For Pete F. Davies art is not merely about painting a canvas, but putting images together from various mediums and sources. Desert Race 2000 is a culmination of various print media to contribute to a fun image of racing across the desert. Davies pieces are a joy to view as there is a joy in bringing various pieces together into one. Desert Race 2000 entices the viewer to have a little fun and enjoy a bit of whimsy without taking life too seriously.
The image of Desert Race 2000 is a play on Pete F Davies love of Death Race 2000 and his enjoyment of motorcycles. The collage image has been taken from various books and magazines to bring new light to other forms of media. In this piece we see both a modern aspect with the motorcycle mixed with a very old world image of a cowboy. The desert background is truly fitting for this piece as both cowboys and motorcycle enthusiasts have been known to enjoy desert environments.
Opposite the motorcycle riding cowboy, we see a small child sitting on a large stone. What is coming out of the child’s mouth appears to be steam or smoke aimed at the rider. This must be what causes the cowboy to appear a bit alarmed. However the child looks completely content fuming hot smoke at the rider.
Another interesting aspect of Desert Race 2000 is the placing of the background image. The top of the piece offers a traditional looking desert image while the bottom of the art appears to be a rocky, desert environment. Shadows cast by rocks seem to coincide with the motorcycle and the small child. A hard feat to master which Pete F. Davies has accomplished so perfectly. To answer a few of your questions, we will hear what the artist has to say about Desert Race 2000.
What specific magazines did you source your images from?
For this collage I used several old books for the images, a selection ranging from colour photography to collecting dolls and toys to children’s nursery rhymes.
Does the child represent someone specific and what, exactly, are they exhaling?
That’s a good question, the child represents an old friend of mine who sadly died in a motorcycle accident 30 years ago aged 15 years old. I’ve been riding motorcycles for many years and whenever I am riding I feel my friend’s spirit with me, as though he is looking over me and keeping me safe and that’s what the child in the collage is exhaling, a kind of protective layer I guess. I didn’t set out with this in mind when I was putting the piece together, it came together as the collage started to take shape.
What is your emphasis on Death Race 2000? What inspired you to bring this piece to life from the movie?
Death Race 2000 was the first film I went to see with my mates and without parents! I was 11 when it came out and I think it was rated at 14/15 years at the time and we all got into the cinema, so that’s a great memory. The whole dystopian nature of the film was something I had not experienced before and it had a profound effect playing havoc with my imagination!
The original movie is a classic 1970s low budget affair and for me I wanted to keep that sense of dystopia, hence the desert landscape and the motorcycle, possibly a nod to another favourite film of mine, Mad Max. It is also important for me to keep that imagination alive going back to some of my earliest influences.
When layering your collage art, do you lay the piece out the pieces before adding the spray adhesive or do you allow the piece to come together organically?
Yes I lay the pieces out first and play around with composition and ideas before fixing them in place, sometimes the background comes first and other times I have the pieces first.
Where does your joy for your art style emerge from? Do you have a specific inspiration for what you do?
I am also a photographer so I approach the collage work with the idea to create a ‘photograph’, that obviously can never exist in that context but exists as a stand alone image. There are no rules as such but composition and the various pieces are seen through a photographer’s eye. I love to build each collage and inspiration comes from everyday life, past experiences and a fertile imagination!
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