By Ed Goldman
Southern Georgia-born Davy Fiveash has an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and a current fascination with what he calls “queer mythology” (we’re talking Hadrian, Alexander the Great and Achilles). But what he mainly has is talent.
Currently represented by Archival Gallery in Sacramento, Fiveash will have a solo show opening in June, “We Were Always Here,” at Roseville’s Blue Line Gallery (I used to be president of its board of directors but don’t let that dissuade you).
From now until May you can also catch his work in “In-Flux: Recalibrating the Unknown” at the Museum of Northern California Art in Chico.
“For the last two years, my theme has been my personal development,” he tells me in a recent interview. “I’m exploring how we formulate our personalities and identities.”
Fiveash, who says his first art influence was none other than Michelangelo, emerged from an evangelical Christian (Protestant) background in the small town of Valdosta, which is nationally known for its azaleas. Though we didn’t discuss it, I’m guessing those might have provided an influence on Fiveash’s gorgeous mural, “Providence,” on an exterior wall of Archival Gallery. As Archival founder-owner owner D Oldham Neath said at the time of its installation in 2019, “David’s lush floral paintings evoke a feeling of peace and tranquility— just the perfect image for a bustling art gallery.”
“I am very glad to be able to contribute to public art in my city,” Fiveash told a Sacramento newspaper the day of the opening. “I wanted to make a space that would brighten someone’s day.” (If you haven’t see it and you’re anywhere near California’s capital, Archival is at 3223 Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento.)
In writing of Fiveash’s art, Archival’s catalogue says, “His work is an introspective look into the human need to find one’s identity, community, and sense of belonging—universal questions of human nature that most of us are desperately seeking in our current state.”
To see more of Fiveash’s artistry, visit his website: fiveashart.com.