David Baird
Las Vegas, Nevada
Twice a month we will feature an artist connected to the Luce Center and explore the inner workings of the their practice in quarantine. We have invited artist David Baird to share a glimpse into the workings of his studio during this time of quarantine. His sculptures, paintings and monoprints were featured in the exhibition Between the Lines: Biblical Speculations, held last summer in the Dadian Gallery at the Luce Center for Arts & Religion.
Baird's sculpture Noah’s Ark, in the Luce Center’s permanent collection, is informed by the artist's study of parables and imagery in the Hebrew Bible. This wooden vessel references the ancient story in which Noah and his family take 'shelter from the storm' during a global flood. We invite you to explore images of David’s artwork and hear him talk about his current studio practice during this uncharted period of self-isolation.
Visual Journal Entry: At a fairly early age I chose the “red” pill. I have always been a bit obsessed with reality, authenticity and the truth. I am quite sure that is why I prefer reading non-fiction books, listen to Bob Dylan and gravitate toward non-objective abstract art. I have been keeping a visual journal for more than 20 years. I paint three small paintings a day and consider the journal one continuously expanding work that is vast and fragmented. Some pieces sold, and others are never to be publicly shown, but the work can never be fully understood. Most of the entries in the journal are non-objective abstract compositions that were made through an intuitive process.