Study 4 and hazards of plein air painting

Study 4 "Before", 6 x 8 in.

Christensen Workshop

Tuesday evening after class, several of us went out to paint in an aspen grove--to study what we'd be painting the next day. I did two small studies--I was pretty happy with this one--a little foreshadowing. The next morning we were painting in the same spot, so I had it out for reference--on the ground behind me against my backpack--admittedly not the best spot! As I put the last mark--literally--on my morning study, I backed up to look at it, and yep.....stepped right in the center of my happy little study! :

"After," 6 x 8 in.

Needless to say, I spent the next forty-five minutes in repair mode! (Lesson: never get too happy with something because it can disappear in an instant!!) It did have a nice abstract quality to it....

-julie davis

Study 3

Study 3, 6 x 8 in.

Oh the poor photography! This little study was the first I did yesterday, and I got the mountain plane value too dark--a combination of bright sun and inexperience painting mountains....

Today we spent the day indoors sketching and studying composition, while Scott did a demo in the afternoon. And did I mention it poured most of the day? By 4:00 though, it was sunny and cool, and several of us headed for an aspen grove to paint.

-julie davis

Study 2

Study 2, 8 x 6 in.

Yesterday we watched Scott do a large demo--actually, he worked on two large pieces, so we didn't paint until late--and on our own time. We'll just say that after two days of taking in information and trying to process it all, the painting I did was an odd combination of everything I'd been hearing mixed up and spat upon a canvas. I lost me in there somewhere, but thankfully, today I came back, having distilled some of what I'm learning.

This is the second study I did today--I would've posted them in chronological order, but this one was in front in my little stand and I'm hurrying to meet new friends for dinner! I'm loving these trees--all of them--the pines, the cottonwood, the aspens....but I love darks, and I had a ball with this.

You might check out Scott's studio blog, a thoughtfully written and full-of-good-insights weekly post called "Flow," written by one of Scott's right hands, Kathy--you'll see me painting. :)

-julie davis

Workshop Sketches

Sketches from the workshop

Today was a pretty intense day of lecture and learning--no painting--but all worth it and valuable. We worked a good bit on composition--these are a couple from class and a couple I did after. Again, apologies for the odd photo angles and poor quality....as I look back if you look at the first sketch just the right way, the shaded mountain in the back resembles a wooden roller coaster....hmm......

-julie davis

Study 1

Study 1, 8 x 6 in.

After a long and necessary absence from blogging (end of school, family vacation), I'm happily attending Scott Christensen's July workshop in Idaho and posting again. Today was the first day of the workshop, and I'm taking it all in. We had a little time this afternoon to do a quick study and try out what we're learning. I've included a photograph of the view I chose. Sorry for the poor photo of my work--hotel room photography--have to find a better setup!

-julie davis

Tuscany

Sketches in Tuscany

Blogging while traveling isn't something I've mastered. Today, though, I've posted a thumbnail sketch I made in Tuscany, where we've been fortunate enough to be for a bit. I know I say nothing new when I describe the area as beautiful in every direction, but truly, there is a painting in every direction. While we're busy touring, I'm finding some time in the late afternoons to sketch, and am taking loads of photographs. Sorry for the lack of paintings lately, but the sketches will have to do for a while.

-julie

Shoulder to Shoulder

Shoulder to Shoulder, 6 x 8 in.
nfs

These peaches were smaller than we're used to here in the Hill Country--these are from California.....hmm..... They sure made a delicious snack after they posed for me here, though. My youngest and I enjoyed them with a bit of sugar on top today. I like the way these came out even better than the last post.

-julie davis

Still Life Studies

Pear and Apple, 6 x 8 in.

Continuing with my still life studies, I painted this study alongside my favorite 7 year-old nephew and my brother (!) who were painting Pokemon and a landscape, respectively. What can be more fun than painting alongside your family?! I loosened up a bit more than usual I think, and I like the results.

-julie davis

Tom Miller Dam

Tom Miller Dam, 9 x 12 in.

sold

Today I had the good fortune to go out painting with my good friend, Laurel Daniel. Both our schedules are nuts right now, but we managed to find a cool spot for a quick painting under the Red Bud Trail bridge (unbelievably, the high in Austin today was 100, so we were fortunate to be out early). I hadn't painted the dam before, though many times I've painted looking the opposite direction, down river. This dam was completed in 1940, after two other dams had proved incapable of holding the floods the Colorado River can produce. It's a sight I pass frequently, as I cross the bridge countless times each week.

(the painted sign reads: DANGER Automatic turbine action may release swift water any time without warning....no access beyond cable at all times).

-julie davis

Accepted

Accepted, 6 x 8 in.

The pear, that is, is accepted by the cherries.... It's been quite fun working with so much red lately, though after painting this one, I think the way in which I've handled this lighter background doesn't adequately balance the impact of such a vivid color. I'll keep moving forward on my experimentation....

-julie davis

Comfortable

Comfortable, 6 x 8 in.

Playing with greens and reds together in this one. I've got to work on getting better lighting for my still life set ups--I have light coming from several directions where I paint them, and haven't developed a good way to limit it to one yet, since I rarely painting still lifes.

-julie davis

Steadfast

Steadfast, 6 x 8 in.

And she liked it. My friend, from yesterday's post. :)

It's kind of fun doing some still lifes after working so intensely on landscape as the subject matter for the Davis Gallery show. It really allows one the time to carefully examine a form, much like the trees I so enjoy studying (except this fruit is much smaller, and the light on a still life doesn't change!)

-julie davis

Close

Close, 6 x 8 in.

I have a very dear friend to whom I owe some time--if she's reading this today, she'll know I'm talking to her. So, pal, what do you think of this one? :)

-julie davis

New Sweden Church

New Sweden Church, 8 x 6 in.

sold

New Sweden Evangelical Lutheran Church (completed in 1923) sits just Northeast of Manor, Texas, which is just Northeast of Austin. I was fortunate enough to be able to join my Plein Air Austin painting friends today to paint there. This copper steeple rises 104 feet, and can be seen for quite a long distance. I was impressed by how beautiful the countryside is out there--I'll be back there for sure!

-julie davis

Light Snow, revisited

Light Snow, 12 x 16in.

sold

This is the last painting I'll post from my current show at Davis Gallery here in Austin, and a tribute to the cold snap we've gotten here in Austin in the last 24 hours. The show ends this Saturday, May 7th, so if you're in Austin and haven't had a chance to go by, please do!

Some of you will recognize this as a larger version of the study I did back in early February. I loved painting the snow so much I immediately went for a bigger one that same day. It's available at the gallery.

One last thing: my apologies for the infrequency of my posts lately. We've had the majority of the interior of our house repainted over the last three weeks, and while the painters have done a tremendous job of minimizing the disruption, our house has been a bit topsy-turvy, and my studio is no exception. I hoped to be outside this week, but now we're finally getting much-needed rain, and it's 50 degrees F on top of that! Soon I will have my postings daily again.

-julie davis

Courtyard Fern

Courtyard Fern, 6 x 8 in.

I worked with a really muted palette today--partly due to subject matter, partly for fun (yes, muted is fun for me....). This asparagus fern sits in the courtyard of our home, and has just been reborn after freezing this winter.

-julie davis

Mid-day Graze

Mid-day Graze, 5 x 7in.

donation to Arthouse 5 x 7 Art Splurge, Austin

Coming back to painting even after a short break, I realize that I will tend to use more palette knife to bring a painting to completion. On something like this, it doesn't take much, but I really love what it adds.

Before I was a painter (four short years ago), the very loose, "edgy" paintings where the brushstrokes were obvious and lush were the ones to which I was attracted. Learning the process of painting and everything that goes along with it takes so much effort, that finely tuning what one truly loves about a result takes a bit to happen. All this to say, I think I'm getting closer....

-julie davis

Late Afternoon

Late Afternoon, 5 x 7 in.

donation to Arthouse 5 x 7 Art Splurge

Oh, for some rain! It seems as if every other year we have too much, and every other, too little. This field should be ripe with wildflowers and green, but the majority is still brown. We're hoping for some rain this weekend, just in time for Easter and all of it's outdoor activities. But I'm not going to complain. :)

It's so good to be back at the canvas again after a couple of weeks gathering my thoughts and energy post-show. It's interesting what a little time away does, good and bad. I feel a bit rusty, but coming back after a break seems to set me on a new and often more focused course each time.

-julie davis

Oak Alliance

Oak Alliance, 9 x 12 in.

If you've followed for the last month or two, you may notice that this is a little bit larger and slightly different version of "Early Morning Oaks," posted on February 16th. I changed the sky to work in the clouds, which altered the entire time of day / mood of the scene. Both of them appeal to me, but I did have more fun with the brushwork in this one.

-julie davis

Guadalupe Fenceline and Show Photos(!)

Guadalupe Fenceline, 9 x 12 in.

sold

A huge THANK YOU to all of you who came to the opening at Davis gallery last night! We had a huge turnout, and many paintings found new homes, including this one of the treeline on our property in Hunt. I'm still grinning! Bill Davis and his staff handled the opening so well--the work is beautifully put together, and I hope if you weren't able to stop by last night, that you'll come by this month. It's all up through May 7th.

You asked, so I've included a few photos from the show below. My dedicated and ever-supportive husband, Ben, took all of these pictures but the first; a big thank you, love.

Stephen, me, Laurel

friends, and...

family :)

-julie davis

Trail at Lost Creek

Trail at Lost Creek, 12 x 16 in.

sold

Austin has many preserved green spaces--greenbelts, and there are so many wonderful walking/running trails that wind through them. This one follows a small cliff for a while and is so peaceful--it can make me feel instantly like I'm out of the city.

-julie davis

River Valley Elms

River Valley Elms, 16 x 20 in.

donation to ARC of the Capital art auction

The weekend is approaching, and I'm getting excited about the opening at Davis Gallery this Saturday night. I stopped by the gallery yesterday with a friend and saw it all up, and I have to say-- it looks amazing!! Bill Davis (I keep saying no relation--but really--no relation!) has done a beautiful job of hanging the work so that the pieces compliment one another and the show really flows.

The two other artists in the show, my good friends Laurel Daniel and Stephen Parker, have pulled off tremendous bodies of work. If you're in the Austin area, I hope you'll have theopportunity stop in and see it. Kudos to Bill Davis and Laurel and Stephen--see you Saturday!

-julie davis

Old Farmhouse

Old Farmhouse, 9 x 12 in.

sold

The thing that charmed me about this old farmhouse was its cloak of trees. The house stood safely tucked behind them, but kept enough distance to allow sunlight to shine across the front yard. This piece is at Davis Gallery in this month's show.

-julie davis

Granbury Barn

Granbury Barn, 9 x 12 in.

sold

This is another preview piece from the Davis Gallery show. I used a plein air piece I did while on a Plein Air Austin trip to Granbury as reference, but took some liberty to add interest to the foreground and trees.

-julie davis

Still Waters

Still Waters, 12 x 9 in.
sold

This is another piece that I've prepared for the show at Davis Gallery here in Austin. It's a scene from one of my favorite places: Watercolor, Florida. Some of the most peaceful, reflective times I've had while painting have been there. I also love the simplicity of the palette I used in this piece--the grayed tones appeal to me and really describe this particular day.

*please come by and see the show if you're in Austin--it runs April 2 through May 7, and the opening is April 9th from 7-9 p.m. Here's a link to Davis Gallery.

-julie davis

The Guardians

The Guardians, 16 x 20 in.

sold

Here is another preview of the work in my upcoming show. This one was done from a small plein air study I did while in Hunt. The small farmhouse sits just off FM 1340, and I thought this particular angle makes it look as if these trees are watching over the property.

-julie davis

Horse Country

Horse Country, 9 x 12 in.

Finally I'm back in the saddle, to use a pretty obvious pun here. :) Our kids have been on Spring Break, and are now all back in school. Though I'm in the middle of framing for the upcoming show, I'm at least able to post again, and will show you a preview of some of the pieces that will be in it.

This is the color version of a value study I posted a while back. These trailers sit quite often on the Camp Waldemar property in Hunt, though they seem to be arranged in a different order each time we pass. :)

-julie davis

Daybreak's Solitude

Daybreak's Solitude, 12 x 16in.

Here is a larger version of my last post. I changed the tree-line from the study to make it less uniform, and made some other alterations in color and composition. This one is in the Davis Gallery (no relation) show in April. Please stop by for the opening on April 9 from 7-9p.m. if you have the chance!

-julie davis

Inlet on the Lake

Inlet on the Lake, 6 x 8in

The spot we love in Florida has a beautiful lake (Western Lake) that has numerous inlets, piers, and bridges. I love painting there when we go. This is one view off the pier from which I paint most often. In the morning before the sun is fully up it's truly serene.

-julie davis

Watercolor, FL- study

Watercolor, FL study, 6 x 8in.

I painted this study a few weeks ago. The Watercolor area in Florida is one of my favorite places to paint--there are compositions everywhere, and the morning light is gorgeous. It was an overcast day when I took the photo I worked from for this, so the idea here was relatively close values, lots of grays. I worked up a larger one in a vertical format last week. This particular study was a pretty hasty one, thus the simple masses and general roughness.

-julie davis