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

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

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

Springtime In Texas

Springtime in Texas, study

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

What a blast it is when the bluebonnets emerge in the Hill Country at the beginning of Spring.  This year they've been a little slower to show up because of our cold winter, but they're here.  They even make a little bush of a tree seem important. :)

-julie davis

Repetition

Live Oak Study, 6 x 8

sold

Tell me I'm not the only one who paints the same subject day after day.....did I mention I was struggling with greens?  I feel much better about this live oak (same one I've painted for days) than any I've done in ages--just because I think I was more successful at balancing the contrasting green values (not including the ground).  I won't speak for the rest--did this in 30 minutes this morning at 6 a.m., but I'm on the right track, I think.  

-julie davis

A Little Spring

Bluebonnet Clusters, 6 x 6

When you live in Austin, it's almost obligatory to go out to the LadyBird Johnson Wildflower Center in the Spring, and it certainly is if you're a plein air painter.  I was intimidated to tackle the gorgeous scenery on my own, but I went out anyway on Monday.  I'll admit this was my fist time to go outside painting totally on my own, no class, no group, no friend (is that initiation for being a "plein air painter?").   While painting, I overheard (many things) someone saying this was not a good year for bluebonnets, but there were plenty to be found.  I've always said if you're going to paint bluebonnets, you'd better get it right, because people are passionate about them.  I am, too, but I think of this as a "nod" to them, so maybe I got away with it?

-julie davis