A Good Day

A Good Day

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

Naming this one seemed simple if I thought of it from a bovine's perspective--which, not to insult the cattle, was relatively easy. Hoping if you're reading this, you're having a good day, too.

-julie davis

View from the Hill

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

Earlier this fall I painted with Plein Air Austin just outside of Austin on some land near the Salt Lick (a relative barbecue institution around here). I came away from the paint-out with several studies, and this piece was derived from one of those 30 minute studies. 

For those of you in Austin for any time over the holidays, Davis Gallery is up and running with its annual Holiday Show. I dropped several new pieces by the gallery last week for it, and Bill, Jen, and crew there have been hard at work hanging everything to have it all ready this week. The show is open now through January 9. Stop by if you get the chance!

Lastly, I'm officially on Instagram now: @juliedavisstudio--give it a look:)

-julie davis

Hillside

Hillside

8 x 6 in., oil on panel

sold in Hurricane Harvey fundraiser for the Rockport Center for the Arts

Small cedar trees like this one dot the landscape in and around Austin, and soon some festive folks will begin decorating the roadside ones with tinsel and ornaments in celebration of the Christmas season. Last year I managed to do a painting of one near our house. I'll definitely try to get to one again this year. 

I liked the way this tree had a small cut in the ground that led up to it with the grasses working to fill in the gaps. I've done a slightly larger version of this study for Davis Gallery's annual holiday show that opens soon here in Austin--I'll announce dates when I have them.

-julie davis

Study - cattle

Cow Study

9 x 12 in., oil on panel

nfs

This is a quick study I did from some photos I took out in Center Point, Texas. Though cattle are slow, they aren't ideal models because they tend to move around a bit more quickly than I can manage to paint them. I never thought I'd be studying the anatomy of cattle, but life is full of surprises. I actually enjoyed a new type of figure and a deviation from trees for a minute.

-julie davis

The One with the Blue Shutters, study

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

Taking two months off from posting was never my intention.  I promise that much has been going on beneath the surface. Like a duck's feet paddling underwater, I've been invisibly at work (and play), and I'll send out a newsletter soon with more about that (sign up for it on my website: www.juliedavisstudio.com), but it's time to get back to posting.

I came across this little apartment on our trip to St. Remy in Provence a while back, and admired the blue color they chose for the shutters so much that I stopped to take pictures. I decided to only paint the upstairs--there was not much going on at the street level. I think I envy whoever lives there. 

-julie davis

Evening Commute

Evening Commute

9 x 12 in., oil on panel

available, $800

I received news today that Evening Commute has been accepted into the Oil Painters of America's 2015 Juried Salon Show of Traditional Oils. The show will be held in Birmingham, Alabama in October at Beverly McNeil Gallery, and will be judged by Calvin Liang. It goes without saying, but I'm saying it anyway -- I'm very flattered to be included -- thanks, OPA!

-julie davis

Exciting news

At Rest

9 x 12 in., oil on panel

sold

General Store

11 x 14 in., oil on panel

$900

available through Davis Gallery, Austin, Texas

512.477.4929

After what seems like quite a long time, I'm home from summer travels and obligations and am able to offer a  post -- with news I'm very excited to share! Within the last few weeks I've learned that the above pieces have been accepted into two separate shows of which I'm really honored to be a part.  At Rest was juried into the American Women Artists 2015 National Juried Exhibition & Annual Member's Show, while General Store was selected for inclusion in the 16th National Exhibition of the American Impressionist Society. These are some of my first stabs at national shows. I couldn't be more honored and am truly jumpy with enthusiasm about it. 

The AIS show will take place October 1 - 29 at Trailside Galleries in Scottsdale, and the AWA exhibition will be held November 12 - 30 at Bonner David Galleries, also in Scottsdale.  I'm looking forward to getting to know Scottsdale a bit better this fall:). I will share more as the shows approach, but I'm super motivated going into what is typically my most productive time of year.

- julie davis

Summer Show at Davis Gallery

"There's a Summer Place We Can Go"

Davis Gallery 

837 W. 12th St., Austin, Texas

512.477.4929

opening reception Saturday, June 27, 7-9 p.m.

Nature's Gateway, 11 x 14, oil on panel

Davis Gallery is hosting its annual summer show now through August 8th, and the opening reception is this Saturday evening from 7-9 p.m. Unfortunately, I'll be out of town for the reception, but if you're in the area I hope you'll stop by! I delivered these five new pieces to the gallery last week.

-julie davis

River's Bend, 9 x 12, oil on panel

sold

Look Both Ways, 11 x 14, oil on panel

Dry Creek Cafe, 11 x 14, oil on panel

sold

Ring of Bales, 16 x 20, oil on panel

sold

Old Garage

Old Garage

9 x 12 in., oil on panel

I don't think any grass in this part of Texas is this color anymore....this was early spring, and after the copious amount of rain we've had in the last few weeks (5 inches today), everything is green. Or underwater. It's actually been quite devastating to many in our area. Wimberly and San Marcos have had flooding not seen in decades. While we desperately need the rain, this pace is hard to sustain. We are hoping for sunshine tomorrow. Like the sunshine on this old garage...:)

-julie davis

Morning by the River

Morning by the River

6 x 8 in., oil on linen panel

I had a few minutes Saturday morning to play with a photo I'd taken years ago in a park here in Austin. I love the light in it, and though I painted this same view back in 2010 when I'd been painting just a couple of years, I felt enough time had passed that another attempt would be free from any vivid memories of the first try. Not that the first try was a bad memory at all, I just wanted it to feel more like a case of first impression.  And thankfully, it did. :)

-julie davis

2010

Near the Water

Near the Water

8 x 8 in., oil on panel

This is another scene from my studies out at Turkey Bend near Marble Falls.  Again, I did four studies on a divided 12 x 16 panel--two were 15 minute studies and two were 30 minutes. I can't describe how unrefined they were, but they were important color and value notes, and I surprised myself at what I accomplished in that short time. And the best part is that instead of walking away with one painting, I walked away with material for several. :)

-julie davis

Red Trailer

Red Trailer

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

Sorry I've been posting inconsistently lately. Spring for students is as busy as Christmas is for adults, and therefore it's busy for mothers of students, too. I spent most of last week on the road to a golf tournament in Houston to watch our girls play and in Waco helping our eldest move some things out of her dorm before the end of the year (and taking our middle daughter on a college tour).  Luckily, the latter two were on the same campus. :) So I haven't pushed much paint consistently in the last month, but I did get to a small piece today.  I really love the energy of line, and I got to play with that a bit in this one.

-julie davis

River's Bend

River's Bend, Study 2

6 x 8 in., oil on linen panel

$120 + tax, $20 s/h

click here to purchase

From my notes, sketches, and studies from Marble Falls last week, I tried a more finished study of one of the compositions I had come up with. Since the first study had a self-imposed 30 minute time limit, it had a few miscalculations:)--I was able to work out some of the drawing flaws here and design this one a little more. It's still just a 6 x 8 study, but I'm planning to work on a larger piece from this one--just experimenting a little bit first.

-julie davis

Cool Hilltop

Cool Hilltop

8 x 6 in., oil on panel

Fortunately, spring has been relatively rainy in the Austin area this year--and we are grateful. It's made for a wonderful wildflower season, and the bluebonnets this year are no exception. This little piece came from my outing last week near Marble Falls. It was an on-again, off-again morning with the sun and clouds vying for dominance.  

-julie davis

New Award!

Evening Commute

9 x 12, oil on panel

private collection

I was very excited to find out this weekend that my painting, "Evening Commute," was given an Award of Merit in the American Women Artist's 2015 Spring Online Juried Show.  I've loved this painting, and am really happy the judge liked it, too.  Thank you, AWA!

-julie davis

Spring Studies and Bluebonnets

@ Turkey Bend Recreational Area, Marble Falls, Texas

Today I joined our Plein Air Austin painting group out in Marble Falls, Texas, to paint at the Turkey Bend Recreational Area (real name!).  Rain is moving in this weekend and as the bluebonnets are at their peak, the rains will probably knock them around a bit and cause grass to outgrow the flowers, so now was the time to paint them.  Though the water is still very low on Lake Travis because of the drought, the views at Turkey Bend are still gorgeous, with bluebonnets temporarily making up for the water loss in covering the ground in blue.  

You might be able to make out in the last photo that I chose to do four small studies rather than one more polished painting in the time I had (about two hours).  I can thank Jill Carver for this idea--more on the seismic-shift workshop I recently completed with her in another post (one reason I haven't posted in a month). Since I didn't have much time, rather than rush through a piece and be frustrated, I divided a 12 x 16 panel into four sections, and timed myself on four studies. I did spend about 20 minutes making several thumbnails in my sketchbook first. The first two studies were 15 minutes each, the second two were 30 apiece.  Note: they are not intended to be a finished piece--they are raw studies. The purpose is getting accurate color notes and the values correct, so that with my sketches and photos in the studio I can create one or more larger pieces. I found several compositions I liked, and simply turned my easel around to the next view when I was ready for the next study. I really like this way of working....I felt super productive and came away with material for several paintings.  Pretty fun!

-julie davis

Look Both Ways

Look Both Ways

nfs

Architecture is such  different form of problem solving from pure "land" scenes.  Somehow to me it's more like doing a giant math problem--one specific step at a time--get too loose with one step and it all falls apart.  Trees, grass, or hills are more easily manipulated to an artists' needs.  As much as I dislike math, I appreciate the order of these scenes--and they do have their freedoms, just in a different way.

-julie davis

*This is St Remy, France. The orange building is a shop called Florame (essential oils), and the one directly to the left is the local Farrow & Ball (lovely paint and wallpapers) store.

Hilltop Village

Hilltop Village

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

My first go at a European village. This is the town of Gordes in southern France--one of the most beautiful little villages in the Luberon because of its location on the edge of a plateau. My family was fortunate enough to get to tour it last summer, and it's taken me a while to get up the courage to paint it.  For me, the challenge was to refrain from using too much detail, while still getting enough in there.  

-julie davis

Dry Creek Cafe

Dry Creek Cafe

11 x 14 in., oil on panel

sold

For those who went to school at UT or grew up in Austin, or have just been here long enough to know about this hidden gem, the Dry Creek Cafe is somewhat of an Austin institution.  It's an old dive bar, with a charming, rickety deck and a view of Lake Austin that isn't exactly unmatched, but it's good. And some would say most importantly, cheap beer.  It's nicely tucked away on Mt. Bonnel Road so unless you already know about it or just stumble upon it, you'd never end up there.  This painting is part tribute, part memoir, part record....

-julie davis

Tree Study

Tree Study

8 x 6 in., oil on panel

sold

Occasionally I just like to study trees...they were my fist love in painting, and when I feel a little rusty or just want to keep my focus simple, I go to these peaceful guardians and just relax and play.

-julie davis

2013-2014 book available!

I'm really happy to report that I've just received the first copy of my most recent Blurb book, JULIE DAVIS - Plein Air and Studio Selections from 2013 and 2014, and it's now available online at http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/518991-j-u-l-i-e-d-a-v-i-s-landscapes (in both ebook and print formats). That link takes you to the ebook ($4.99).  For the print version ($20.00), click here: http://www.blurb.com/b/6003541-j-u-l-i-e-d-a-v-i-s-landscapes. I always benefit from reviewing the past two years of work; it's a nice record for me of where I've invested myself. 

I've posted a preview of my book in the right column of my blog, scroll till you see it.  Enjoy!

-julie davis

Passage

Passage

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

This is one of my favorite kinds of scenes--why I paint landscapes.  Long views with distant hills and gentle giants.   It's the peacefulness, I think, and I will never grow tired of it.

-julie davis

Woodpile

Woodpile

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

We have a little place on the Guadalupe River a couple of hours from Austin.  Our neighbor keeps his firewood neatly stacked between two trees near his house.  In the early morning, the sun rises over the bluff across the river and drapes its light between his house and the donkey barn on the edge of our property. The light gives a glancing blow to the woodpile this time of year.

-julie davis

The Ranch in January

The Ranch in January

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

I do these long views occasionally to work on foregrounds.  I know of a couple of things I'll do differently next time, but hey, it's a process.  Painting in winter in Central Texas means more yellows and ochres--not the green of spring everywhere.  I definitely like the greens, but the grasses this time of year complement distant hills nicely.

-julie davis

Old Garage, study

Old Garage, study

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

The sun is out again and it feels so much like spring in Austin it's as if we're being teased.  The strong shadows on this old garage really make me crave more of this warm weather, but it looks like we'll have a cold, wet weekend.  I'm not complaining, though--we'll take any water we can get!

-julie davis

*And an update on my camera.  Right now I'm using a small Olympus because my Nikon's autofocus had completely quit.  I wound up having to send it off somewhere cold for repair.  Hopefully that fixes all its odd behavior!

35th Street

35th Street

8 x 6 in., oil on panel

sold

35th is the nearest major street to my house--the one I travel down multiple times most days.  Camp Mabry, a National Guard headquarters, is on the left in this piece, so there are acres of undeveloped land along 35th.  That land always makes it tempting for me to snap a shot when the sky is beautiful and the sun is just right....yes, I admit to being guilty of snapping this photo while driving. I promise never to do it again. But this sky was too hard to resist.

-julie davis

Tree Lines

Tree Lines

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

As with my post from Tuesday, "objects in blog are not as vivid as they appear." I have got to get my camera sorted out--the photos I'm taking are in technicolor, and I haven't changed anything.  The auto-focus, however, has not worked, so I'm perplexed.  I'm bound for the camera shop.  This little piece is a relative of "Compatible," in that they're both from the same area of the Irish countryside.

-julie davis

Compatible

Compatible

9 x 12 in., oil on panel

available, $800

I painted this piece in the studio last fall.  Though I did nothing to alter the photo, the painting is really a bit more muted in person.  On our visit to Ireland I did as much studying of the landscape as I could get away with on a family vacation--including taking tons of photos.  This was taken in one of the rare moments of sunshine we experienced.  

-julie davis

Long View

Long View

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

After nine long, cold days the sun finally returned to Austin this morning, so I thought I'd post a warm and sunny Texas ranch scene.  I don't know how folks who live with cold temps and cloud cover all the time do it, but I know I'm not the only one in town who is celebrating the sunshine today!

-julie davis

French Countryside

French Countryside

sold

It seems I can never get enough of hay bales.  They are as ubiquitous in the French Countryside as they are in the Texas Hill Country, and I ate it up when we were there in July.  If this seems familiar in feel to In the Round, it's because it's a scene from a different part of the same field.  

-julie davis

Ready

Ready

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

Back in October when I was in Kerrville for KOPE I sketched this composition, and now I finally got around to painting it.  These boats sat next to a small lake in a private park, and looked ready to go out at a moment's notice.

-julie davis

Rolling In

Rolling In

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

nfs

I hope you've had a good start to 2015. I missed posting last at the end of last week because we host a New Year's Eve dinner party in our home each year and my attentions were focused on that all week.  My husband and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary on the 31st--I couldn't be more blessed!  

Just before Christmas I managed to paint five 6 x 8 versions of the above scene--one for each of my siblings and for myself, so we'd all have a connection when we glance at it.  I'm calling it the "Sibling Series." I failed to snap a shot of each piece, but though very similar, (like us) they were each unique, and I think my brother and sisters enjoyed the gesture. 

-julie davis