Chelsea Davine

Chiaroscuro - 21st Cent., Oil, abstract, night, gold leaf

2024

For her inviting abstract paintings and mixed media works, contemporary artist Chelsea Davine draws inspiration from the landscapes around her as well as the unheralded details of daily life in Spain. The shoreline near her studio in Barcelona, the range of colors in the piles of leaves on the ground at a local park, the dazzling show that the sky puts on in the morning and in the early evening hours — nature’s colors and the outdoors have indeed greatly impacted Davine’s work over the years.

Born in London in 1971, Davine studied at the Chelsea School of Art (now Chelsea College of Arts) from 1991 to 1992 before earning her degree in fine art from Middlesex University in 1995. While at Middlesex, she attended a three-month Erasmus sculpture program at the University of Valencia. 

After her studies had concluded, Davine moved to Barcelona in 1998 where she was charmed by the city’s cultural dynamism, color and life. The country’s capital also came to influence her work. “In London, I used concrete and gray,” she said. “In Barcelona, I use steel, red and gold.”

Davine initially spent time creating bespoke furniture in wood and steel and working on interior design projects through her interiors/design studio, Milk, which she founded in 2006. In 2009, she debuted a selection of paintings, sculpture and photography at her first solo show at the Tasneem Gallery in Barcelona. The exhibition yielded commissions from local architects and a range of international clients. 

Davine’s abstract, figurative paintings and landscape paintings have depth and reference her roots in sculpture — they offer a three-dimensional effect that materializes owing to the works’ layers of textures and rich colors. Her signature use of copper leaf, gold leaf and oil on steel or canvas is seen in many of her most recent pieces such as Archipelago, Pink Meridian and Horizon in Silver Steel.

Throughout her career, Davine has shown her work in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Europe, Asia and North America. 

On 1stDibs, find a range of Chelsea Davine paintings and mixed media art.