Road Through the Field

Road Through the Field, 6 x 8
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I hope everyone had a wonderful few days off and an enjoyable Thanksgiving. I feel so fortunate to have spent time in the Hill Country with our kids and my husband and his family--I don't think all the cousins could have had a better time together. We have much for which to give thanks.....

Today we hung the paintings for the show at Wendow here in Austin! Everything looks great, and I'm looking forward to Wednesday night's opening. It lasts from 6 p.m. til 9 p.m.--please come by if you're in Austin! There will be two other artists showing--my friend, Kendall Pace, and a new friend, Betty Sewell.

-julie davis

Golden Banks

Golden Banks, 9 x 12 in.

This is the last of the pieces I did before I began framing this week. I hope to get back to painting this weekend, but as Thanksgiving approaches, my do-to list outside the painting realm grows exponentially. We'll see. I aim to have my show pieces ready so I'll just have last minute duties to check off my list after Thanksgiving.

-julie davis

Northern California Fall

Northern California Fall, 6 x 8

I really had fun with this one. There aren't many pine trees around Central Texas, so I'd never painted them before. I have to say--they're quite fun to paint and I love the darks and pointy edges. :)

-julie davis

Winding Creek

Winding Creek, 6 x 8

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I love the grasses around here in the fall. They're full and wheat-colored and move with the breeze.

I'm busily preparing for a three-woman show that opens Dec. 1 here in Austin at Wendow Fine Living. I've got everything ready to frame and will work on that this week....then must be ready for Thanksgiving, as my husband and I are hosting his family this year. Gotta finish!

(If you're in Austin on Dec. 1, please stop by from 6-9. Wendow is located at 1512 W. 35th St. Cutoff). I'd love to see you!

-julie davis

Sunset Study 2

Sunset Study 2, 6 x 8

This is the second of the two I painted on Thursday night at our PAA paintout. The sun was so close to down at this point, the colors had mellowed quite a bit from the previous painting.

-julie davis

Sunset Study

Sunset Study, 6 x 8

This week Plein Air Austin met at one of our member's homes on Lake Travis for a sunset paintout. Never having painted a sunset before, I was impressed by how much more quickly the sun sets when one is attempting to paint it! I believe it's a more challenging process than the typical plein air painting experience--we're always capturing a moment in "light" time, but in a sunset, one must chose the minute and really stick to it. The show changes so rapidly, and every moment is so enticing that it's easy to chase the light.

I did two paintings in about 35-40 minutes, and in addition to being blinded by the reflections on the water, I was seeing spots, and the darkening sky made it difficult to see my paints! I felt like I was slapping paint down and wasn't even sure what colors I was using. All this said, it was a ton of fun, and we all enjoyed pizza and a glass of wine afterward--a well-deserved reward for all the work!

-julie davis

Wimberly Ranch

Wimberly Ranch, 9 x 12
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I'm always focused improving on a particular technique or subject while painting. I'm not sure when that stops and one can simply paint with abandon.... Today I again was exploring foreground. I did learn a few things, or at least had an "aha" moment or two.

-julie davis

Gray Morning

Gray Morning, 6 x 8

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The last post or two I've worked with keeping my value range tighter than usual. I'm working on gray days, and it's hard for me, because I'm most often drawn to darks in paintings. It definitely creates a mood to keep the values more closely tied to each other, whether it's a gray day or bright or nearly dark.....all good times to reduce your value range.

-julie davis

Valley Farm

Valley Farm, 8 x 6

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As much as I love painting the Texas Hill Country, it's always fun to paint a different area of the country. California has an entirely different feel--both in light and topography. A hazy day in October is when I was there last, and this little farm caught my attention.

-julie davis

Summer Afternoon Rain

Summer Afternoon Rain, 9 x 12

Today's post is one I've been wanting to paint since some of us traveled to Bryan, Texas last summer for a Plein Air Austin event. We stopped at Lake Somerville, and I painted another scene that day, while everyone else painted this view. I took reference photos, and just gathered the courage to give it a shot.

FYI, the palette knife touches I'm using in these last few pieces seems busier on the computer screen than it does in person--something I'm beginning to notice and am not sure how to correct, except to put it out there.

-julie davis

Morning on the Lake

Morning on the Lake, 9 x 12

If you're lucky enough to enjoy a morning on a lake, then you know what a beautiful time of day it can be. In Calvin Liang's workshop last week, we met at Cypress Point Park on Lake Travis the last day. I painted this today from a field sketch I did that day.

-julie davis

Sunlit Grove

Sunlit Grove, 12 x 16

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This is a larger version of a post a week or more back called "Field Guides." I lowered the horizon line and played with things a bit and am very happy with how this one came out.

The Rogue Valley runs through southern Oregon, and these trees are down in the valley beneath Weisinger's Winery in Ashland. I did take some artistic license and reduce the size of the mountains--they're gorgeous, but too much for this composition.

-julie davis