One and a Half Pairs

One and a Half Pairs, 6 x 8

A rarity from me lately--a still life. I've promised a dear friend I'd do three still lifes for her and I'm way overdue. Way, way overdue. So I'll be warming up on still lifes here and there for a while.

Happy New Year to all of you--I'm sincerely grateful to have you all follow and subscribe to my blog--it's a tremendous source of encouragement and community for me. And today my husband and I celebrate 18 years of marriage--a perfect way to end the year. I wish you all the best in 2011!

-julie davis

So We Meet Again

So We Meet Again, 6 x 8

The way properties adjoin each other is one of the little tidbits I find interesting along the roads. Green grass can abut a field of golden flowers that can meet up with simple red dirt or a field full of cacti or cedars or oaks or all three. I liked the way the green shoulder here met with the wheat colored grass and muted flowers.

-julie davis

Sunset on Lake Travis

Sunset on Lake Travis, 6 x 8

nfs

It feels like a month since I've posted--I had to put my blog on hold for a while leading up to the holidays. I think I'd have been more prolific, but various viruses combined to knock me down twice in the last two weeks, plus Christmas and family--and there was no time at all to paint.

I did paint today--and wiped it down each time--four times altogether! That's to be expected, I think, after so much time off. The painting above is one I just gave my niece. I hadn't published it yet, though I did post the two studies from our Plein Air Austin sunset paint out that inspired it. My sweet 4th-grade niece (who loves to paint) admired it this week, and I couldn't resist giving it to her. And as the year winds down, it seemed a sunset painting was appropriate to post.

I'll do my best to post this week. I'm closing in on 200 paintings again this year and would love to hit that mark. Enjoy the remainder of the holidays--and a happy new year to you all!

-julie davis

Cinco

Cinco, 6 x 8

My girls all take Spanish in school, and our middle daughter tends to intersperse bits of it into our conversation pretty often (which is good because it helps me learn Spanish, too). This painting was going to be named "Five," but at the last moment, the Spanish word for "five" felt right. I have to attribute that to her influence. :)

-julie davis

Old Farmhouse

Old Farmhouse, 6 x 8

A great deal of what draws me to paint landscapes is the history that is woven into much of the land in which we live daily. Many farms have old outbuildings, barns, and even farmhouses that now sit abandoned. I'm always excited to find them and can't help but ponder what went on in them when they were full of life.

-julie davis

Shady Crowd

Shady Crowd, 8 x 6
sold

On my way to Hunt last weekend I spotted this group of cattle under a shady tree--they appeared so content. I stopped and took a photo and worked from that and memory for this 8 x 6.

-julie davis

Photos from the Wendow show

What a treat it was to be a part of last night's show at Wendow. The store looked beautiful, was filled with art by three local artists (me included), and the turnout was fantastic. If you're anywhere in the neighborhood, stop by and see what's in the store--it's one of my favorite spots in Austin, and not just because they carry my art!

The pics are of some of the pieces on the walls--the last is of my dear pal Laurel Daniel and me during the show. Thanks to all who stopped by--your support is always appreciated!

-julie davis