Description

My Idea Of Heaven (Neverland) by Mark Davies

This scene casts a window into Peter Pan’s magical Neverland and is a wonderful example of my ‘Storyteller’ works where I strive to do things differently. This is not your usual take on Neverland, I wanted to go at this from another angle with the aim to create the most beautiful vista possible.

This is a classic example where a piece evolves mid-way through into something so much more than what I originally intended to create, making it so much more beautiful and engaging even if the visual traits are almost unchanged. This is my idea of Heaven.

The sun is rising over the clouds, bringing with it new hope, with the warmth brings comfort. The upper branches of the trees and the mountaintops poke through the clouds with magical fairy detail dancing around them. If you then spot the pirate ship it does then make you question whether it is actually flying through clouds or sailing through a mist, a question of scale comes into play.

However you interpret it the end result is truly immersive and captivating. I have long had an affiliation towards the Aurora since being lucky enough to have visited Lapland several years back, if you look closely you will spot them, look closer and you will see that they are actually made from peacock feathers! The beauty is within the detail here, there is no devil.

Creating this piece was incredibly calming and challenging, I had set myself a high target to achieve with creating the most beautiful scene imaginable. This is where the piece started to transform and take on a new meaning. For me and many I would hope that there can be no other place more beautiful than Heaven.

The more I worked into the scene it took precedence over Neverland, the detail is there of course but something exists that influenced my way of thinking. You will notice the two shapes that come together as one, adding this was powerful and incredibly emotional, it changes everything.

For within Heaven, as with Neverland, age is irrelevant, you become truly free, reunited.

Mixed Media British Artist Mark Davies was born in Bedfordshire in 1978 and studied Fine Art within the region with his early works being inspired by the compositional qualities of Piero Della Francesca and Giuseppe Arcimboldo whilst finding inspiration in the surrealism of Salvador Dali. Now living in St Neots Mark works full-time as a professional artist from his beautiful converted brick barn studio within the Cambridgeshire countryside.

Mark’s now signature ‘Storyteller’ collection showcases his ability to conceive and implement his own narrative to cherished fairytales and classic fictional stories to stunning effect. Inspired by the eloquence of Hans Christian Andersen and ingenuity of the Grimm Brothers, a whole host of much-loved stories have been turned on their head with each chapter being re-written as Mark embraces the often much more sinister plot and motives of the original authors that most don’t know exists as these classics are re-told to generation after generation.

As well as creating mesmerizing imagery full of detail there has always been a subtle and genuine moral quality to the work created to make you think a little deeper. Mark’s original works have created such a wonderful interaction between artist and audience as each searches out the detail and pieces together the plot with the hope that they can get an insight into Mark’s thinking whilst being encouraged to offer their own interpretation of what they see or often don’t see within the image. This genuine engagement has played a significant part in Mark’s gallery shows and appearances being so successful and truly special events.

As the body of work has grown so has Mark’s reputation for creating art with genuine meaning, art that stands on it’s own and that is driven by a fascinating multi-layered narrative like no other. His skill of storytelling has expanded across other areas including stage and screen as he delivers his signature style across a broad range of subjects and genres that continue to pull on the heart strings and embrace nostalgia and the memories that we all hold so fondly. In addition to building a solid gallery presence, Mark’s success has seen his work proudly displayed and selling within iconic venues that include the London Playhouse and Fortune Theatre within the iconic West End along with the highly respected Mall Galleries in London.