity, awakening unforeseen and unlikely associations. The associations and perceptions thus generated belong to the viewer, and of course overshadow whatever initial intentions I may have had.
Where do my ideas come from? The same place as everyone else’s—the brain. Or more precisely, they come from the interaction between experience and imagination that takes place within the brain, and I tend to think of my discovery of images in terms of receptivity rather than “inspiration” or “creativity”. If anything, my intent in pursuing a highly detailed image is to work towards an inward goal, rather than trying to make an inner vision tangible. Even a simple nursery rhyme, once you start picking at it, will reveal layer upon layer of associations and further meanings. I consider my work successful to the extent that it is able to generate multiple interpretations, releasing this capacity for receptivity to the mysterious and the ambivalent.