Eleanor Layfield Davis Explained

Eleanor Layfield Davis
Birth Name:Eleanor Layfield
Birth Date:1911
Birth Place:Richmond, Virginia
Death Date:1985
Nationality:American
Alma Mater:Meredith College
Spouse:Egbert L. Davis Jr.
Known For:Painting, sculpting
Training:UNC-Greensboro
Arts and Crafts Association of Winston-Salem

Eleanor Layfield Davis (1911–1985), also called ELDA, was an American painter. She served on the Board of Trustees for Meredith College and both Meredith and Wake Forest University award art scholarships in her memory.

Life

Eleanor Layfield Davis was born Eleanor Layfield in 1911, in Richmond, Virginia. She grew up in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, attending Peace College and Sweet Briar College. Davis went on to graduate from Meredith College in 1932.[1] She was married to Egbert Lawrence Davis Jr. (1911–2006)[2] and had four children.

Davis did not start painting until she was 47 years old. She primarily signed her works with the name ELDA developed from her initials. In addition to paintings, Davis also drew sketches and sculpted. She spent much of her life helping build up the arts community in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[3] She studied art at the Arts and Crafts Association of Winston-Salem and took some courses at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Davis was a founder and President of Associated Artists of Winston-Salem as well as organizer of Art Gallery Originals. Davis died in 1985.

Awards & honors

Exhibitions

During her lifetime, Davis produced many works that she exhibited both in group shows and in 15 individual exhibitions around the Southeast.

Posthumous exhibitions include a retrospective at Wake Forest University's Scales Fine Arts Center Gallery in 1986, and ELDA – Paintings by Eleanor Layfield Davis at the Sawtooth Center for Visual Arts in 2012. In early 2010, some of her works were included in a Meredith College alumnae art showcase.[8]

Some of Davis' artwork was purchased by the North Carolina Art Society for the loan collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sawtooth School for Visual Art in Winston-Salem, NC, Features Works by Eleanor Layfield Davis. Carolina Arts News. Carolina Arts magazine. November 26, 2012. May 14, 2012.
  2. News: Egbert L. Davis Jr. Obituary . https://archive.today/20130130041214/http://obituaries.news-record.com/obituaries/news-record/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=19903935 . dead . January 30, 2013 . November 27, 2012 . Greensboro News & Record . November 11, 2006 .
  3. News: Heller. Faith. Her Legacy. Winston-Salem Journal. August 31, 1986.
  4. Web site: Art Scholarships . Undergraduate Catalog 2008-2009 . Meredith College . November 26, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130924072703/http://www.meredith.edu/academics/ugcat0809.pdf . September 24, 2013 .
  5. Web site: Art Scholarships. Wake Forest University. November 26, 2012.
  6. Web site: Elements of The Commencement Ceremony . Meredith College . November 26, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121102053804/http://www.meredith.edu/commencement/commencement_elements.php . November 2, 2012 .
  7. Web site: About Us: Gallery . Sawtooth Center for Visual Arts . November 27, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121231083100/http://sawtooth.org/about-us/gallery.html . December 31, 2012 .
  8. News: Meredith alumnae art on display . November 27, 2012 . Raleigh News & Observer . March 23, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111220071915/http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/03/23/402285/meredith-alumnae-art-on-display.html . December 20, 2011 .

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