Randall Davey house in Summer
I thought I'd post a few more pics of the intriguing Randall Davey house where my sister was married. I had to research Randall Davey to find out more about him and his artwork. Davey was a prominent artist in New York City in the early 1900s. In New York he studied under Robert Henri and eventually became an assistant instructor. During the summers he travelled, painting and teaching with Henri across the US and Europe. During that time Henri suggested to Davey that he visit New Mexico, most likely due to Henri's contact with the Taos Society of Artists, and in 1919 Davey drove across the country from New York to Santa Fe. Once he arrived in Santa Fe he knew he would stay. He bought an unused mill and converted it to his studio and home which were eventually donated to the Audubon Society and is part of 135 acres of national forest and the Santa Fe watershed land at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Davey loved New Mexico. And what a dashing character! He owned horses, played polo, and frequently painted polo scenes. He had a great bar tucked away in the back of the house and was a purchaser of locally made spirits during prohibition. There were many gatherings and social events at his home, they sounded quite lively. He hired locals to pose for his artworks, asking neighbors to wear costumes so he could paint different scenes. He also loved music and taught himself to play cello, which he had received as a Christmas present. There are many portraits of local practicing musicians during that time hanging in his home and studio, along with still life, formal nudes and landscape, not to mention the many fantastic murals in and outside the home.
"Living out here in New Mexico I can see the political manipulation in the art world back east, and I know that if I chose I could have more success with my work if I wanted to play their game... But I prefer to live here and paint for myself, and get along with teaching.. and raising chickens."
"I wouldn't trade my life here where I can hunt, shoot, ride, for all the committee-going and boot-licking you've got to do in a city for anything. An artist might starve for food here, but he'll starve spiritually in a place like New York."
--Randall Davey
the artist's cello
The Studio
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