Having a Purposeful Life

A Purposeful Life: Paintings by Davis Perkins

A Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America, Perkins has had solo exhibitions at many distinguished venues, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Alaska State Museum, where his work is in the permanent collections. Most of the paintings in the Dominican exhibition depict the complexity and grandeur of American landscapes. For Perkins, painting evolved as an antidote to his personal mission of seeking to effect change in the world through compassionate efforts.

His professional career included “smoke jumping,” fighting fire by parachuting into remote-area forest fires, and work as a firefighter and paramedic in the San Francisco Bay Area. In retirement, he continues to volunteer as a paramedic to help meet the emergency needs of Ebola virus patients in Liberia, earthquake victims in Nepal and refugees arriving in Greece. Painting serves as a vehicle to resolve the stress and chaos he experienced in his career and volunteer missions. They, along with art, are the central passions of his life.