"Almost There"

Almost There, 8 x 6

This sign ("Mo Ranch, 6 miles") tells me I'm just a few miles from our hill country retreat. Mo Ranch is just beyond our place, and is a Presbyterian camp and conference center that has been there since 1949. This sign is a little more recent than that, but not much!

-julie davis

Overcast Morning Cedar

Overcast Morning Cedar, 8 x 10

Austin got a good bit of rain today, but before it really poured, our plein air class met near a creek (and under a bridge to avoid the drizzle) in Austin's Lost Creek neighborhood. I'm sure we were quite a sight as we were all set up and stashed under a bridge like a family of trolls! The view was beautiful, though, and we all painted this cedar tree using a block in method that Kevin Macpherson uses--blocking in with large shapes and obvious color within the shadow, then light families, then moving on to detail after we had it blocked in.

-julie davis

Call or Write

Call or Write, 6 x 8

This is one of many driveways off the highway on my route to Hunt, TX. I stop and photograph scenes along the way during my biweekly trips. The sun had been up about an hour and was reflecting on the verticals nicely. Pedestrian scenes like this one are somehow the most inspiring to me....

--julie davis

Compatible

Compatible, 20 x 16

Apologies for being away so long--Spring Break trip with the family took a good bit of prep time, then the actual vacation..... I painted this before I left. It's a larger version of (perhaps too similarly named) "Compatibility", done a couple of weeks ago. I'm hoping to get back on my daily painting kick this week--I've had a lot going on, but am really ready to get back to my routine.

And on an exciting personal note, I'm on the Windrush Gallery website as of last weekend. If you have a chance, check it out. I'm extremely honored to be a part of John McCullough's group of artists--a link to his site is on my blog, and, well, right here.

-julie davis

Sunlit Boathouse

Sunlit Boathouse, 8 x 6

sold

On Friday I got the chance to paint outside again and went back to an old standby--the lake inlet at Laguna Gloria. This little boathouse is an inviting subject, and while I stood there a friendly fisherman joined me, as did a watercolor class.

-julie davis

At Rest

At Rest
6 x 8 in., oil on panel

Austin has this great little organic farm not terribly far from where I live called Boggy Creek Farm. The Plein Air Austin group met there for one of our paint-outs this winter, and while I wound up painting another subject, I took some photos before we painted. This tractor caught my eye. It was parked restfully in the shade, waiting for Spring.

-julie davis

Well-Worn Path

Well-Worn Path

Hints of spring are creeping into the landscape around Austin--huge amounts of spring greens jumped into this painting. I must be ready.

-julie davis

Palm Tree Study

Palm Tree Study

What a great day....today was the start of Laurel Daniel's plein air class. It got me back outside, and the weather was phenomenal. Laurel had us follow along as she did a demo, and line and mass block-in on a simple subject was the assignment. This group of palm trees was on the grounds of Austin Museum of Art's Laguna Gloria campus (where our classes take place).

-julie davis