Davenport's gallery is the culmination of a dream

Jay Davenport greets visitors to his new art gallery much like he did less than a decade ago, when he wore a white coat and the initials M.D. followed his name.

Back then, patients got a firm handshake, good eye contact and a warm smile. Framed original watercolors depicting Minnesota scenes as well as exotic landscapes adorned the hallways leading to patient rooms, where Dr. Davenport would listen and diagnose.

The doctor's watercolors played a supportive role in his practice of orthopedic surgery, helping to create a pleasing aesthetic in an environment of healing. Now those watercolors and dozens of other pieces are taking center stage in Davenport's second career.

"My two passions were medicine and art," Davenport, 69, said. "I decided on medicine as a vocation and art as a hobby. But really, the two fields are not that far apart."

Davenport designed and built his art studio in 2002, behind his home in rural Great Scott Township, between Buhl and Mountain Iron. But his interest in watercolors started more than 20 years earlier, when he often carried an easel and paints into the wilderness just outside his front door.

Other art forms, like detailed woodcuts and drawings, took hold during medical school at the University of Kansas.

"When should common sense tell you to give up on a dream?" Davenport said. "When patients would admire my paintings and suggest I might have missed my true calling, sometimes I wondered whether they were right."

Now, with a new studio and modern gallery, Davenport is unveiling a new series entitled "Born in America." The work features powerful watercolors of Native American Indians, whose historical accuracy is based on archival photographs by legendary photographers Edward S. Curtis, Carl Moon, and George W. Scott.

"I wanted to remain faithful to the photographs in the subjects features and dress, but through color and composition I have added emotion and texture," he said. "The portraits offer an opportunity for a silent dialogue between the spirit behind the image and the viewer. I believe it will have the same impact that I experienced during the creation of the paintings."

A portrait entitled "Innocent, Umatilla" is a favorite.

"It depicts a small girl dressed in elaborate deerskin, leaning against a tree. She looks more than slightly bored. I wonder what life had in store for her."

The gallery is also presenting a retrospective of Davenport's watercolors and woodcuts from his body, of work over the years. Most of the pieces are for sale, although some are on loan. The gallery will be open to the public from Sept. 26 to Oct. 8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, or by appointment.

Call 218-258-3664 for more information.