Our conversation this week is with Julyan Davis - artist, writer, narrative painter of the American South and West, explorer of lost stories, child of England and citizen of the world.
"If you're able to find beauty in what everyone else doesn't consider for a second, there's a great richness in that. In a way you've made your own discovery." In 1988, Julyan wandered into Sotheran's Rare Books in London, England and discovered 'Stars Fell on Alabama' by Carl Carmer. Transfixed by the state's history and a 19th century colony settled by Napoleonic exiles, he followed his curiosity to the source. After a few months spent working odd jobs and saving money, he set off on a great adventure from England to the American South – the untidy land of wistful melancholy that would shape his art and life. He'd eventually settle in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, finding in them a strange kinship and connection to his homelands.
When he was struggling to earn a spot at an art school, Julyan decided to take his own advice. He found the meeting point of all his particular interests and created a life there. He pursued his dream with conviction and certainty for so long that by the time he realized how difficult it would be, it was too late. He was an artist.
In this episode you'll hear Julyan talk about his great adventure from England to Alabama, walking as a lifestyle, finding beauty where others don't look, the never-ending story of American Ghosts, connecting Appalachia and the Scottish borders, the art of creating for yourself, creating a timeless children's story for his son, and much more.
Location: Julyan's home | Asheville, NC
Buy his debut novel, A History of Saints
Mentioned in this episode, for you to explore:
The Mind of the South by W.J. Cash
Excerpts from The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather
The Moviegoer by Walker Percy
Stars Fell on Alabama by Carl Carmer
Searching for the Wrong-Eyes Jesus
City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, NC
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Bruce Chatwin: One of the Last Great Explorers
'There's No Memory of the Joy.' Why 40 Years of Superfund Work Hasn't Saved Tar Creek
Dark on Netflix
The Storied South by William Ferris
Helpmate Domestic Violence Services
How Erwin, Tenn. Is Reinventing Its Legacy of Killing Mary The Elephant
The Professor's House by Willa Cather
'Luddite' Teens Don't Want Your Likes
A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
'Weather Vane' by Common Market
'Language of My World' by Macklemore
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Eugenics and Sex Harmony by Rubin Herman
Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane
