Thursday, May 15, 2014

Primaries & The Blue Plate


I've been working furiously on a steady stream of commissions.  I am very thankful for the work, but yesterday I was just about to bust to paint simply for painting's sake! 

I've been watching my hydrangeas for weeks observing the growth of the pale green buds, counting them to see just how many big beautiful lavender blue blossoms would soon be ready to arrange and paint!  Then, well, disaster struck in flower-land.  We had the house washed Tuesday morning and the chemicals from that damaged those beautiful buds and turned them an ugly brown.  So yesterday, dodging raindrops which I hope rinsed & refreshed them enough to revive them, I picked the two that were in bloom with only brown tinged petals and they become my subject for the the painting in the upper right hand corner.  

I added my favorite blue and white plate to the mix as I have on a couple of other paintings this spring & realized that I had a pretty nice grouping of the primary colors!  

"Something Blue"
12"x12"
Oil

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

Thank you, as always, for looking!

Sunday, March 30, 2014

"Sunday"

"Sunday
16"x12"
Oil on Linen

Working still today on loosening up, leaving things alone, not losing the sketchy quality that I love while still refining things that I want to....it's a narrow little road to walk on. Today, though, I was also painting with someone in mind.  The birthday boy....Vincent Van Gogh.  Yes, if he was still with us, he'd be 161 today, March 30.  So many things he taught us artists - living with rejection, with no sales, lack of respect, but also with great joy, a love of color, a love of nature, love of creating!  
I love his story because of his great passion in spite of his circumstances!

"I would rather die of passion than of boredom!" 
- Vincent Van Gogh






Friday, March 28, 2014

Springing Back to the Blog!

It's been awhile since my last post.
(I wonder how many other blog posts begin like that!)
I've neglected it, I know.  Sometimes I think I'm the only one reading it! LOL!  
Okay, enough of that!  

Here's what I've been working on this week: loosening up!
I bought some beautiful red geraniums...well, not red exactly, 
but that gorgeous "straight-from-the-tube-cadmium-red" variety. 
My challenge was also to not make it too "straight-from-the-tube-cadmium-red", you know?

So, here was the first one.  A little on the tight side, huh?


...and here was the second one.  Closer to what I was aiming for.



...here's the latest one.  Getting closer and I'm really starting to l.o.v.e. painting this geranium.  
I think painting the same thing multiple times is a great way to learn.
So, there will be more!  Added bonus....they look really good in my neutral colored kitchen! :)

Thank for reading and looking!



Friday, February 21, 2014

Before the Spring

"Before the Spring"
18"x18"
Oil on Canvas

Between Valentines Day and spring on the horizon I have been provided lots of beautiful flowers to paint. Whenever I have fresh flowers on hand, I like to paint them and paint them until they are just falling apart, so lately it's been white roses and coral tulips over and over!  Tulips, as you know, have this neat little thing they do....they move all day long.  They open and close and they droop down and perk back up and keep the painter guessing what they'll do next.  I tolerated their bad behavior, though, because they're just so pretty and cheerful and make me think spring is closer than it probably is.  I love them for that.

Thank you, as always, for looking!
If you are interested in this painting, please click this link to take you to my website:

Monday, January 27, 2014

New Work to Stonehenge & Snow!

"High Overhead"
18"x18"
$750 - unframed

This is a piece among several that I plan to deliver to Stonehenge Gallery tomorrow. 
I will be braving a blizzard to deliver these!  That's right, it's going to SNOW - maybe 3 inches - right here in Montgomery!  I can't believe it!  
Don't laugh, my friends from the frozen northland.  
We are under a Winter Storm Warning and I really don't even know what that is!

It's been quite awhile since we've seen the stuff and hopefully I'll be able to paint it.  I've always wanted to.  I love those scenes where the evening sun is on a snowy field and I don't think that's going to happen, 
BUT I'll be ready!!

So, if you're not exactly crazy about snow, then enjoy this painting.  I hope it makes you all warm & cozy!

As always, thanks for looking!
If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click here for information and contact info for Stonehenge Gallery:




Thursday, January 23, 2014

TedX - Arts Collaboration


First, I want to explain why my 30 Paintings in 30 Days have ceased.  Along about Day 15, I just felt deep in my heart that I should work on some bigger pieces and really focus my full attention on them.  So, I stopped at that point and have completed two and a half larger pieces!  Still painting all day, every day, but not on the 30/30 track!  Sorry for stopping, but I know you understand!

Second, I didn't want my head to hit the pillow tonight without blogging about the tonight's TedX River Region event held at Alabama State University!  The Montgomery Art Guild was asked to participate in this event last fall and we chose to honor four individuals in our area who are committed to the arts, who teach and inspire and encourage.  Linda Capelluzzo, publicity chairman of the Montgomery Art Guild, worked hard to organize this production and was the presenter tonight.  

Four artists painted a 4'x4' portrait in 4 hours and the entire process was captured on video and shown time-lapsed as the presentation was made about the importance of arts education and biographies of each of these individuals.  I was delighted to paint the bottom left hand painting of Kitty Seale with the Alabama Dance Theatre; Barrett Bailey painted the bottom right panel of musician Randy Foster; Marguerite Edwards painted the upper right painting of Tara Sartorius, a wonderful artist and educator; and Kellie Newsome painted the portrait in the upper left hand corner of Greta Lambert of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival! 

After editing, the presentation will be on YouTube and I can't wait to see it again! Isn't it cool how they all fit together?!  As you can see, we each had a 'main character' and a bit of another's face and an element reflecting one of the arts.  
It was really amazing to see it all come together and we loved honoring these great people!

Left to right: Barbara Davis, Marguerite Edwards, Barrett Bailey, Kellie Newsome
(In painting - clockwise from upper left - Greta Lambert, Tara Sartorius, Randy Foster, Kitty Seale)

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Painting 15/30: "Sola"

"Sola"
14"x11"
Oil on Panel
$500

This is the completed demo I did yesterday for the Ft. Deposit, Alabama arts group, so that's why it's so similar to yesterday's painting which was a warm up before I headed out to meet them. 

The huge single cloud, the open space, just makes me feel quiet and peacefully alone....so 'Sola' seemed a good title for this piece.  I do love every season (and every year I try hard to love winter a little bit more!), but I am really looking forward to the reappearance of cumulus clouds.  
One of my favorite things to paint, I miss them!

Thanks for looking!
If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click this link:

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Painting 14/30: "Stretching"

"Stretching"
6"x4"
Oil on Panel
$150

I did this small painting to warm up before heading to Ft. Deposit, Alabama to do a demo for an art group this evening.  This and the demo that I did was more of a 'comfort zone painting' than a 'stretch' painting as reflected in the title...but it was a stretch in another way.  For the past few days, I painted things that gave me a real challenge...a bit out of my comfort zone.  I was really focused and intense while painting them.  When I do a demo, of course, I like to paint that with which I am more familiar.  So it was a bit more like the stretch after being at your desk for a long time, you know?

Side note:  That Ft. Deposit art group was a hoot!!  I had a great time!  I hope some of them find their way to my blog because I thoroughly enjoyed them!!

As always, I thank you so much for taking the time to look at my work!
If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click this link:

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Painting 13/30: "Seems Like Summer"

"Seems Like Summer"
14" x 11"
Oil on Canvas
$500

It is an absolutely gorgeous day....incredible for the middle of January!  It feels like spring and painting yellow roses today made it feel almost like summer!  I'm so glad I had some roses still hanging in there to be painted today.  It was another stretch.  Still working on using cool light instead of warm.  I think it was easier today, but honestly, yesterday I felt like somebody shook my head up!

Day 13....getting closer to finishing another 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge!

Thanks for looking and, if you are interested in purchasing this painting, 
you can click this link to go to my website:

Monday, January 13, 2014

Painting 12/30: "La Vie en Rose"

"La Vie en Rose"
4"x12"
Oil on Canvas
$300

Still painting roses while I have them for the 12th painting of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days.  Challenging again!
I am trying to work in cool light which produces warm shadows and I am finding that to be a complicated shift to make.....but I am absolutely determined to do it!

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

Thanks for looking!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Painting 11/30: "A Rose Among the Thorns"

"A Rose Among the Thorns"
7"x5"
Oil on Board
$175

I'll admit....this one was frustrating.  I want to paint beautiful roses and it....is....so.....hard!!
I fiddled around with it longer than I anticipated, but there are plenty of roses in my vase and tomorrow is another day.  

I took a fantastic workshop from Qiang Huang in 2012 and he paints the most gorgeous roses, incredible brushwork.  He is really someone to study and such a nice person, too!  Study, study, study....paint, paint, paint!  That's what I love about the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  I have in my mind something I want to experiment with or something tough for me to paint and I just keep trying to tackle it with small paintings - sometimes larger ones, like yesterday. 

So because this little thing gave me a frustrated fit, even though I like the way it turned out, 
I'm naming it "A Rose Among the Thorns"!

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

Thanks, as always, for looking!


Saturday, January 11, 2014

Painting 10/30: "Sweethearts of Alpha Gam"

"Sweethearts of Alpha Gam"
18"x18"
Oil on Canvas
$750

I'm a proud member of Alpha Gamma Delta (Theta Beta Chapter/Auburn University Montgomery) and a few weeks ago, my baby sister, also an Alpha Gam, sent me word that our international headquarters is seeking art from Alpha Gams for the building.  So, I am planning on submitting this and something else I have in mind, if I can send more than one.  

Our colors are red, buff & green; red and yellow roses are our flowers.  Just seeing them together takes me back immediately to college days and those wonderful women I am privileged to call sisters....two of which ARE my actual sisters and one precious cousin who passed away at age 26. 

So, this is dedicated to all of my Alpha Gamma Delta sisters....the sweethearts of Alpha Gam!




Friday, January 10, 2014

Painting 9/30: "Another Broken Egg II"

"Another Broken Egg II"
6"x6"
Oil on Board
$175

One more broken egg for the 9th painting in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge!
I really love painting the same thing several times because of the lessons I learn.  What do I see this time that I didn't see before?  What can I do this time that I couldn't do before?  When I'm done, I usually already have in mind something I want to do differently with the next painting.  Fun stuff!

As always, thanks so much for looking!  
If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please click on this link to take you to my website:

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Painting 8/30: "Another Broken Egg"

"Another Broken Egg"
6"x6"
Oil on Board
$175

For the 8th painting in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge, I decided to paint another broken egg.  Painting these is just a great exercise for me because of all the shades of white, the differences in color temperature and the reflections from the yolk and egg white.  The little tiny edges of light on the shell where the egg is cracked also present a challenge.  Overall, a lot of fun and very interesting to paint!

(I have to add that if you have not eaten at "Another Broken Egg Cafe" then do so!  I've only been to the Destin, Florida locations, but, boy, they do it right!  One of the best breakfasts on the beach!)

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

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Painting 7/30: "Summer Days"....a little behind schedule

"Summer Days"
6"x6"
Oil on Board
$175

I had to take a day off yesterday.  I was out of town overnight Monday and woke up with a TERRIBLE headache!!  I slept all day yesterday, so I didn't paint.  I'll either double up one day or extend this 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge to January 31st!  

Struggling with what to paint today, I went to the Daily Paintworks website.  I knew that every week the artists there post a challenge and this week's is painting summer.  Perfect since it is absolutely freezing here and everywhere else.  I hope this warms you up a bit.  It did me as it made me remember hot summer mornings, picking out watermelon and peaches at the Montgomery Curb Market.  

So, here's the 7th painting of the challenge...a challenge within a challenge.  

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

Monday, January 6, 2014

Day 6/30: "Auburn Skies"

"Auburn Skies"
6"x6"
Oil on Board
$175

Tonight my team, THE AUBURN UNIVERSITY TIGERS,  plays again for the BCS National Championship and I am SO excited!!!  Just about everyone I know is in Pasadena, California for the game!  They have been posting pictures of the most incredible California sunsets....which conveniently are mostly orange and blue....our colors.  As an artist, I've always found it to be quite serendipitous that my team's colors are complementary!  Inspired by the photos my friends are posting on Facebook and elsewhere, I have painted "Auburn Skies" on this 6th day of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  

I used a photo that I took near Auburn, actually.  We were on the way home from Fan Day in Auburn this past August and stopped off to visit some friends on the way back to Montgomery.  The sun was beginning to set and.even though it wasn't quite this orange and blue, it was a beautiful sight.  

War Eagle!!

If you are interested in purchasing, you can click this link to go to my website:
http://barbaradavisart.com/works/1355827/auburn-skies

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Day 5/30: "Tea Time"

"Tea Time"
6"x6"
Oil on Board
$175

It's tea time!!  Not just any old tea time, but Downton Abbey Tea Time!!  As the 4th season premieres here in the United States tonight, the writers at last have a chance to redeem themselves after killing off some of our favorite characters last season.  Raising a cup tonight to a happier season of my favorite series and I know a lot of you will be, too!

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

Cheerio!

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Day 4/30: "Hide and Seek"

"Hide & Seek"
6"x6"
Oil on Board

For the 4th day of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge, I chose to do this one from a photograph I took summer before last.  Just trying to capture that hazy-bluish-purplish-greenish background color especially.  I can look at that color and look at it and still think, "what color IS that??"!  

So, since I am really trying to get it in a fitness groove (translated: "feeling really fat"), I thought it would be appropriate to name this "Hide & Seek" for the cow who really didn't realize how big she was until she saw all those candid Christmas pictures on Facebook.....er, I mean....until she tried to hide behind a big tree.

Okay, enough with the negative self-talk, I gotta go paint!!

Love ya and thanks for looking!

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

Friday, January 3, 2014

Day 3/30: "Winter Fruit"

"Winter Fruit"
12"x12"
Oil on Board
$500

Day 3 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge (round 3!) and my trusty pears are again today's subject.  I'll choose something different tomorrow because these are getting close to being perfect for eating!

These were painted on a board as opposed to the canvas I used yesterday.  I think I prefer the canvas for these.  It's funny how a different surface appeals to me for different subjects.  These are just the kind of experiments I love to do during these challenges, though...testing out surfaces, subject matter & color palettes, among other things.  The fall and holidays get so busy with commissions and shows that there is little time left for exploration.  I love that January is slower and allows me to do that!  
This challenge is the perfect encouragement for the growth I want to occur!

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

Thanks for looking!

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Day 2/30: "Resting Pears"

"Resting Pears"
6"x12"
Oil on Canvas
$375

Pears are on hand, so pears are the subject matter again today.  I love them and the subtle variations of green, gold, amber and red. I think they have a few more days before they become a healthy snack!  In the meantime, they'll be subject matter....how's that for starting the year off with frugality and using my resources? :)

Thanks for looking as always!  Here's hoping your new year is off to a good start!

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



Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Day 1/30: A New Challenge and "Mr. Banks' Pear"

"Mr. Banks' Pear"
5"x3"
$100
Oil on Canvas Panel

Happy New Year, everyone!!  A time for lots of new beginnings, fresh starts!
I decided to again participate in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge that fellow artist Leslie Saeta has organized!  This will be the third time I've done this.  I have to say it's a big commitment!  I paint everyday, but to have the challenge of completing one everyday (one that you are willing to post and share with everyone!) is something else and by about Day 15, it's really tough!  I do know that I learn so much, though, by participating and it's a great way to jump start the year, so I'm in!  

Knowing that today would be busy with cooking and dishes and a movie, I decided to start a very small (5"x3") quick painting of a pear this morning.  After lunch, my husband, my mother and I went to see "Saving Mr. Banks".  Have you seen it?  Not to give anything away, but pears play a minor role and knowing this pear was on my easel made my throat grow a little tighter during a few emotional scenes.
What a really good movie!  Hope you get to see it!

Wishing you all the best for 2014!

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, you can follow this link to my website:
http://barbaradavis.fineartstudioonline.com/works/1352021/mr-banks-pear