The Meadows by Julie Davis
8 x 10 in.
oil on panel
$950
Available through Mockingbird Gallery, Bend, Oregon
Austin-based artist Julie Davis sometimes thinks of herself as a portrait artist, though the subjects of all of her oil paintings are landscapes. The individual expressions of trees and the curious lines of long-forgotten structures draw Julie Davis outdoors to paint. “Our experiences with the landscape are as unique as each of us. When I go outside with my plein air bag, I’m looking for subjects that draw an emotional response from me. I try to then build a painting that communicates both my reverence for and my expression of that particular place. The land always has a story to tell, and there is beauty in that. I do my best to understand the story within every subject I paint.”
Her love of the landscape leads Davis to paint more than the area that she calls home. This summer, she spent the months of July and September in Colorado and Wyoming, respectively. Last fall, she painted rooftops in New York for two months. “I can find inspiration almost anywhere. Our world is amazing place, and painting is the best way I know how to express my appreciation for it.”
Davis was born in Galveston, Texas, and was raised in towns across West Texas from El Paso to Abilene. She earned degrees from Baylor University in education and law. In 2007, she had the opportunity to satisfy her lifelong curiosity to study oil painting, and quickly learned that it brought all of her interests and skills together. Her adoration of the outdoors, drawing, photography, writing, even law – all of it had a place in painting.
This merging of skills is reflected in Davis’s approach to painting outdoors, which is one of “information gathering.” Her goal is not necessarily to come away with a completed painting, rather it is to learn what she can about a place through observation, sketching, photographs, and color studies. She then translates her impression of a place into a plein air piece or into the foundation for a studio painting, like The Meadows.
A member of Oil Painters of America, the American Impressionist Society, and American Women Artists, Davis’ work is consistently juried into OPA, AIS and AWA national shows, and has been recognized in numerous online competitions. Her plein air work recently earned Best in Show in the 2019 American Impressionist Society All-Member Central Park Paint Out in New York. She was featured in the June-July 2020 issue of PleinAir Magazine and the Artists to Watch section of Southwest Art Magazine’s September 2017 issue. Davis will have a piece in the American Impressionist Society’s 21st Annual National Juried Exhibition this month at Illume Gallery of Fine Art in St. George, Utah.
Gallery Representation
Davis Gallery, Austin, Texas
Gallery 330, Fredericksburg, Texas
Mockingbird Gallery, Bend, Oregon
View more of Julie’s work on her website, connect with her via email, and follow her on Instagram @juliedavisstudio.
