Daven describes himself as an ‘urban realist’, painting life as he sees it on the city’s streets. Dave is essentially self-taught spending only one year in a twice weekly evening open painting session at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. A long time Chicagoan and only moving to St. Louis in 2006 Dave is fascinated by urban life. In 2007 he picked up his brushes again after a 16 year hiatus. Since moving to St. Louis, Dave alternates his subject matter between the three series described below, other urban settings and those of St. Louis.
One of his artistic intentions is to complete a series of approximately 65 works of the people and work on the inland waterway system. Titled ‘The Rivers: A Celebration of Life and Work on our Navigable Inland Waterways’ Daven has completed approximately 30 of the works and plans on completeing the series by 2017. As a US Coast Guard artist and a graduate of the US Naval Academy, the series is a natural marriage of Daven’s love of the water and his passion for painting. The series is presently scheduled for exhibition at the Crisp Museum of Art opening May 6th, 2016 followed by the St. Louis Mercantile Library in February and March of 2017. Four more museum exhibitions are planned. An approximate 100 page exhibition catalogue will support the exhibition.
Dave is a studio painter. Walking the streets or plying the rivers or Blues Clubs with his camera he constantly searches for images that capture his imagination. The first phase of his effort is to capture the image in multiple shots even returning numerous times as the lighting changes. He uses his photos to develop a final composition. The next phase, the drawing of the piece, is critical to his work and can take significant time. Lastly, the final coloration and painting of the work completes the cycle
Awards and Accomplishments
MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS
COOS ART MUSEUM, Coos Bay, OR, accepted Last Light, Misty Morning and Crew Boat Captain for its Juried 22nd Annual
Maritime Art Exhibit, 2015
FRED JONES, JR. MUSEUM of ART/National Weather Center accepted Last Light for its Juried International Biennale ’13, Works on Paper
SPRINGFIELD (MO) MUSEUM of ART accepted Crew Boat Captain for its Juried International Exhibition ’14
ROSEMARY BERKEL and HARRY L. CRISP II ART MUSEUM, Cape Girardeau, MO exhibited : THE RIVERS: A Celebration of Life and Work on America’s Waterways an exhibition of 30 paintings May 6th, 2016 through June 18, 2016. The exhibition was accompanied by a 108 page exhibition catalog.
EVANSVILLE MUSEUM of ART, HISTORY and SCIENCE exhibited Last Light and No Bites and Warm Beer for its three month exhibition AT THE BEND in 2016
MUSCARELLE MUSEUM, Williamsburg, VA and five other museums ending at the MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM accepted Mackerel Sky into the judged American Society of Marine Artists’ 17th National Art Exhibition. The traveling exhibition closes on January 20, 2018.
ST. LOUIS MERCANTILE LIBRARY & ART MUSEUM exhibited : THE RIVERS: A Celebration of Life and Work on America’s Waterways an exhibition of 25 paintings February, March 2017. The exhibition was accompanied by a 116 page exhibition catalog.
CHANNEL ISLAND MARITIME MUSEUM exhibited: THE RIVERS: A Celebration of Life and Work on America’s Waterways, an exhibition of 28 paintings. The exhibition opened July 17th. 2017 and ran through September 24th. The exhibition was supported by a 124 page exhibition catalog.
EVANSVILLE MUSEUM of ART, HISTORY and SCIENCE exhibited: THE RIVERS: A Celebration of Life and Work on America’s Waterways, an exhibition of 36 oil and watercolor paintings. The exhibition opened May 3, 2018 and ran through July 15, 2018. The exhibition was supported by a 136 page exhibition catalog.
SIGNIFICANT AWARDS
March 24, 2017 received the Donald T. Wright Award, presented biennially by the Herman T. Pott National Inland Waterway Collection of the St. Louis Mercantile Library and Art Museum in recognition of a body of work that contributes significantly to a better understanding of the American inland waterways. The Wright Award was first bestowed in 1975 and is named for Captain Donald T. Wright who served as editor and publisher of the WATERWAYS JOURNAL for 43 years. Past recipients have included National Book Award Nominee Earl Swift; Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Powers; musician John Hartford; Post-Dispatch cartoonist Dan Martin and Pulitzer Prize winner David Grunfeld.
ARTICLES, RADIO and TELEVISION
UPTOWN MAGAZINE, July/August 2011 article Daven Anderson: An Urban Artist
TOWN & STYLE, July 20, 2011 article The Artist at Home: Daven Anderson
WATERWAYS JOURNAL, January 16, 2012 article on my ‘Rivers’ exhibition
AMERICAN ART COLLECTOR, June 2016, ‘Marine’ issue – Article River Stories describes my ‘River’ series and museum exhibitions
ALL THE ART, Fall 2016 – Article DAVEN ANDERSON: Watercolors and Pastels pictures and describes my work
SEA HISTORY, quarterly of the National Maritime Historical Society, winter 2016-7. Morning Mist featured on the front cover with an extensive article on the ‘Rivers’ exhibition within.
EVANSVILLE MUSEUM of ART, HISTORY and SCIENCE, Member’s Magazine Last Light on the Front cover
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO (NPR St. Louis) interview February 2017 on the ‘Rivers’ exhibition.
ST. LOUIS PUBLIC TELEVISION ‘City Corner’ half hour interview February 2017 on the ‘Rivers’ exhibition
NATIONAL PUBLIC TELEVISION ‘Nine Network’ taped interview at the St. Louis Mercantile Library & Art Museum and in my studio February, 2017
WATERWAYS JOURNAL, February 2017 article on my ‘Rivers’ series
FINE ART CONNOISSEUR, February ,23 2017 e-newsletter article by Andrew Webster WATERWAYS in WATERCOLOR
PUBLICATIONS and BOOKS
INCITE: Dreams Realized, North Light Books ’13 Tis The Season featured
IMAGINING THE FOUNDING 2014 extensive article on the founding of St. Louis
INCITE 3: Storytelling, North Light Books ’15 Last Light featured
THE RIVERS: A Celebration of Life and Work on America’s Waterways 116 page exhibition catalog
CURATORIAL
Imagining the Founding, a seven month exhibition at the Sheldon Concert Hall and Galleries in St. Louis of paintings
and artifacts celebrating the founding of St. Louis in 1764. Contributed an extensive article to the exhibition catalog.
OTHER
St. Louis Watercolor Society, Big Splash ’07 Windsor Newton Award
Pushing Upriver at Sunrise and Chuck Berry purchased by the St. Louis Mercantile Library Art Museum for its permanent collection
The Sheldon in Winter acquired by the Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Gallery and featured on its holiday card
‘Reflections‘ featured in the Best Watercolors of 2011. Kennedy Publishing
St. Louis Mercantile Library Art Museum, University of Missouri, Artist’s Panel Discussion Oct., ’10
Named a United States Coast Guard Artist 2011
‘Hull Inspection’ juried into the US Coast Guard’s collection and exhibited at the Salmagundi Club in NYC ’13
St. Louis Watercolor Society, 14th Annual Juried Exhibition 2013
Named a DANIEL SMITH Artist, featured on the Daniel Smith website with my palette sold under its own SKU
Exhibited six ‘River’ works at the annual Conference of River Executives in New Orleans, 2013
Missouri Watercolor Society, Watercolor Missouri International ’13 Artist merit Award
Missouri Watercolor Society, National Member Invitational ’13 Second Place
Jean Bragg Gallery, New Orleans, exhibition of ‘River’ works (sold all works), Dec.’13
Exhibited five ‘River’ works at the annual conference of River Executives in new Orleans, 2014
Missouri Watercolor Society, qualified for Signature Membership
St. Louis Watercolor Society, 15th Annual Juried Exhibition 2014 Best of Show, 1st Place
St. Louis Watercolor Society, qualified for Signature Membership
Watercolor USA ’14, Springfield (MO) Museum of Art juried International Exhibition: Pearl Appleby Memorial Cash Award and
the Holbein Artist Material Merchandise Award
Watercolor Honor Society, qualified for Signature Membership
Elected MANAGING DIRECTOR, American Society of Marine Artists, April 2014
Missouri Watercolor Society, National Member Exhibition ’14, 3rd Place
Kentucky Watercolor Society, AQUEOUS 2014, Last Light accepted by jury
Elected EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Missouri Watercolor Society, September 2014
Exhibited six ‘River’ works at the annual conference of River Executives in New Orleans
Illinois Watercolor Society, 31st National Juried Exhibition 2015
Judge of Selection and Awards, Framations Spring 2015 Exhibition
St. Louis Watercolor Society, 16th Annual Juried Exhibition 2015 Honorable Mention
Judge of Awards, Northside Art Association May 2015
Illinois Watercolor Society, Award of Excellence III (3rd Place), 31st National Exhibition 2015
‘Galveston Bay Cleanup’ juried into the permanent collection of the US Coast Guard and exhibited at the
Salmagundi Club in NYC, July 2015
American Society of Marine Artists, Elected to Signature Member status
Madrid Colors and Shadows accepted into the Juried San Diego 35th Annual International Exhibition, 2015
Wearing Orange in Arles accepted into the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s 36th Juried Exhibition, 2015
Bourbon Street accepted into the Memphis/Germantown National Juried Exhibition, 2015 and won the
Lipscomb Pitts Award
Madrid Colors and Shadows accepted in to the Juried and judged Kentucky Watercolor Society’s AQUEOUS 2015
Solo Exhibition of 44 paintings, watercolor and pastel, at the 1900 PARK ART GALLERY, Creative Space December 2015
Bourbon Street accepted into the Juried and Judged Watercolor Society of Houston 2016 International Exhibition
Big Swing accepted into the Juried and Judged Illinois watercolor Society 2016 National Exhibition
Tower Grove accepted into the Juried and Judged St. Louis Watercolor Society 2016 National Exhibition
Illinois Watercolor Society, qualified for Signature Membership
Cape Girardeau acquired by the Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Art Museum for its permanent collection
Barcelonia’s Old Umbrella Shop accepted into the Juried and Judged Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s 2016 International Exhibition
Occupied accepted into the Juried and Judged San Diego Watercolor Society 2016 International Exhibition
Missouri Historical Society/Missouri History Museum acquires A Foggy Passage for its permanent collection
Race Practice accepted into the Juried and Judged Kentucky Watercolor Society AQUEOUS 2016
Kentucky Watercolor Society, qualified for Signature Membership
Wearing Orange in Arles accepted into the Juried and Judged Pittsburg Watercolor Society Aqueous Open 2016
Working Reflections accepted into the Juried exhibition at the Williamsburg Art Gallery, Williamsburg, VA.
Juried acceptance as a member of the Oil Painters of America
The Embrace accepted into the 2017 Juried and Judged Watercolor West International Exhibition.
Retrieving Channel Markers juried into the US Coast Guard permanent collection and exhibited in 2017 at the Salmagundi Club and the Federal Hall National Memorial in Manhattan.
San Salvador at the Maritime Museum acquired by the Channel Islands Maritime Museum
San Salvador acquired by the San Diego Maritime Museum
Wearing Orange in Arles accepted into the Juried and Judged Watercolor Society of Houston 2018 International Exhibition
Where is my Tuba Player Going? accepted into the Juried and Judged Transparent Watercolor Society of America’s 2018 International Exhibition
Barcelona Notes was accepted into the Juried and Judged Illinois Watercolor Society’s 2018 International Exhibition.
Societies
American Watercolor Society AWS) Associate Member
Missouri Watercolor Society (MOWS) Executive Director and Signature Member
St. Louis Watercolor Society Signature Member
American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA) Managing Director and Signature Member
Transparent Watercolor Society of America (TWSA) Lifetime Member
National Watercolor Society (NWS) Associate Member
Watercolor Honor Society Signature Member
Illinois Watercolor Society (IWS) Signature Member
Kentucky Watercolor Society (KWS) Signature Member
Pennsylvania Watercolor Society (PWS) Signature Member
St. Louis Artists’ Guild Member
Memphis/Germantown Art League Member
Oil Painters of America Associate Member
Portrait Society of American (PSA) Patron Member
Watercolor West Juried Member
San Diego Watercolor Society Member
American Impressionist Society Member
