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You Have No Power Over Me – Premium Canvas by Mark Davies

This is my interpretation of the incredibly iconic Labyrinth that starred David Bowie, I bloody loved this film and have great memories of watching this as a kid at Christmas. I have wanted to tackle this classic for a good while, I chose not to in late 2016 for my previous Lost in Hollywood collection as I wanted enough time to elapse after Bowie passed and to be able to create a classy tribute to the legend whilst also doing the film itself justice.

I have chosen to focus on the surreal Jareth’s ball scene from the movie, the option to show within the maze itself was there but I wanted to do something much lighter, more classic. I set out wanting to create a beautiful, dream-like piece that is visually light but has dark forces working throughout the scene to mimic the qualities of the film that was unquestionably equally dark as it was bizarre.

I constructed the scene from scratch, utilizing parts of images that I saw potential in that allowed me to build my ballroom to match what I had in my head, one that drew from the characteristics of the one shown in the film but to take it to where I wanted to go. The composition channels the eye through the scene and up and out to the top of the steps to a point where you use your imagination to decide what is through the forest. This perspective creates a sense of journey that was key to the narrative, culminating in thirteen steps to the staircase – a nod to the thirteen hours that Sarah had to defeat the Goblin King. There are subtle references within the scene that are from the film or an interpretation of elements, I will leave you to find these. The darkness that runs throughout is represented not just by traces of blackened smoke but by the thorns that weave down stone balustrades and break through the walls. This creates a dramatic contrast to the whimsical ballroom whilst also showing a continuation to past pieces such as ‘Marry Me Bitch’ and ‘Where Demons Roam’. The lead focus to the piece and to the concept is the open cage that sits on the stone column. The owl is shown flying away which hints at the Goblin King being defeated at the thirteenth hour.

This leads onto the underlying concept that I have introduced into this piece in that the cage represents Bowie’s disease that restricted him, the open door and the owl in flight symbolizes his passing and being free again. A single dove feather sits within the cage, you might expect this to be an owl feather but it is a dove to signify not being alone. I feel the owl in flight is a powerful image in itself but when you then look at it from this angle then it gives the piece a subtle and poignant quality where an iconic film, and genuine icon are have been respected.

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.