Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Davis.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Drawing and working with my hands always rewarded something in my soul, but studying to become a professional artist wasn’t something I considered a practical or familiar career option. Instead, I turned toward teaching and law as degrees with more clearly defined career outcomes.
After I married, I turned toward black and white photography as a hobby, first taking photos of the landscape, then of our three daughters, learning much about composition and light in the process.
My husband, Ben, and I were fairly new to Austin in 2007 when we attended the ARThouse (now The Contemporary Austin) 5 x 7 Event with friends. A highly competitive art-buying event where all the art was 5″ x 7″ and (for suspense) signed by the artists on the backs on the panels, attendees claimed the piece they wanted at the sound of a whistle at 9 p.m. Somehow, I won the raffle that night, and thus the right to choose a piece of art for free before everyone else, (and annoying a few who wanted to artwork I chose). I selected a landscape painting by local artist Laurel Daniel and discovered that she taught oil painting classes at The Contemporary Austin’s Laguna Gloria Art School. I promptly signed up for her weekly class, cheating a bit on fulfilling the “some experience required” condition.
I quickly found that painting brought all of my interests and skills together and inspired that part of myself I’d left dormant for so long. My love of the outdoors, drawing, photography, writing, even law–all of it had a place in painting. I studied with Laurel for three years, developing a solid foundation in the principles of art and the basics of plein air painting. Daily painting played a huge role in accelerating the pace of my progress.
I have painted professionally since 2010 and have strategically taken workshops with artists whose work and approach I admire. I am still a voracious student and am dedicated to absorbing as much as I can about the practice of painting the landscape.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I started painting, our three daughters were young. I knew early on any art career I would have needed to take a back seat to being present for them. For several years this meant waking daily at 5am to paint for an hour before they were up for school. My “studio” was in a corner of our small kitchen. I would set up still lifes and paint, learning value, paint application, brushwork, etc.
During this period, my options for traveling to workshops and studying with other artists was limited, and I watched male counterparts with families earn awards and begin to teach while I studied and practiced and raised our girls. Seeing that play out was frustrating. Now that our daughters are on their own, I have time to immerse myself in being a full-time artist and have no regrets about the path I’ve taken.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an Austin-based landscape painter. I work in oils. All of my paintings have their genesis in small plein air (outdoor) studies from which I develop into larger work in my studio.
I’m represented by three galleries, Davis Gallery here in Austin (no relation, just a coincidence on the name), Gallery 330 in Fredericksburg, TX, and Mockingbird Gallery in Bend, Oregon.
I’m drawn to trees and to the curious lines of long-forgotten structures. I’m known for the way I handle trees in my work and for the overall sense of calm my paintings communicate.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The biggest trend in art right now is NFTs. Representational artists like me are curious but unsure of the benefits of creating NFTs alongside our physical art. I do see the benefits of royalties with secondary and other sales, but the learning curve is steep and it takes extensive time away from the core of the business—making art. Finding the time to devote to learning new technologies and platforms and integrating them into the business is a never-ending issue.
Contact Info:
- Email: juliedavisstudio@me.com
- Website: www.juliedavisstudio.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/juliedavisstudio
- Facebook: www.faceboook.com/juliedavisstudio
