Downs' interest in art evolved from his fascination with Art Deco and the Modernist movement. Coming to California in the early 80's and having no formal training in the arts, Downs was fortunate to have had mentors like Karl Benjamin, Jeff Faust and Frederick Hammersley. After exploring different forms of painting, elements of abstraction, pop and minimalism came together to influence his creative direction.
"By speaking clearly in a nonobjective idiom, the goal is to make art that is reflective of modern day life. My process consists of layering spontaneous random marks that are sometimes completely obscured. By working and reworking surfaces, I expose the varying depth of color which creates spaces that expand and contract communicating the work's shifting moods."
In this new body of abstracts entitled "Manhattan Series," Downs creates densely layered paintings that dance on the picture plane to openings that disclose colored layers underneath. His compositions display such a deep engagement with the formal and esthetic potential of paint on canvas that they do not fit easily within any recognizable category of contemporary art. The works brings one word to mind — energy, a sense of action.
The strength in these works is in the artists' understanding of color, balance and simplicity. His canvases emit a sense of risky adventure. They are created not of one heavily worked surface, but with hundreds of painted layers of varying thickness and transparency, all of which subtly interact.
