Hurricane Harvey fundraiser for Rockport Center for the Arts

Hillside Study, 8 x 6 in., oil on panel

donated for fundraiser - purchase here

As many of you know, the beloved Texas coastal town of Rockport was devastated by Hurricane Harvey on August 25th. Like so many homes and businesses there, the Rockport Center for the Arts suffered extreme damage from the high winds and rain Harvey wrought. 

Two of our hardworking Plein Air Austin members, Robin Cheers and V...Vaughn, have organized a fundraiser to raise $10,000 for the center to help them rebuild. They reached out to artist friends across Texas and the country for 100 donations of unframed art, and are selling the works for $100 each. I've got a few in the bunch and they're adding more as they come in -- 100% of your purchase price will be sent to the Rockport Center for the Arts to help them rebuild. You will receive a receipt for your charitable contribution from Plein Air Austin/Rockport Center for the Arts.

See and purchase the artwork here! And thank you, Robin and V!

-julie davis

Head in the Clouds

untitled study

9 x 12 in., oil on panel

You may already know I've been on a cloud kick for the past couple of weeks. The study above was Wednesday's effort. I'm a little ashamed I didn't jump into this long ago like I did when I studied trees for a solid year, but better late than never! It's been surprising to me how much I'm enjoying it and how much I've learned by reading and studying color and painting clouds from the balcony view of my 'studio in the sky.' Now I find as much inspiration in painting clouds as much as I do trees - like trees, they each have their own shape and color, and are constantly evolving, only much more quickly! 

I hope to be offering a few 6 x 8 in. cloud studies for sale here in the coming weeks, as the larger ones will be part of a series that is still 'evolving!' Have a good weekend!

-julie davis

*if you haven't yet, and are inclined, sign up for my newsletter here. The fall issue will be coming out September 1.

R A D I A N T - Davis Gallery Summer Group Show, AIS Show, AWA Show

Shuttered, 11 x 14 in, oil on panel
sold

Waco Taxi Co., 9 x 12 in., oil on panel

El Cobertizo, San Miguel, 9 x 12 in., oil on panel

I'm happy to invite anyone who will be in the area this weekend to stop by and share a glass of wine with me at the Davis Gallery summer group show opening reception. Davis represents a talented group of artists, many of whom will be attending the opening. We always love to see friends and supporters at openings! The three new pieces above are available and will be in the show.

This year the exhibition focuses on "radial compositions, luminescent surfaces, circular shapes, and all things Radiant. The goal of the exhibit is to invite the audience to explore the importance of form, composition, and tone, by studying how each piece fits into the show's parameters."

My take on the Radiant concept was to select sunlit structures and/or create compositions with a radiating lines to lead the eye into and around the painting. I hope you'll stop in Saturday night--I'd love to see you.

Opening reception: Saturday, July 15th from 7-9pm 

The show will run from July 15th through August 19th.

________________________

American Impressionist Society 18th Annual 

National Juried Exhibition

September 28 - October 29

Montgomery-Lee Fine Art

Park City, Utah

Grandmother's Porch, 9 x 12 in., oil on panel
available, contact Montgomery-Lee Fine Art

I was notified this week that Grandmother's Porch was juried into the AIS annual show--a big honor for me, as there were 175 pieces accepted out of over 1400. I will be shipping this piece off to Montgomery-Lee Gallery in Park City for the show early this fall.

_________________________

American Women Artists 2017 Annual Master and Signature Members' Show

 and National Juried Exhibition

Tucson Desert Art Museum, Tucson, AZ

October 13 - December 3

The Feed Mill, Marfa, 11 x 14 in., oil on panel

available through Tucson Desert Art Museum

Additionally, The Feed Mill, Marfa, was accepted into American Women Artists' 2017 Annual show--I'm super excited about both of these juried exhibitions, and will hopefully be able to attend at least one of them!

That's a long blog post, so that's it, but please stop by and see the Davis show and say hello if you're in the Austin area!

-julie davis

Texas Capitol Building

Texas Capitol Building

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

After living here in Austin for nearly fourteen years and painting for over half of them, I finally took the opportunity to get out and paint the Texas Capitol building last month. On site I did a little bit larger version, but I wanted a "pocket-sized" one for fun. Here it is. :)

-julie davis

Tipsy

Tipsy

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

My apologies for the inconsistent posts lately! I've been hard at work all spring behind the scenes. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I've taken two workshops, one with Randall Sexton and Plein Air Austin here in the city, and one in Kerrville with Matt Smith through Kerrville Arts and Cultural Center. Both workshops have kept me trying new techniques reinventing some old, and renewing some of my equipment and supplies. Spring is a time of renewal, and I'm on board. :)

This little guy is a tree out on a golf course in Bastrop, Texas. I spent a couple of days out there following my youngest at her tournament, and sketched and photographed more than a few trees in the process. Despite the overcast skies, I got some fun study material.  This painting sold to a dear friend of one of my daughters. She's just finishing college, but is already an art lover and a collector! 

-julie davis

Tall Grass

Tall Grass

8 x 6 in., oil on panel

sold

This is another small piece that came from my trip out to Cypress Mill, Texas on that cold fall day. This barn and old trailer were on the property, and I walked all around through the grass and between the fenceposts taking photos and eventually working up a sketch. I finally painted it this week.

-julie davis

The Value of Color Studies

I first began to create color studies on a regular basis after a workshop given by Jill Carver in Texas in 2015. I'd done them before, but never in the lightning-quick manner Jill had us doing them, and never as my primary means of gathering information outdoors. Jill opened an entirely new practice to me that week, and I owe her a debt of gratitude. Because I often sell my 6 x 8 studies on this blog, I'd always felt decent pressure to make even my studies excellent. Attempting perfection, needless to say, isn't the most productive way to "study."

Above are some studies I completed this morning in my studio using sketches I did outdoors and photo references I took while on site. Notice they're all on one board, which was divided into four sections with painter's tape while I painted (the color difference under the tape is due to the panel I used being an old one that was half-toned). This way I can't sell them--the pressure is gone. (It's certainly possible that I could cut them apart later if one is so amazing I just have to post it for sale).  :)

Below are some quick (like stream-of consciousness-quick) thoughts on the value of doing these studies. Color studies are:

*A natural bridge between a thumbnail sketch and starting a refined, finished painting

*A great way to gather lots of information outdoors in a short time (perfect for times when you're painting outside and the light or weather is changing rapidly)

*Practice for mixing the colors you'll eventually use in the larger painting

*A simple, fast way to get accurate color notes when painting en plein air

*An efficient way to "brainstorm" in paint time-wise and space-wise. Set time limits on yourself (no more than 30 minutes to an hour on each). Also, you can easily get four or six on one panel.

*A way to affirm that you're being productive when all else fails!

*A tool for trying various compositions if you can't decide based on thumbnail sketches

*A good way to stay loose and produce the painterly look that you might want to use in your larger painting

*A great exercise in painting quickly if you're trying to get faster

*Perfect for painting a scene you're in love with but only had time for a sketch and a quick photo (like the amazing scene you discovered after you packed up and were heading to your car, or the one you got a photo of while with your family and had only your phone and sketchbook in hand).

*Freedom to relax--you're not aiming for a finished painting, but the bonus is that sometimes you get one!

Color studies work out the kinks, let you know if your idea has the potential to translate into a successful painting, and keep you at ease while accomplishing both. 

-julie davis

Catwalks

Catwalks, 8 x 16 in., oil on panel

*juried into 2016 American Women Artist's National Juried Exhibition,

Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, Vermont

available, $850

It's been far too long since I managed to write a blog post. I've honestly found Instagram to be a much more efficient way to share what I'm up to on a daily/weekly basis, and you can find me there at instagram.com/juliedavisstudio/. I'm still committed to selling my small studies here on my blog, I just haven't had that many lately, as I've been working on a bigger series with these silos. I do intend to be back with more soon, so stay tuned!

I've loved working on these, and I've been able to use my palette knife a good bit more than I would in landscapes due to all of the man-made and cast shadow lines that come into play with the silos. This piece is pretty detailed so you might give it a click to see it better.

-julie davis

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

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

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

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

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