“It’s with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of our dear friend and renowned artist Harry L. Davis. He was a warrior, a gentle giant, and a warm spirit…R.I.P.
During the past thirty years, Harry L. Davis has emerged as one of America’s most accomplished artists. Blessed
with natural ability, Davis is a self-taught artist who began drawing and sketching as a child in Wilmington, NC. He turned to oil painting as a means of expression after an accidental shooting while serving with the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, which left him permanently confined to a wheelchair.
Harry Lee Davis, born in Wilmington, NC, is a self taught artist and operates the Davis Studio in Wilmington. Davis is an oil painter whose use of bold bright colors and his attention to detail has become his trademark. Davis focuses mainly on African American heritage and culture and his paintings have included themes such as African/Tribal, Americana, Spiritual and Boxers.
Although he drew as a child, Davis had no formal art training. After an accident while a member of the 82nd Airborne Davis used painting as a form of therapy. Since then he has built a successful career and his paintings are owned by celebrities such as Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby and institutions such as University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Home Savings and Loan Association, Wilmington and the Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute at the University of Wisconsin, Monomania, WI.Davis has exhibited his work all over the United States in cities such as Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and New Orleans. Davis has also been working with North Carolina students since 1988 to help teach them about art and African culture. In 2001 he was named the Man of the Year by the Town Hall Community Education and Cultural Center in Wilmington. Thousands of viewers have been captivated by the power and brilliance of his original oil paintings and limited edition prints.” – the Black Art Network
