Second Nature

David Everett & Billy Hassell

Austin, TX – Davis Gallery is proud to announce an exhibition of new works by Austin sculptor David Everett, and Ft Worth based artist Billy Hassell. Both artists have strong connections to the natural world, and that sensitivity and intimacy shines through in their work. Environmentalists and naturalists as well as artists, their work shows the vitality and fragility of our natural world through color and form.

David Everett, a renowned sculptor who works primarily in mahogany, grew up in Southeast Texas exploring bayous and swamps, observing the diverse wildlife found in those ecosystems. Using traditional wood mallets and gouges on large pieces of mahogany, Everett chips away to coax the forms of animals such as kingfishers, bobcats, roadrunners, and foxes from the wood. These forms are then painted with oils. In addition to his exuberant sculptures, Everett's playful bronzes, delicate drawings, and vibrant woodcut prints will be on display. Everett's work can be found in the Grace Museum in Abilene, the Witliff Collections at Texas State University in San Marcos, as well as the Federal Reserve Bank Collection, and the Oceanic Conservation Organization Collection.

In his lithograph prints and oil paintings, Billy Hassell employs a riot of color, movement, and whimsy to merge abstract patterns with a realism that is based upon direct observation of shapes and forms found in nature. Hassell's work can be found in prestigious collections such as the Menil Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Modern Museum of Art in Ft Worth, as well as permanent public art installations across the state.