John B. Davis

A native of Dayton, Ohio, John came from a large family. After graduating from Colonial White High School, John promptly began serious pursuit of his artistic ambitions at the Dayton Art Institute. There he polished his talent for drawing and emerged with several scholastic awards in drawing and printmaking.  John’s passion for art and life motivated him to leave his home town for the Big City where he could realize his ambition of becoming a full-time artist.  He moved to San Francisco in 1985 and began studies at the San Francisco Art Institute.

True to his nature, John pursued art and his college education with unfettered passion and focus.  And John was not one to be constrained by traditional modalities in life or art.  He started as a printmaking major at SFAI, but soon felt the need to expand beyond the printmaking department’s processes and media.  While at the Art Institute John became fascinated with the possibilities of combining and manipulating different media - moving beyond traditional printmaking, he soon began exploring photography using multiple exposures, combining landscape with studio still life, portraiture and collage.

John was also an athletic young man who took pride in his body. He enjoyed cycling for work, transportation and recreation.  He was an avid swimmer and adept at gymnastics and soccer. 

In 1987, while the AIDS epidemic was ravaging the gay community, John, like so many, tested positive for HIV.   John always had to support himself, scraping by working as a bike messenger, selling a few drawings and paintings here and there, even helping move furniture with his buddy’s moving business.  Even as John’s health began to decline his passion for art, and dedication to his development in drawing and photography remained a singular focus.  Not to be deterred, John responded to the challenge with prolific devotion to his photography, and his circle of artist friends and community. He started a gay men’s drawing group that provided a gathering space for emerging artists and hobbyists to explore their art.

Despite the debilitating illness caused by AIDS, John had several shows of his work, often with the help of the San Francisco Visual Aid Organization.  In the fall of 1991, his body clearly ravaged, John decided to point his camera at himself, producing a powerful and revealing final body of work.  Inspired by classical studio portraiture, and as a continuum of his exploration of allegorical themes with the male body, John created a startling series starkly-posed nudes. Minimalistic in their staging, powerfully emotive in form, the self-portraits are unapologetic in their revelation of a body ravaged by illness.  Though the work can be difficult to look at, the images feel proudly expressive, even unsettling in their beauty and elegance.

John’s natural charm and passion for community was inspiring for all who knew him. His love, friendship and talent left lasting impressions on those whose lives he touched.  The lasting impression of John’s inimitable spirit, along with the innovative works in photography and drawing he created, are a remarkable legacy.  John’s passing represented a profound loss to the many dear friends in San Francisco and Dayton, as well as the artist community and his large family. John died June 3, 1992 of AIDS. He was 28.

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