Austin artist David Everett made a conscious decision to use direct woodcarving for his sculpture while a student at The University of Texas at Austin where he earned his MFA in 1975.  Everett pursued a traditional study of the human figure, working closely with Charles Umlauf, before turning to abstraction for the next ten years.  It was in the mid 1980’s that he returned to a more direct use of anatomical human and animal forms, a shift he describes as a move from “poetry to prose.”  Other changes at this time were the addition of joints that allowed movement and the addition of color to make fully polychromed sculptures that exist as three-dimensional paintings as much as sculpture.  Since then, his compositions have reflected a childhood spent observing the natural world in Southeast Texas near Beaumont where he was born in 1950. 

David Everett states:

Along with my brother, I was drawn to the forests, swamps, bayous, marsh covered plains and bays that lead this part of the state down to its coastline on the Gulf of Mexico.  It was from this vantage point that I began a life-long process of restating my observations into a visual art that explores an allegorical interplay of both human and animal forms celebrating the natural history of a personal world. 

David Everett’s wood carvings of stacked and cantilevered creatures will be shown along with a selection of preparatory drawings.  Valley House has represented David Everett since 1986.

Opening Reception:  Saturday, August 29, 6:00 – 8:30 pm

Artist Talk:  Saturday, October 3, 11:00 am

“David Everett: Almanac” will be on view August 29 – October 3, 2015, at Valley House Gallery. Preview the exhibition at valleyhouse.com or call 972-239-2441 for information.