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

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

The Warehouse

The Warehouse

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

Sometimes the subjects I decide to paint surprise me.  This old warehouse wasn't much to look at, but I liked the shadows and angles--and the old unreadable, faded signs.  I also find a gravel / grass foreground fun to paint; I can get a lot of energy and direction in it to lead one's eye into a piece.  The grass and gravel were an important part of the composition here--allowing me to place the warehouse off the panel a bit more than would be typical and to focus on shapes rather than a particular building.  That made it trickier to name, until I got really basic and went with the obvious. :)

-julie davis

The Neighbors

The Neighbors

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

I've wanted to paint this scene for a bit--it's from a photo I took recently on a short trip near Austin, and was taken right after some recent rains.  The fields and trees green up so beautifully when we actually have rain--I couldn't resist stopping to take some pictures.  I may do a few more studies on it, but we'll see.  This summer has been a juggling of kids and their service trips so far, I'm trying to squeeze (in) paint(ing) when I can.  Ha.

-julie davis

On the Way Home

On the Way Home

18 x 24 in., oil on canvas

available at Davis Gallery, Austin

The pace of things lately hasn't allowed me much time to post, so my apologies for going off-line for a while.  We've had one graduate from high school last week, another get a driver's license the same week, and another finish 8th grade at her K-8 school.  It's been hard to stay in a painting routine, but I'm getting back on track.  

During the month of June, July, and August, Davis Gallery is offering a summer show, with new works by many of its artists, myself included.  On the Way Home is one of my newer pieces (you'll notice a smaller version from my January 28th post), and will go up with the show on June 7th.  The pieces will be available for immediate sale, and several events such as Meet the Artist evenings and Collector Happy Hours will take place throughout the summer.  I hope you'll stop by if you're in the Austin area over the summer.

-julie davis

Three Bales and Exhibit Inclusion

Three Bales

9 x 12 in., oil on panel

sold

Spring Break is behind us here in Austin and hopefully so is my break from bi-weekly posting.  Life finds its ways of interrupting painting, and I have to allow that right now…I'll never get these days back with my girls.  

However, exciting things are still going on!  I've been waiting to share this and now it's a reality:  

A piece I did in 2012, "Old Smokehouse," is part of the collection of New York-based curator, artist, and collector, Ken Ratner.  Over the next two years, several museums will host his collection in an exhibit entitled "A Feeling of Humanity: Western Art from the Ken Ratner Collection," of which Old Smokehouse is a part.  The Mattatuck Museum in Connecticut is showing the collection from March 16 - April 27.  The Rockwell Museum of Art in Corning, New York (Oct. 3 Jan. 11), the Bone Creek Museum in David City, Nebraska (summer 2015), and possibly one more venue will follow.  

If you're in one of these areas and have the opportunity to see the collection, please go see it!  There are many talented artists included, and I am exceptionally honored by and grateful for Mr. Ratner's selection of one of my pieces to be both a part of his collection and his exhibit.  Here are a few words from Ken Ratner, followed by a link to a write-up about the Mattatuck event:

"For the past 25 years, I have focused much of my collecting on the Ashcan School artists.  The humanity of the artists as reflected in their work is the primary reason that I have collected their pictures.

During the past 2 years, I have shifted toward contemporary western art, and have collected works by artists who are also drawn to humanity.  Some of these artists include, Gary Ernest Smith, Clyde Aspevig, and Logan Maxwell Hagege….   The exhibit...will also include fine examples by artists of the past, such as Robert Henri, John Sloan and Kenneth Miller Adams. 

One of the most important things I was trying to accomplish in forming my western art collection was to select artists who I felt were exceptional who have not yet achieved the recognition they deserve.  In essence, I was trying to give a voice to a fine group of painters, such as David Forks, Erin Hanson, George Coll, Caroline Norton, Don Gray, Julie Davis and Johnson Yazzie.  Early on, I decided that I wanted to purchase small works, partly due to budget constraints, but more than that, it was so that many unsung artists would have the chance to showcase their extraordinary talents."

-ken ratner

http://www.artfixdaily.com/artwire/release/592-contemporary-western-art-exhibition-opens-at-the-mattatuck-museum

Old Smokehouse

8 x 6 in., oil on panel

-julie davis

Shaded Farm Road

Shaded Farm Road

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

This piece of land is just outside of Kerrville, Texas.  The composition didn't require much creativity on my part--it was ready and waiting for me.  The shaded dirt road led right to the lit bales of hay and around to an old hidden structure behind a fence. I just tried to do it a little justice...

-julie davis

Slow Fade

Slow Fade

Why is it that so many barns (that sit outside in the full sun all day) are painted red?  Don't farmers know that red fades in the sun?!  Actually, I googled it…and there are several theories. One involves farmers sealing the wood with linseed oil, which has an orange/red color.  Another says farmers would put ferrous oxide (aka rust) in the oil because it was poisonous to molds and fungi which would increase the decay of the wood. Red was also the least expensive color of paint, and last, there is an unappealing / yucky theory that I'll keep to myself, or you can google it.

-julie davis

The Add-On

The Add-On

9 x 12 in., oil on panel

donation

So if you haven't noticed the recurring theme over the more recent posts, there is one. :)  I've stuck to this group of barns for a bit in order to allow myself the freedom to experiment and to learn.  I always use my knife to an extent, but it's become a more important tool to me over the last year, and I need and want to get some mileage working with it, trying new things, etc.  Something like my study of trees was a while back.  Now I'm focusing more toward texture, edges, and line.  So if I sound or look like a broken record at times, thank you for your patience…I'm learning "out loud."

-julie davis

Barn and a Windmill

Barn and a Windmill

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

Still studying…..working on edges and texture and applying paint with my knife and a few other things. :)  

-julie davis

Shed Study

Shed Study

12 x 9, oil on panel

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

Obviously, I've been painting a number barns lately.  I'm working on technique.  In high school I absolutely loved the two years of drafting I took.  I still love line, structure, balance.  I use my palette knife to start these studies--almost "drawing" (or drafting) with it in a way, leaving some of those lines as a legacy in the finished piece.  This one isn't "finished" per se, but it is. :)

-julie davis

*happy Friday, and happy Valentine's Day!

Texas Connection

Texas Connection

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

I love the road trips we make to the Hill Country because I indulge in the landscape's eye candy along the way.  The title references the ranch road intersecting with the highway, as well as the phone lines that run along it. Loved the red pipe section of the fence, too.

-julie davis

Family Farm

Family Farm

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

I played with the paint in this little study.  I really like the "intentional accidents" that occur when I use my palette knife.  I use it almost as much as I use my brushes throughout my paintings lately.  I think that's part of the fun of oils--manipulating them rather than simply "coloring" with them.

-julie davis

Evening Commute

Evening Commute

9 x 12 in., oil on panel

NFS

After a fairly lengthy absence from posting for me, I offer this.  Evening Commute was born of a trip to California last summer--I posted a warm-up for it a few posts back (In the Tall Grass).  I painted this one, a 9 x 12, at the start of this month.  It's been a long absence from posting, but I think over that period I've developed some confidence about my painting style that I attribute to time, practice, and a modicum of success when I needed a shot in the arm.  I feel really good about this one, and I want to keep it to remind me of where I want to be.  I hope you like it.

I hope to post more regularly going forward--many goals for the new year, and much to accomplish!  Thank you for following. :)

-julie davis

Three in A Row - Best of Show

Three in a Row - Best of Show

8 x 16 in., oil on panel

sold

This is my winning piece from KOPE (Kerrville Outdoor Painters' Event) in the hill country (October). (My apologies that it took me a month to post--between high school-age daughters, a new puppy, a cat we had to put down last week, Thanksgiving, the holiday show at Davis Gallery, and many other excuses, I haven't posted it and it's well overdue.

The judge for the event was Joe Anna Arnett- of the PBS series "Passport and Palette".  I was thrilled to win, and still am.  It validated a lot for me, and I'm excited going forward what that means for my confidence in my approach to my work in many ways.  

I've completed several new pieces (now a part of the Holiday Show at Davis Gallery) that I'll post over the next week or so.  The show is up through January 4, so please stop by and see it if you're in the Austin area - 827 W. 12th St.

-julie davis

End of the Line

End of the Line

8 x 16 in., oil on panel

nfs

On the second day of KOPE I painted at a farm that I'd been to last year--lots of goats roam freely on this one.  Unfortunately, goats aren't my subject of choice or I'd have been in heaven.  :)  There was, however, this old garage and shed behind it at the end of a drive with a little bridge leading up to them.  I found shade in a field under the hatchback of my car (is that even the right word anymore?) and painted among the goats.  I kept this format throughout the competition, and love the way it suited the landscape.

-julie davis

Ag Exempt

Ag Exempt

6 x 8 inches, oil on panel

sold

These are the kinds of scenes I fall in love with when I'm looking at art, but that I find frustrating to paint on a 6 x 8 panel--because brushstrokes are so small and restrained--and unforgiving.  The value in each spot has to be right--there is no fudging it.  I'm not saying I did things perfectly here, but I do like this piece a lot.  I'm working on a larger version in the studio.

-julie davis

The Grass Is Always Greener

The Grass Is Always Greener

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

The weather has been overcast and much cooler over the past few days in Austin--loving it, but as one who is known to light a fire in the summer :), I really have to acclimate before getting outside on these cold mornings!  The afternoons have been gorgeous, and we are thankful for a taste of fall.  

The grasses around here always lighten this time of year.  For the image above, I took my value study from late September and worked it into a more fall look than the "Study 3" I did that was a summer scene.

-julie davis

Third of Three

Study 3, Field

6 x 8 in., oil on panel

sold

This is the third and final of the last three posts on the same scene.  The others were different approaches at studying value and composition.  In this one, I relaxed and just painted.  Again, I really shouldn't post with photos that aren't up to par, but it's been a nutty week, and this is the best I'm going to get right now, so my apologies for the overexposure on the left side.  :)

-julie davis

Rural Sunset

Rural Sunset

9 x 12 in., oil on panel

sold

I've wanted to paint this since my last trip to Houston.  On the highway between here and there, I stopped and snapped some photos--the sky was beautiful and it was that time of day when everyone gets home from work and school, and families are together.  I loved all the "man-mades" in this--so descriptive of many homes around here and I'm sure, the country.

-julie davis