You Need a Break!

Busy?  Yeah, me too....swamped!!  Wrapping up Christmas commissions that have kept me busy for months.  Couldn't sleep last night worth a toot and am paying for it now.  Still have presents to buy and wrap, cookies to bake, grocery lists to make....you know the drill, right?  

But for just a minute, slow down.  Put down the list, the credit card, the scotch tape, the spatula and take a deep breath, and remember that all that *stuff* is just absolutely not Christmas.  

Remember the hymn...."It Came Upon the Midnight Clear".  One of my favorites because it could have been written this morning....verses 3 especially....

"O ye, beneath life's crushing load,

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way,

With painful steps and slow,

Look now, for glad and golden hours

Come swiftly on the wing,

O rest beside the weary road,

And hear the angels sing."

.....can you hear them?

Peace and love to you!

Santa's Helper

Hope Thanksgiving was wonderful for everyone!

I had such a fun time getting together with my family, watching great football and celebrating a great victory and shopping....now, ready to get back to work and help Santa with a lot of Christmas presents!

If you need a little help, too, I just wanted to remind you can purchase my paintings through my website, www.barbaradavisart.com, and also through these wonderful galleries:

Stonehenge Gallery /  Montgomery, AL

Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts/Museum Store /  Montgomery, AL

Littlehouse Galleries /  Birmingham, AL 

Renaissance Gallery /  Northport, AL

This time of year can get so crazy and busy.  As we enter December, I sincerely hope that all who read this have a wonderful time...a time of peace and joy and hope.

Time to treasure the moments that make a lifetime of memories.

Autumn Days

It's been a long time since I posted on my blog, but I'm back!

I've been painting, just really, really busy and not posting on the blog.  

Thank you to all who continued to look and check things out!  Re-committing to regular posting!

This collage is made up of some of my favorite fall-themed paintings.  I love everything about autumn and wish so badly we had a longer season down here in the South.  I try to cherish every day of it!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Day 28-29-30/30: Catching Up and Finishing Up!!!

Four Little Apples

Oil on Board

6"x6"

Color Block Apples I

Oil on Board

10"x10"

 

Color Block Apples II

Oil on Panel

10"x10"

 

Whew!  Done!  I was out of town and didn't have access to post these last paintings the past few days, so here's the caboose!  I started with apples and ended with apples.  I just love Carol Marine (who doesn't!?) and her apple paintings.  Seeing online how she has her workshop students take an apple and paint it in ten minutes over and over, I thought I would give it a go.  That's what I did for the "Four Little Apples" and then set up a few apple compositions to finish out my apple practice and the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.

 

So this weekend, I was in Bentonville, Arkansas and bought a bunch of apples fresh from the farm and can't wait to taste them.  I also was able to visit Crystal Bridges Museum again!  I NEVER get tired of it!  It is amazing!  Thankfully, my husband loves it, too!

 

Thank you all who have followed along and encouraged!



Day 26/30: Z is for Zinnias!

"Zesty Zinnias"

7"x5"

Oil on Board

$175

 

We made it to "Z" in the alphabet paintings! I'm so glad I thought of zinnias and wasn't stuck with zebra or zipper!!  I told my sister I think "Z" is going to stand for Zzzzzzz's so I can take a nice long nap to recover from the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge!  No time to rest, though!  I completed my alphabet series, but I still have 4 more paintings to complete the 30 days challenge. 

 

So, I going to count this little study of a zinnia (Painting #27) that I did before I painted the bunch of zinnias above!

"Pink Zinnia Study"

4"x4"

Oil on Board

 

To celebrate the end of the alphabet, I'm having a little contest.  The first person to go to my business page on Facebook - that's Barbara Davis Art - and tell me what I painted for the letter "P" will win this little pink zinnia study (Painting #27)!  It's thickly painted and wet right now, so it'll be a few days before I can deliver it or ship it, but good luck!

 

I also painted ahead a bit because I'll be away from the easel and hopefully will have Paintings #28, #29 & #30 complete before day's end!!

 

Thank you so much for looking and encouraging me and singing the ABC's with me! ;)

If you are interested in purchasing the bouquet of zinnias, please click here:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1276899/zesty-zinnias

Day 25/30: Y is for Yellow Fields of Yesteryear

"Yellow Fields of Yesteryear" *SOLD*

6"x6"

Oil on Board

$175

Today's painting is for "Y"...."Yellow Fields of Yesteryear".  I pulled on the huge collection of photos I have for this subject matter.  The reference photo was taken on a farm near Newnan, Georgia a few years ago in the beautiful springtime.  It was a very 'yellow' day...not just because of the yellow fields, but also the new growth on the trees was that bright yellow-green of early spring and the sun was shining so brightly. A happy memory! Yellow is a happy color!

We are getting very close to the end of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge and just one more day left in the alphabet series.  There were times when I didn't think I'd make it through!  The past few days, I've painted like a crazy lady...painting ahead a bit because I'll be away from the old easel for the last few days of the month.  I've actually done 30 already this month when you also count the wedding reception paintings I've completed.  I guess technically my goal has been met, but I didn't want to include the wedding paintings in the challenge. 

It has been great fun and a huge learning experience!

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click here:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1276265/yellow-fields-of-yesteryear

Day 24/30: X is for XP

"ChristchurchXP"

10"x10"

Oil on Board

$440

 

No x-rays or xylophones here to commemorate the letter "X" as I paint through the alphabet.  No, today I painted a beautiful church we have visited often with a great congregation, ChristchurchXP.

 

XP (or Chi Rho) is the "monogram", if you will, for Jesus Christ.  For a great explanation, I've copied this passage from the ChristchurchXP website:

 

What appears to be an “XP” in the Christchurch insignia is not something borrowed from the world of advertising. Its origin and significance is actually far older, nearly two thousand years older in fact.
It’s an early form of the CHI RHO, one of the very first monograms or symbols for Jesus Christ, used by believers as the Christian movement began to spread throughout the Roman Empire. The common language for most people then was Greek, so these two Greek letters became a recognizable symbol. The “X” is the Greek letter CHI (pronounced as the “K” sound, as in KIGH) and what looks like a “P” is the Greek letter RHO (the sign for “R” and pronounced ROE).
They comprised the first two letters of the word “Christos” or Christ, and became an abbreviated symbol for the faith. In a time when there was great risk in being identified as a Christian because of the early Church’s status as an illegal religion, knowing what the CHI RHO meant and using it was a life and death necessity in the Roman Empire. It became a secret password and sign for the early followers of Jesus, a covert means whereby believers could identify and communicate with each other without being found out.
The CHI RHO is an even older Christian symbol than the Cross, and was felt to be an appropriate symbol for Christchurch, where we are committed to upholding ancient Truth, as we offer what it has always promised: the hope of new life.

 

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." 

Revelation 22:13

Thank you for reading and looking.  If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click here to go to my website:

http://barbaradavis.fineartstudioonline.com/works/1274951/christchurchxp

 



Day 23/30: W is for Wild Women in the Wind at The Waters

"Wind and Water"

9"x12"

Oil on Panel

$440

 

Friday afternoon, I had the pleasure of getting together to paint with my artist friend, Durinda Cheek.  Durinda's work brings her to Montgomery on occasion and, when she was done for the day, we set out to do some plein air work.  I took her to one of my favorite spots....The Waters in Pike Road.  It is so beautiful and Friday was no exception.  Beautiful skies, nice temperatures in the shade, a good breeze.  Maybe using "wind" in the title was a stretch, but it WAS more than just a little breeze.  There was enough wind to toss the clouds around and make the moss move in the trees and enough for me to chase a paint-covered paper towel a little distance. 

 

Here's a photo of Durinda & our set ups:

 

So, since this one was painted ahead, I can start on X today!  Wondering what that will be?

 

See you tomorrow and thanks for looking!  If you are interested in purchasing this painting, you can click here:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1274045/wind-and-water

 

Day 22/30: V is for Veggies

"Veggie Pickers"

4"x 4"

Oil on Canvas

$100

 

Here is a little scene from one of my favorite places to paint...the Montgomery Curb Market...where you can find the freshest vegetables around!  You can find wonderful things all year long, but things really hop here in the summer months where we all go home with bags of corn, squash, tomatoes, peas, okra.  I usually go just with the intention of getting maybe peas and tomatoes, but walk out with enough to keep me cooking all weekend and eating all week!

 

So, I'm glad painting through the alphabet brings me to the letter "V" and gives me a chance to paint it again on the last day of summer....I think fall just started a few minutes ago actually!

 

Thank you for looking and if you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click here:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1273570/veggie-pickers

Day 21/30: U is for Umbrella

"Underneath the Umbrellas" *SOLD*

9"x12"

Oil on Board

$440

Unfortunately, these aren't the kind of umbrellas we need around here today as it is pouring rain, but that's okay because I've felt like I was in a sunny spot painting this!  I cherish the hours spent with just this view....the gulf, the white sand, people-watching....taking it all in until you start to doze, lulled by the sound of the waves.   Oh, I wish I was there right now!

Just a few more days left in the alphabet series and I have them all in my mind!  This has been a lot of fun and I'm so thankful for all of you who have looked at the paintings and commented.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click on this link:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1272536/underneath-the-umbrellas

Day 20/30: T is for Tootsie Pop

"Toot, Toot, Tootsie"

3"x5"

$100

Oil on Panel

 

Maybe you can tell from my paintings, but I love the classics....like Oreos, Cokes, hot dogs....not even so much for the taste, but for the constancy.  So here's another...the beloved Tootsie Pop.  I don't think it's changed in all these years other than a faint bar code of some sort printed on the stick which I don't remember noticing before! 

Want to see that old 1970's commercial for the Tootsie Pop that let us know "the world may never know" how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?  Here's a link to it on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2umsVDEmew

 

And, if you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click on this link to take you to my website and thanks for looking!

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1271697/toot-toot-tootsie

 

Day 19/30: S is for Sea & Sky

"Sea and Sky"

12"x12"

Oil on Panel

$500

 

Making progress on the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge!  I cannot believe we are already on day 19.  It'll be October before we know it!  September and October are my absolute favorite times to go to the beach.  The weather is perfect, it's not so crowded and the water is still warm.  Painting through the alphabet brings me to the letter 'S' today and a scene I've painted before so it's nice to be in my comfort zone.  My favorite thing to paint is the sky and though technically this is the Gulf of Mexico, I'll call it "the sea" today in the interest of the good old letter 'S'.  

 

Thank you for looking and if you are interested in purchasing this painting, please follow this link to my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1271127/sea-and-sky

 

 

Day 18/30: R is for Rosemary Reading....and an "All Things Southern" post

"Rosemary Reading" *SOLD*

8" x 8"

Oil on Board

Private Collection

As I thought about what to paint for "R", I remembered Karin Jurick's "reader" paintings and thought that might be fun to try - especially since we have in Montgomery one of the best bookstores in the state.  Capitol Book & News is a local treasure and always has been....

at least since 1950 when it opened!

So - tying in with my "All Things Southern" feature which I have posted on Wednesdays for the past few months, I thought it would be a great post to mention our Southern literary heritage.  William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Harper Lee, Margaret Mitchell, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Flannery O'Connor...and more and more and more Southern writers who have written classics.  Capitol Books & News is our go-to store for Southern literature and a whole lot more!

What happens when your family has one of the oldest, best bookstores in town?  You develop an early love of reading and an early knack for reading! I got to photograph this precious little reader yesterday at the bookstore in her "bookstore dress", as she called it, reading to her stuffed animal, Jelly Cat (hope I spelled Jelly Cat right!).

As always, thanks for looking!

Day 17/30: Q is for Quittin' Time!

"Quittin' Time"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

$175

 

Dedicated to clock-watchers everywhere...."Quittin' Time!" 

 As they say, it's 5:00 somewhere and in this little painting it's always 5:00!

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click this link to take you to my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1269127/quittin-time

Thanks for looking.....now you should probably get back to work! ;)

 

Day 16/30: P is for a Pair of Pears

"A Pair of Pears"

5"x7"

Oil on Board

$175

 

Here we are in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge at Letter "P" and I picked a pair of pretty pears to paint.  Okay...no more p's, I promise....I mean, I pledge.  Okay, maybe just probably no more p's.

 

As always, thanks for looking and if you are interested in purchasing....um, buying.... this painting....um, work of art.....please.....I mean, kindly.....click here:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1268465/a-pair-of-pears

 

 



Day 15/30: O is for Oreo

"Lunchbox Love" *SOLD*

4"x6"

Oil on Panel

$150

Oreos are very nostalgic to me.  My red plaid lunchbox that went with me to first grade usually had Oreos in it for dessert.  They were the after school snack at friends' houses and what we had with fruit punch at Vacation Bible School at mid-morning.  In this rapidly changing world, the few things that haven't changed tend to make me slow down a bit and comfort me and remind me of simpler days....even if sometimes it's just  a little cream-filled cookie.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click on this link to take you to my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1267397/lunchbox-love

Thank you for looking!

Day 14/30: N is for News

"Newsboy"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

NFS

 

I wish I had more time to work on this one today....but football games beckon, the dinner bell is about to ring....time to put the paintbrush down until tomorrow.  There's a lot I'd like to do with it, but at least I painted today, right??  So, this one is N for news....my sweet hubby reading the paper.  He does not like to model...

 



Day 13/30: M is for M&Ms!

"Mmmmmm!"  *SOLD*

6"x6"

Oil on Board

$175

We are now halfway through the series of alphabet paintings!  Today, for "M", I chose that good old classic: M&Ms!  These were really a lot of fun to paint and I'll probably do more.  Gives me a great excuse to stock up on M&Ms! 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click on this link to take you to my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1266052/mmmmmm

Day 12/30: L is for Leaf

"Indian Summer"

4"x6"

Oil on Panel

$150

 

Day 11 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days adventure and I'm on the letter "L" as I work my way through painting the alphabet... 

By mid-September I am completely ready for fall!  Two weeks ago, I didn't want summer to end.  I'm fickle. 

I really love Autumn and look for signs of it in early September.  The yellow butterflies appear, the daylight grows shorter, and the light takes on a slightly more golden cast especially in the afternoon.  My imagination takes over, however, when I look at the leaves. I imagine that these little guys aren't victims of the latest heatwave, but that they are 'autumn leaves'. 

I found this pretty golden leaf and decided to paint it for 'L'....an ode to Indian Summer as we transition into Autumn.

 

Have a wonderful day and thanks for looking!

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click this link to take you to my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1265273/indian-summer

 

 

Day 11/30: K is for Kisses

"Kiss Me Once and Kiss Me Twice and Kiss Me Once Again" *SOLD*

3" x 5"

Oil on Panel

$100

Day 11 of painting through the alphabet for the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge brings us to "K" and I chose kisses for today.  Don't they just make you happy?

They are always a challenge to paint for me because it's so tempting and easy to get bogged down in all the little folds of foil....and you just can't do it.  You have to simplify.  I think I could learn so much if I just painted one a day as an exercise.  That would give me a daily painting, a daily piece of chocolate and a daily kiss.  What else to you need?

Kisses to you today and thank you for looking!

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click on this link to take you to my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1264318/kiss-me-once-kiss-me-twice-kiss-me-once-again

Day 10/30: J is for Jar / All Things Southern

"Hope in a Jar"

8"x8"

Oil on Gesso Board

$300

 

If you follow my blog, you know that for the past few months every Wednesday I post a special "All Things Southern" Feature.  During the month of September, I've been participating in a 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge, so I've detoured a bit, but I'm making a slight effort to do something through the week that could be one of our Southern treasures.  The Mason jar certainly is!  Not only do some of the most loved Southern produce get put up in these for the winter, they double as tea glasses, flower vases, "spare change holders"....you name it!  So, that's why I've named it "Hope in a Jar".  I think of how it serves as a piggy bank for so many kids or how my grandmothers put up peas, preserves, relishes in them so we could enjoy them at Christmas. 

 

Now, if the point of this 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge is to make me stretch, then let me just say, "OUCH!"  I wiped this off three times before I finally decided I could go with it.  The thing is you have the ever-irritating ellipsis to deal with; the glass; the reflective surface of the lid; and the challenge to get it done quickly because it's a daily painting thing....not a weekly painting thing!

 

After painting melting ice cream yesterday and this jar today, I probably should have gone for the "30 Things You'll Probably Never Paint Again" Challenge!

 

As always, I thank you for looking and if you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click on this link to go to my website:
http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1263024/hope-in-a-jar

 



Day 9/30: I is for "I Scream"...uh, I mean "Ice Cream"

"I'm Melting!"

6"x4"

Oil on Board

$150

 

Ok, artist buddies: Want a little exercise in learning to paint faster?  Paint an ice cream cone under a hot lamp!  I knew it would have to move along quickly, so I started on the cone without the ice cream first and then popped the ice cream in and said, "GO!"  Well, it went!

 

So, I was torn between calling this one "Ice Cream" or "I Scream"...so I just settled on that old Wicked Witch of the West quote, "I'm Melting!"!

 

Get it now!  Limited edition!  It may be the ONLY ice cream I ever paint!

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click here on a link that will take you to my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1261893/im-melting

Thanks for looking!  I appreciate it!

 

Day 8/30: H is for Hot Dog!

"Hot Dog!"  *SOLD*

6"x6"

Oil on Gesso Board

$175

Hungry? ....ah...another "h' word!  Funny how the letter of the day pops up unexpectedly as I talk about the painting.  One week through the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge and here we are at the letter 'h'.  Today it stands for "Hot Dog!"

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please follow this link to my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1261182/hot-dog

Thanks so much for looking!  I appreciate you following along!

Day 7/30: G is for Golf and the Goofy Girl

"The Golfer"

7"x5"

Oil on Panel

$175

 

Knowing I wanted to paint a golfer for my "G" painting in the alphabet series, I set out to photograph a golfer this morning.  I live in a golf course neighborhood, so that should be easy, right? Hmmmm....how do I do this without unnerving the golfers.  I don't want to say, "Hey, guys, I'm a painter and I want to paint some golfers.  Do you mind if I take your picture?"  Not on a Saturday morning when all they want to do is think about their game, I'm sure.   Hmmmm...no, I'll just find some, get in a good spot, use my zoom lens and no one will be the wiser. 

So, I find the perfect little tucked away spot.  I've super zoomed and I'm taking pictures.  I hear a horn in the distance it seems as "Girl on Fire" blares on the radio.  I snap away.  I hear a horn again.  I snap away.  I turn and put my camera down and only then do I realize I've been blocking someone's driveway and they're trying to get out.  G stands for Good Grief....was I embarrassed.  I looked like a stalker or some girlfriend private investigator!

So, if you're in my neighborhood, please excuse me!  I'm not a freak....just a goofy girl with a zoom lens....gee.....

 

If you are interested in buying this painting of my latest victim, please click on the link below:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1260632/the-golfer

Thanks for looking!

Day 6/30: F is for Friends

"Friends"

8"x8"

Oil on Gesso Board

 

Painting through the alphabet has brought me to the letter "f" and this one is for friends!

Pictured here - my niece and her little friend.  They love each other like sisters, fight like sisters, play like sisters.  Maybe it's been a few days since they last saw each other, but they run to each other and hug as if it had been years when they meet again!  I love that they are holding hands and you can see it in the shadow that they cast.  They have been good models for me....except on Saturday.  They say,  "It's Saturday!  We CAN'T sit still on Saturday!" 

Love 'em!!

 

 

 

 

Day 5/30: E is for Egg

"I'm Broke"

6"x6"

Oil on Gesso Board   $175

 

Today, E almost stood for Empty Eggless Easel....Eyes glazed over, Eternally dissatisfied.  Arrrgggh!

 

This one was not easy.  I worked too long on it. I should have just tried to do it quickly and be done, but I'd take a photo and see something that was too dark or too light or too whatever and go back to the easel.  Finally, I think I'm okay with it.  Whew!

 

So now E stands for ...the End!

 

Thanks for looking and if you are interested in purchasing this painting, you can click on this link:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1259199/im-broke

Day 4/30: D is for Dog

"A Good Dog"

6" x 6"

Oil on Board

$175

 

This little fellow is Edgar.  One of the neat byproducts of plein air painting is meeting some really nice people while you're painting.  Now, you can also meet some real nuts, let me tell you, but this little guy's owner is a wonderful man who stopped by to see what I was painting a few years ago out on the beautiful grounds of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.  He asked if I painted pets and if he could commission me to paint Edgar.  Of course!  What a pretty and good dog!  Knowing I wanted to paint a dog for today's "D" painting, I went through my photos and there was little Edgar in the sunshine.  I hope he's doing well these days!

 

This post also doubles as my "All Things Southern" feature this week because the South is definitely a 'dog loving' region! 

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click on this link which will take you to the page on my website:  http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1258048/a-good-dog

Thanks for looking!!



Day 3/30: C is for Coffee *Sold*

"Wake Cup"

6"x6"

Oil on Gesso Board

*SOLD*

 

So many of my favorite things start with C:  clouds, Christmas, color, chocolate, camellias, chicken, cooking, cheese, children are some of them....and, of course, coffee!  Hard to choose, but I really do enjoy painting cups of coffee and so many of us can relate to the daily ritual that helps us get our bearings every morning.   I admit it, I'm addicted.  Are you?

I could paint another cup of coffee tomorrow for "D"...for 'divine' or 'devotion' or 'delicious' or 'drug'!

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, you can click here to go to my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1256869/wake-cup

Thanks for looking!

 

Day 2/30: B is for Baseball

"For the Boys of Summer" *SOLD*

6"x6"

Oil on Gesso Board   $175

This one I was scurrying to do this morning!  I had a lot of "B" words to choose from Because I'm Burning the candle at Both ends to get ready for our college Buddy and his Bride who are eating lunch with us!  So, I've also Been cleaning Bathrooms & Baseboards and Baking cornBread and Brownies and Barbecue (Baby Back ribs to Be exact) and Baked Beans!  I Better quit Beating around the Bush and say "Bye"....they'll Be here Before I know it!!

If you interested in purchasing this painting, please visit my website at this link:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1255972/for-the-boys-of-summer

Thank you!

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Round 2!! Day 1/30 "A is for Apple"

"A is for Apple"

6"x6"

Oil on Gesso Board

$175

 

Well, call me crazy, but I've taken on the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge (Round 2)!  Back in January, artist/blogger/blog talk radio host Leslie Saeta challenged artists everywhere to commit to painting 30 paintings in 30 days.  I did it then and it was great!  I was totally committed....even during a bad cold!  I was really proud of myself for seeing that through!

 

So, Leslie did it again.  She has challenged us for the month of September and I'm doing it.  It was a really good experience and I'm glad I did it.  I hope I can say the same at the end of September!  January is a lot slower paced than September.  I'm scared.

 

To give myself a plan, I've decided to work through the alphabet....a painting each day representing a letter....in order.  I know....that's only 26 paintings, but since I chose the alphabet as sort of a 'back to school' thing I thought I'd start with an apple and end with four paintings of an apple or apples. 

 

This apple is dedicated to all those teachers out there who are committed to their jobs and their students.  They work so hard and usually for so little.  God bless you and give you a wonderful school year filled with happy days, obedient children, thankful parents, coffee, chocolate and peaceful nights and weekends!

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click this link to take you to my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1255559/a-is-for-apple

Thank you for looking!

'All Things Southern' Feature: "Pigskin"

"Pigskin"

10" x 8"  Oil on Board

 

There may be a Southern states peach rivalry and a Southern states barbecue rivalry....

but NOTHING compares to the Football Rivalry.

I capitalize it because it deserves it.

I know it's intense across the Southeast, but I've only lived in Alabama.  I can only truly speak for Alabama, but I think it's pretty well understood that there is no other rivalry quite like

Alabama and Auburn football.

It goes on all year, of course, but this weekend is BIG!  This little pigskin becomes all important this Saturday and it won't stop for quite a while.  Oh, who am I kidding?  It never stops!!

However, I'll stop now because I'll just get in trouble if I keep typing. 

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click this link to go to my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1252417/pigskin

....and thanks, as always, for looking and reading!

 

 

 

 

'All Things Southern' Feature: "Just Peachy"

"Just Peachy"

16"x12"

Oil on Panel

 

What do peaches & barbecue have in common?  Rivalry!  (Oh, yeah, and they're both delicious!)

Just say your state has the best and watch it fly!

 

So, we all know Georgia is the Peach State and in Atlanta on New Year's Eve "The Peach Drop" rings in the new year.  Did you know South Carolina - according to an article I read - is nudging Georgia out in peach production?  Here in Alabama our claim to "peach fame" resides in Chilton County.  Stop by Durbin Farms or Peach Park on your way up or down I-65 and grab a basket...or a peach milkshake!

 

We just love them down here....peach cobbler, peach ice cream or sliced and tossed in a salad.  Then there's the peach festival where Miss Peach is crowned, and Miss Junior Peach, and Little Miss Peach, and Real Little Miss Peach....and... 

 

I find them really hard to paint because the skin is sort of mottled and ranges from yellow-green, to bright yellow, to orange, to reddish-pink, to purply (Purply is too a word!)  Then you also have the 'peach fuzz' issue which gives a lavender gray highlight to some areas.  If you put too much highlight they can look glossy like an apple and then, boom, you've lost your peach.  It's been a subject for many artists including some of my favorites Pierre Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, and Van Gogh.  Sure would have been nice to run into one of these guys at Peach Park so I could ask them how they handled it! :)

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click here for information:
http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1247065/just-peachy
Thanks for looking!

'All Things Southern' Feature: "Southern Sip"

"Southern Sip"

12" x 4"

Oil on Canvas

 

So here's the deal.....we don't call it "soda"; we don't call it "pop"; we don't call it "soda pop"....we call it "Coke".  Well, we actually call 'them' "Coke".  If you're asked to bring the cokes to a picnic, you better ask what kind because that could be Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, Sprite, Mountain Dew, whatever.  See, they all fall into the subset of "cokes".  "Coke" doesn't always just mean 'big daddy Coke' aka "The Real Thing" which is often referred to as "Co-Cola", but could be any of these tasty beverages.....which, interestingly, have mostly been invented in the South! (How's that for a long sentence?)

Coke - invented in Atlanta, Georgia

Dr. Pepper - invented in Waco, Texas

Pepsi - invented in New Bern, North Carolina

RC Cola - invented in Columbus, Georgia

Mountain Dew - invented in Knoxville, Tennessee

 Pretty cool, huh?

Thirsty now?

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click on this link which will take you to my website:

 http://barbaradavis.fineartstudioonline.com/works/1241446/southern-sip

Thanks for looking!

'All Things Southern' Feature: "Marsh Twilight"

"MarshTwilight"

11"x14"

Oil on Board

 

The marshes of Georgia and South Carolina have to be one of my favorite things about the South.  The winding waterways make lovely compositions for paintings and the light on the changing grasses is breathtaking! 

 

I graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery.  The school was named for Sidney Lanier, the poet who wrote "The Marshes of Glynn" about the marshes of Glynn County, Georgia.  An excerpt of his beautiful poem follows:

 

And the sea lends large, as the marsh: lo, out of his plenty the sea

Pours fast: full soon the time of the flood-tide must be:

Look how the grace of the sea doth go

About and about through the intricate channels that flow

        Here and there,

                        Everywhere,

Till his waters have flooded the uttermost creeks and the low-lying lanes,

And the marsh is meshed with a million veins,

That like as with rosy and silvery essences flow

  In the rose-and-silver evening glow.

                        Farewell, my lord Sun!

The creeks overflow: a thousand rivulets run

'Twixt the roots of the sod; the blades of the marsh-grass stir;

Passeth a hurrying sound of wings that westward whirr;

Passeth, and all is still; and the currents cease to run;

And the sea and the marsh are one. .......

And I would I could know what swimmeth below when the tide comes in

On the length and the breadth of the marvellous marshes of Glynn.

So, can you see why I'm proud to be a "Sidney Lanier Poet" and a Southern girl? 

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click here on a link that will take you to my website:  http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1235296/twilight-marsh

 



 

'All Things Southern' Feature: "Feels Like Home"

"Feels Like Home" 

20" x 30"

Oil on Canvas

 

The past week has been an incredible week of reunions...some planned, some not.  The arrival of a sorority sister from France was the catalyst for an impromptu luncheon reuniting a group of Alpha Gamma Delta sisters last Monday.  On Saturday, my sister and all of her kids and grandchildren were in town for the first time in years for a visit and it was a gathering of every single one of us except for one nephew and my father who is in a nursing home.  Tomorrow a second cousin is coming through town and I hope to see him, too!  Unprecedented! 

 

So that brings me to this piece which I've been painting on for the past few days (maybe I'm through with it; maybe not!).  I was thinking about all of them as I painted.  I wanted to capture the familiar moss and red clay roads of the South, but as I painted I began to think of their trip here.  My niece posted on Facebook as they drove home, "Sweet Home Alabama....the air even smells lovely!" 

 

So this one's for you, my dear family and friends, who live farther away than we would like. 

I hope you can look at it and it will take you down that red dirt road, past moss-laden trees,

toward the sun, toward home. 

'All Things Southern' Feature: "Light on the Lane"

"Light on the Lane"

8"x8"

Oil on Board

 

I've been working furiously on a project for the past couple of weeks.  (I can't wait till it's time to 'reveal' the paintings!)  Couple that work with the constant rain we've had and I haven't been able to get outside and paint like I want to.  I mean, it's rained every single day since about July 3...sometimes showers, sometimes torrential downpours and yesterday outright destruction. 

Trees down, power lines down, houses struck by lightning....what's a plein air artist to do? 

 Batten the hatches and paint inside! 

 

This one features a familiar spring scene in the South which is sort of a carry-over from last week's post.  Our tall pine trees make the perfect, filtered-light/shade for our beautiful azaleas to flourish.  Azaleas are seen everywhere in the spring from about late March to the middle of April...from the manicured landscapes that golf lovers see during The Masters in Augusta, Georgia, to gorgeous Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia, to the Azalea Trail in Mobile, Alabama. 

That's just to name a few! 

 

It was pouring rain when I started typing this....the sun is out now,

but odds are it'll be raining again in just a little while.  Yes, humidity, is a part of the South that I may never be able to capture on canvas unless, of course, I paint the way my hair looks! 

It's like living in a jungle lately, so for now I'll just paint inside and enjoy my "Light on the Lane"!

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please visit my website:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1224723/light-on-the-lane

Thanks for looking!

'All Things Southern' Feature: "Lake & Pines"

"Lake & Pines"

14"x11"

 

 

Most Southerners are outdoors sort of people, I think.  Fishermen, hunters, gardeners....and don't forget those plein air painters.  There are quite a few of us out there, too! 

 

The lakes really are a part of our outdoors lifestyle....partly because it's so hot and partly because it's so mild the rest of the year that we can just stay outside most of the time!  Well, pines are a big part of the landscape, too.  The tall, stately longleaf pine is the state tree for Alabama and North Carolina and provides the perfect amount of shade for our azalea and hydrangea bushes to flourish.  We decorate with pine cones from autumn through Christmas and mulch our gardens with pine straw. 

As an artist, I'm most thankful probably for the turpentine!

 

...and I only realized when doing this post, the words 'lake' and 'pine' are

in most every street name in the vicinity of my house....a great duo!

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please visit my website at this link:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1218828/lake-and-pines

Thanks for looking! 

'All Things Southern' Feature: "Castle Foundations"

"Castle Foundations"

20" x 24"

Oil on Canvas

 

Shhhh!  Don't tell anyone!  You don't have to go out of the country to find most beautiful beaches in the world.  I just don't want it to get too crowded, so don't tell anyone!  It's been called "The Emerald Coast" because of it's amazing blue-green-turquoise-aqua clear waters; "The Miracle Strip" because, well, can the sand be any whiter?  Also, called "The Redneck Riviera" because it's our little paradise in the Deep South.  From the coast of Alabama through the panhandle of Florida, this area on the Gulf of Mexico is the gathering place for people across our region and a bunch of snowbirds, too! 

 

It's where memories are made....with your family when you're building sandcastles and playing with boogie boards, with your buddies in high school and college.  Then the circle comes back around and you're introducing the little ones in your family to that strip of shoreline that is

a tonic to the work-weary soul.....it doesn't get much better!

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please visit my website at this link:

http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1193740

Thanks for looking!

'All Things Southern' Feature: "Barefoot Beauty"

Private Collection

30"x24"

 

One thing about the South (or just Montgomery....see 2nd paragraph!) that always seems to be a mystery to those outside the South/Montgomery (and maybe a mystery to some of us, too) is why the children are always barefoot.  Unless it is really cold...and I mean, REALLY cold.....kids are usually shoeless.  In their Sunday best.....shoeless.   In weddings.....shoeless.  I LOVE IT! 

Heirloom sewing (another Southern tradition altogether) and sweet feet complement each other beautifully and make a great portrait!

 

Maybe the heat's the reason.  I mean, it's just too hot to be comfortable in shoes most of the time! But....my mother tells about our pediatrician who years ago always recommended that children go without shoes for their good health.  Maybe then all the mothers, upon seeing how adorable the kids are without shoes, just left them in the closet until absolutely necessary.  After searching the internet, it appears this may just be a Montgomery, Alabama thing! 

I'd love to hear your town's story if you have one! 

 

My latest portrait....my sweet little neighbors!  My studio is near an entrance to their house and I paint by the window, so these sweethearts got to see their portrait being painted.  I love hearing, "Hey, Mrs. Barbara!" at the window and see them waving and on tiptoes (little bare tiptoes!) to see what I'm painting! 

 

'All Things Southern' Feature: "A Couple of Tomatoes"

"A Couple of Tomatoes"

12"x16"

Oil on Panel

 

Country living in the city!  Thank the Lord for the curb market!

  The nearby farmers make sure there's plenty to choose from all year long, but in the summer - oh, in the summer! - we have tomatoes, squash, peas, okra, corn, watermelon, peaches....need I go on?  All the fixin's for the best meal imaginable! 

We load up on Saturday morning and enjoy it all on Sunday afternoon!

 

In the fall, you'll find the best pumpkins and pecans here!

At Christmastime, the whole place is filled with the smell of evergreens and kindling.  Oh, and don't forget to pick some homemade divinity or a red velvet cake!

Strawberries and daffodils are my spring favorites!

 

I went there with my grandmother and grandfather when I was just a little girl

and it hasn't changed much in all this time. 

Again, it's that connection to the land.  It is handed to us even in the middle of downtown.

 

As far as art goes, our Montgomery Curb Market is one of my favorite subjects to paint.  The textures and colors and the figures all are so interesting to me.  There's a challenge with the light spilling into the building from all sides, but a challenge I enjoy!

 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please visit my website at this link: http://barbaradavis.fineartstudioonline.com/works/1204030/couple-of-tomatoes