Joshua V. Davis
Joshua V. Davis (clay artist) is a native of Starr, SC. He graduated from South Carolina State University in 2009 with a B.A. in Studio and a concentration in Ceramics and Sculpture. In the fall of that year, he moved back home to the Upstate to work in his field. With minimal resources for studio space, materials, and equipment, he dug the native clay to make hand-built pottery pieces. His techniques progressed much like those of early peoples by his use of pinching, coiling, burnishing and open firing. He now includes wheel-throwing to build, and natural glazing for decoration within his body of work.
By way of arduous experimentation, Joshua made beads from the natural clay and found a niche in jewelry making. From local clays, to recycled glass bottles, Joshua often combines metals and other simple collected materials into unique finished symphonies and describes his work, "handmade from nothing." He draws much inspiration from prehistory and antiquity, particularly that outside of Western origin.
Joshua served as a juror in the sculptor selection process for the Church Street Heritage Project and also as a member of the design/build team for the clay reliefs. Participation in this project led Joshua to discover that both his grandfather and great grandfather worked on Church Street as barbers. The drawings for the reliefs featured a prominent element of a Church Street barber at work. With the team's encouragement, Joshua created that element in his grandfather's likeness from an image in an old photo. This special opportunity, and the support of artists more experienced in this type of work, broadened Joshua's horizons.
Joshua was added in 2015 by the South Carolina Arts Commission to the South Carolina Artist-in-Residence List. He has been an active part of the Anderson Arts Warehouse since 2012 with roles ranging from an instructor in the education wing, a seat on the Anderson Arts Board of Directors, and partnership in Bay 3 Artisan Gallery.
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