May Flowers

If you didn't make it to the show, you might want to check out my collection tour from my last place on YouTube. I am very proud of my 600 plus displayed pieces of art. Flower Residency and this show, May Flowers, feels like an obvious next step in my collecting journey. Let me walk you through why.

I started collecting back in 2012. It was very slow at first after I discovered the version of the art world that lives outside of museums through a friend. His family is an art family. Mine was not, so at first, it was a completely foreign concept to me, but I grew to love it.

As my collection grew and I honed my taste, I was forced inside like everyone else in 2020. As stocks soared and funds were easy to come by, I was collecting like a madman. YouTube and unboxing videos became one of my comforts during this time away from people, so it felt obvious to create a channel opening artworks as I collected them. My physical collection doubled as a digital collection in a way that made sense to me.

As things began to open back up, I began interviewing artists at their art openings and in their studios. After releasing 482 videos, I made an amazing group of artist friends. Unlike just scratching the surface in an interview, Flower Residency is a deep dive into the artist practice and helping an artist create a moment within their journey. I feel like I'm truly helping write the story instead of just telling it.

How do you grow a residency? You ask all of your artist friends to contribute to a group show to promote the residency. So just like April showers bring May Flowers, I've watered my artist community. They now come together to bloom for my first curated show to benefit the Flower Residency featuring 100 artists. I couldn't be prouder of this moment and more thankful for everyone who contributed by making a piece for this show, buying a piece from this show, being here to see the show or simply sharing the residency with your artist friends. And please do share this residency with your artist friends.

This show is inspired by Takashi Murakami's flower grids which inspired my own practice of making flower grids. Now, it's our flower grid.

— David Maxwell, Flower Residency Host