I STOPPED DRINKING August 30th 1992 - I had no present - no future (or so it felt) and a 20 year nightmare .  Support was limited (12 steps to heaven wasn't for me) so as part of a simple daily regime I kept a journal and gave myself permission to put down any creative ideas without any worry of good, bad, silly, impossible or down right embarrassing. I'd always been an artist, conceptual/radical, but this had all disappeared into that nightmare of booze and talk. Did I have any creativity left, a working brain even? I began just doing small simple, repetitive, therapeutic, colour paintings during the long nights. I had to reluctantly admit to myself I was starting to enjoy the process (where was all the angst and self pity a artist was supposed to have?). Figures began appearing so I did what I'd always been principled against, went to a live drawing class. I found as I set about teaching myself to draw and then to paint a freedom to express myself through responding to another human being (the model, the pose).  For the first time in years my brain buzzed with ideas and more importantly I was able to make them real.

I've written the above because of the nature of this SOS site and of course it has nothing directly to do with the paintings going out into 'their world'.  About my paintings and drawings They stand as they are. I'm working towards having a strong body of work before I exhibit. There are 400+ drawings (23ins x 33ins) and about 20 large paintings in progress or finished. When are they finished? .....when they start to breathe. What next? I'm intrigued to find out. Painting the human figure, the endless possibilities of poses and light and having the privilege of interacting with the model.... Wherever its going is exciting and I'm going to be there.

About Bristol SOS: In March 1995, myself , Cathal Brennan, Janice and Danny Brady formed a Secular Group, later that year we came across Jim Christopher's first book and made links with SOS UK St. Albans. Now we have a weekly meeting in inner-city Community Center in Bristol, with a regular attendance of 12 and a lot of practical support and interaction between members during the week. We also supported Al and Johnathon from Bath SOS (about 10 miles from Bristol) and that's been successful for the past 12 months. Several member of Bristol SOS are painting, sculpting, writing creatively, so I think you'll be hearing and seeing more from Bristol SOS.  

More art by Richard Davies on the SOS Bristol web site. 

Top right: Super Models, Acrylic on canvas, 48 in x 34 in., 1999

Right: Bright Eyes, Acrylic on canvas, 48 in x 36 in., 1999