commissions
I have executed numerous commissions for commercial and residential clients around the country. I love collaborating with clients to create both small and large-scale works that not only meet, but exceed expectations. Below is a selection of some of my favorite commissions.
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Please CONTACT me to learn more about commissioning a custom piece.
Healing Waters at ​Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
NEW - Click to watch a news segment on the installation of Healing Waters
This large-scale installation was commissioned for the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. It is approximately 70 feet long, 30 feet wide and 10 feet tall. Comprised of painted blue and green steel and carbon fiber molded plates with a rim of LED lights, the virtual waves are meant to evoke the calming effect of water. The installation, my largest to date, is located above the driveway entrance to the hospital.
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Healing Waters was made possible through the generosity of and effort of the Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, Pucker Gallery, Boston, MAPP LLC, LeMessurier Consultants, ADM Works, and Vector Fabricating. The installation was dedicated in November 2012. Left: Image courtesy of Jim Prinz.
Learn more about this commission at MarkDavisSculptureatLurieChicago.blogspot.com
Healing Waters at ​Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Icarus at Fuller Craft Museum
This monumental mobile was commissioned for a very large but narrow room, 40 feet long by 11 feet wide.
It was mounted from three positions so that each section had the most possible mobility. It is an interpretation of the myth of Icarus, as his wings melt from their frame, he plunges into the sea.
This commission was arranged through
Pucker Gallery, Boston.
Icarus at Fuller Craft Museum - Mobile by Mark Davis
Monumental Outdoor Sculpture
I was approached by the Pritzker family to create a large-scale outdoor sculpture for their home in the countryside just outside the city of Chicago. I enlisted the aid of Tresfort Metal Work, a local factory that produces large structures for design companies, residential projects, and architectural firms.
Over the next six months, we constructed a hollow aluminum base made of six separate pieces bolted together. The two moving parts were created separately, and the entire piece was painted with an outdoor epoxy finish - the base entirely in black and the moving parts in three different colors. The mobile was then disassembled and shipped to Illinois to be installed at the location, with poured concrete footings for stability. The total length of the pieces is 19 feet, and it stands 14 feet in height.
Good Samaritan Hospital - Brockton, MA
This large hanging mobile is over 8 ft across and 6 ft high. The hospital wanted something to bring in a positive spirit to a waiting area near the emergency room. Although it is a very large sculptural presence, it weighs only about 40 lbs.
The Fuller Craft Museum is a mile from the hospital and they worked together through Pucker Gallery, Boston to commission a hanging mobile for the newly opened wing.
When adding the wing, they set money aside to have Fuller design a "rental" program, where Fuller would bring pieces from their collection and have rotating artworks. When the hospital saw Icarus that I had made for Fuller, they decided to put all their budget into buying this instead of the original plan.
​Maine Attraction - Residential Installation
​Click thumbnail images to learn more about this installation, which was commissioned through Pucker Gallery, Boston.
View of the empty wall and future site of the installation. The wall itself was close to 16 feet across. We agreed the mobile should take up about 2/3 of that space, but not be too tall, and have a horizontal placement.
I worked with the couple extensively with colors and shapes that they gravitated to. I then came up with three different paper models to show different compositions and this was the one they liked best.
The piece as it was being finished in the workshop. In final form, it was over ten feet across.
The finished piece, pre-installation. This was commissioned to be placed high on the second story wall of a sunken living room.
Above: The client posing with the finished piece.