PAGE 20
TOURIST NEWS, JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015
Passion for Photography Lures Young Lawyer to Explore New Horizons
by Valerie Marier
Two years ago New
York City attorney Ted
Davis realized he was happiest spending every moment he could roaming
city streets with his camera
in hand.
“At my law firm, I was
working in fraud investigation as a liaison between
the CPAs and lawyers,”
he says. “I was about to
get a promotion, and probably a raise, but I wasn’t
sure I wanted to do that
the rest of my life. So I
took a leap and retired to
become a full-time landscape photographer back
in my hometown of Cape
Porpoise.”
He was 27 years old.
Today his exceptional and
haunting photos of Icelandic volcanoes, Cape Porpoise dinghies, lightening
storms at the Grand Canyon and Portofino, Italy,
at dusk can be seen at the
newly-opened Davis Gallery on Pier Road in Cape
Porpoise.
Davis also recently exhibited his work at the
Baboo Gallery in the trendy
Flatiron district of New
York City, won a SeeMe
award for “fine art photography,” and just returned
from Italy on a “Vistas
of Italy” photographic
campaign funded through
Kickstarter, Inc., a global
crowdfunding platform.
In the past 16 months,
Davis has sold 120 pieces
of photography for a hefty
bit of change, signed a contract with Maryland-based
Art & Creative Marketing to market and exhibit
certain images of his and
was tapped by a national
interior designer based in
Nashville who wants to
“use only Davis photography in her design work.” The George Washington
University Law School
graduate with a passion
for photography leapt well.
Davis’ success derives
as much from his discriminating eye as from his
risk-taking zeal for capturing the best possible shot
(think: standing on the
rim of the Grand Canyon
during a raging lightening
storm).
He also credits his Pen-
64th Annual Art Auction
Ogunquit Art
Association
at Barn Gallery
Shore Road & Bourne Lane
Ogunquit, Maine
207-646-8400
www.barngallery.org
M. Palmer
Auction
August 1, 2015, 7 PM (Doors open at 6 PM)
Auction Preview
Tuesday, July 28 – Friday, July 31, 11 AM – 5 PM
Saturday, August 1, 11 AM – 2 PM
Preview selected Auction work at www.oaaartauction.com
tax 645Z with its two-anda-half-inch box sensor that,
he says, “allows me to
capture more true vibrancy
and more color. I also work
with a Pentax 24mm wideangle lens and a 400mm
telephoto zoom lens, and
I’m totally digital.”
He is equally meticulous about the development of his prints, and
sends his work on a flash
drive to a special photo lab
in Colorado.
He says, “High end photography requires very
good paper, so I have my
pictures done on crystal
archival paper, metal and
clear mounted acrylic.”
While a high school
student at Phillips Exeter
Academy, Davis took his
one and only class in photography.
“I’m basically selftaught,” he says. “My favorite times of day to photograph are an hour before
sunrise and an hour after
– the ‘golden hours’,” he
says, when the light is soft,
forgiving and not harsh.
Acadia National Park
tops his list of the many
photographic opportunities in Maine.
He says, “Acadia is not
that large, the light there
is extremely good and it
changes by the hour. In
one day there can be fog
before sunrise, clouds at
noon, an afternoon storm
and then an incredible
sunset.”
Davis travels alone in
his quest for the perfect
photograph, camping or
staying in hostels.
He’s had his share of
adventures. In Sonoma
County, California, he was
cooking breakfast out of
his camper van when he
was attacked by a hungry
wild dog.
Landmark Gallery
~ Fine Art Studio ~
Morning Coffee by David Fouts
Open 10-5 daily
in the Old Fire House, 31 Ocean Avenue
Kennebunkport • 207-967-0020
“Fortunately, my tripod
was set up right next to
the camper and I was able
to use that as a weapon to
fend off the dog and shoo
him away,” Davis says.
While photographing
egrets and mangroves on
secluded Deer Island in the
Florida Keys, a rogue wave
from a passing power boat
washed over his dinghy,
sweeping his telephoto
lens into the sea. “That was
an expensive mishap,” he
says.
His photographic itiner-
ary has also taken him to
the Grand Tetons, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii
and the Eastern coastline.
Davis’ most recent jaunt
to Italy will be the focus
of a special exhibit at the
Davis Gallery that will
open Saturday, August 15,
with a release party from 4
to 9 PM.
Davis says, “I call the
exhibit ‘Vistas of Italy’ and
all the prints will be going
into a book that’s coming
out this fall."
Davis is accompanied in
the gallery by his mother,
Deborah (also a retired
lawyer), and her design
partner, who create oneof-a-kind accessories and
furnishings to compliment
Davis’ photography.
Visitors to the Davis
Gallery might remember
the weathered two-story
barn off Pier Road as the
former Wee Gifties shop,
which closed nearly 10
years ago.
Photography
continued on next page
Blossom by Ted Davis
The Framer’s Workshop
& Art Gallery
879 Post Road, Wells
Tel. 207-646-3239 • Fax 207-646-3815
framersfineart.com • [email protected]
SERVICES
• Custom Picture Framing
• Fine Art Gallery
• Open & Limited Edition Prints
• Custom Giclee Printing
(wide format with 12-color separation)
• Photographic Studio
• Photo Reproduction
• Restoration of Picture Frames
and Original Art
• Custom Packing and Crating
• Worldwide Shipping
John Gable, Harbor at Sunrise
Acrylic on Board. 9” x 12”
Open Year Round (some of our services by appointment ONLY)
TOURIST NEWS, JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015
PAGE 21
Photography
Galleries
continued from page 20
A brick walkway winds
to the barn through a summer garden blooming with
purple petunias and salmon-hued geraniums. Deborah Davis says,
“Together we have enjoyed
breathing new life into the
gardens and barn and filling this wonderful space
with art and design.”
The Davis Gallery is located at 6 Pier Road, Cape
Porpoise; open Tuesday
through Sunday, 10 AM
to close.
The Release Party for
“Vistas of Italy” will take
place on Saturday, August 15, 4 to 9 PM. Wine
and hors d’oeuvres will be
served. For more information call 207-730-1468.
richard yeager
Paintings of
New England
The Wright Gallery
Cape Porpoise
Paintings of
Europe
The Sharpe
Gallery
Kennebunk
Lower Village
www.yeager.com
Photographer Ted Davis and his mother Deborah Davis in front of their new gallery on
Pier Road in Cape Porpoise.
THE DAVIS GALLERY
Engine Gallery Hosts Unique Tribute to Love Letters
“Ode to Letters: A Declaration of Love of Letterforms,” will open Friday,
July 31, at Engine with a
reception from 5 to 8 PM
during the Biddeford+Saco
ArtWalk.
The show is co-curated
by Portland artists Will
Sears and Ryan Adams
and includes graffiti writers, printmakers and sign
painters from Maine and
beyond.
The show includes work
by the co-curators Sears and
Adams, Matt W. Moore,
Curve, Kyle Durrie, Jennifer
Crafters
Welcome for
Apple Festival
The 6th Annual
Shaker Hill Apple Festival invites artisans
and crafters to join in
the Artisan and Craft
Fair on Saturday and
Sunday, September 26
and 27, from 10 AM to
4 PM. The festival is held
rain or shine on the
grounds of the former
Alfred Shaker Village, Shaker Hill Road
in Alfred. The event
draws 1000s of visitors
each year.
The crafter participation fee for the
two-day festival is $60
for a 10x10 space and
$70 for a corner booth,
while they last.
The fee, along with
other proceeds from
the event, will benefit
homeless and hungry
people served by York
County Shelter Programs.
To reserve a
space and FMI contact Michelle Wilson
at mmcc@creativemw.
com or Joan Sylvester,
324-1137 ext. 105 or
[email protected].
Farrell, David Wolske, Pat
Corrigan, Joey Hannaford,
Cassie Hester, Noah, Tessa
Green O’brien, Providence
Painted Signs, Mason Miller, Snoeman and Fonse.
In keeping with the
traditional format of the
ode, an elaborately structured poem that praises
or glorifies an event or
individual, the exhibition features three parts:
first with Strophe, sign
painting; followed by the
Antistrophe, letterpress
and lastly the Epode, graffiti. It will be a diverse
showcase of art works
centered on letterforms.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Engine will host a
live demonstration by Will
Sears on Saturday, August
15, a workshop by Ryan
Adams on Saturday, Au-
gust 22, and a PechaKucha
evening with artists from
the show on Saturday,
September 19.
The exhibition continues to September 19. Hours
are Tuesdays through Fridays, 1 to 6 PM, and Saturdays from 11 AM to 4 PM.
Engine is located at 265
Main Street in downtown
Biddeford. FMI 370-9130 or
www.feedtheengine.org.
Crowning Jewel by Ted Davis
Featuring Original Works
by Ted Davis, Photographer, and Kelda Designs
207-730-1468 • 207 730-1471
6 Pier Rd., Cape Porpoise • Open Tues.–Sun.
A unique experience
featuring local art
and artisans
139 Port Road, Rte. 35
Lower Village Kennebunk