Featured Artist Davi Leventhal on Byrd Street
- ocaahs
- Apr 19
- 2 min read
Courtesy Byrd Street
By Hilary Holladay
Our featured artist is Davi Leventhal, a painter and draftsman who until recently lived in Orange and taught painting classes at The Arts Center in Orange. Born in Rio de Janeiro and reared in New York City, Davi studied art at Pratt Institute, the School of Visual Arts, Cooper Union and the Art Students League of New York, and has exhibited his work in New York and elsewhere. He currently holds an art residency at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. As he explains below, Davi wanted to do a mixed-media portrait of Orange County civic leaders Bruce and Brenda Monroe to honor his beloved friends.
Portrait of Bruce and Brenda Monroe by Davi Leventhal. Oil and fabric fuxicos on canvas, 28 x 22 inches. Photo courtesy of Davi Leventhal.
Davi’s commentary
It has been one of my greatest privileges to count Mr. Monroe and his wife as friends. Both are outstanding community leaders in Orange County, serving as beacons of compassion, love and determination for everyone.
This piece is a labor of love dedicated to honoring both of them as pillars of the community and beyond. Due to logistical reasons, as I am based in Richmond, I relied on photographs to create this artwork, although I typically prefer to work from live models.
Originally trained in traditional painting and drawing, I chose oil paint for this piece. For the first time, I incorporated a Brazilian textile art called fuxicos, an art practice of mine I have adapted to create meaningful community engagements and stronger bridges.
In this artwork, I aimed to blend my painting skills with the Brazilian textile art of fuxicos. This integration marks the beginning of many such future projects. The chosen fabrics for the fuxicos carry deep significance, reflecting the lives and histories of the subjects. These elements add layers of meaning, depth and dimension to the painting.
Too often, we celebrate individuals posthumously rather than during their lifetimes. The primary goal of this artwork is to recognize the remarkable friendship, contributions Mr. and Mrs. Monroe have made to me and to the community, its history and its future, while they are still with us. —Davi Leventhal, davileventhal.com
