Stark (Winthrop) Davis (1885-1950)
33 x 33 inches.
Early Life and Chicago Career
Davis was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 13, 1885. As an artist, he made Chicago his home and primary base of activity. There, he immersed himself in the city’s artistic life. He affiliated with institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Palette and Chisel Club, and the Chicago Galleries Association. His vividly colored bird subjects became a signature of his work. They included peacocks, birds of paradise, condors, and other exotic species.
His exhibitions during this period established him as a painter of real promise. For example, he showed at the Thurber Gallery in 1923. In 1924, he won a prize at the Art Institute of Chicago. He then earned further honors at the Chicago Galleries Association in 1930. Meanwhile, he exhibited with the Palette and Chisel Club from 1926 through 1930.
Commercial Illustration and the Lincoln “Bird Series”
Davis’s work also reached a far wider audience through commercial illustration. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, his images appeared on covers of Ladies’ Home Journal. They also appeared in numerous national advertisements.
His best-known series was a run of Lincoln automobile advertisements produced between 1927 and 1929. In these ads, his “Bird Series” illustrations ran in popular magazines such as Country Life and Home and Garden. A typical ad placed a Lincoln sedan or coupe in the foreground. Meanwhile, a peacock, a wide-eyed red bird of paradise, or a condor dramatically filled the background. As a result, the automobile was framed with a splash of exotic color.
Move to California
Davis made many trips to Santa Barbara, California, beginning in 1925. Eventually, he relocated to Los Angeles. There, he worked at the Disney Animation Studios in Los Angeles and Burbank. He also continued to exhibit, showing at the Ainslie Gallery in 1936.
Retirement and Final Years
By 1947, Davis had retired from painting. He then settled in Morro Bay, the seaside town on California’s Central Coast. There, he spent the final years of his life. He passed away in Marin County, California, on December 21, 1950.
