Hillside

Hillside

8 x 6 in., oil on panel

sold in Hurricane Harvey fundraiser for the Rockport Center for the Arts

Small cedar trees like this one dot the landscape in and around Austin, and soon some festive folks will begin decorating the roadside ones with tinsel and ornaments in celebration of the Christmas season. Last year I managed to do a painting of one near our house. I'll definitely try to get to one again this year. 

I liked the way this tree had a small cut in the ground that led up to it with the grasses working to fill in the gaps. I've done a slightly larger version of this study for Davis Gallery's annual holiday show that opens soon here in Austin--I'll announce dates when I have them.

-julie davis

May Cedars

May Cedars, 6 x 8

This little group of cedars line a private drive in Hunt. The colors in this one went kind of electric on me--still trying to get more paint on the canvas, too. I find there is so much that I want to experiment with after Skip's workshop--some of these "experiments" are definitely not making it on the blog, but that's part of the process!

-julie davis

New in Town

New in Town, 6 x 8

sold

A familiar sight in and around Austin is hills full of cedar. Around Christmastime, some are magically decorated with tinsel or Santa hats overnight. These were just outside Austin, near Oak Hill. I was drawn to the power lines in the back.

-julie davis

You Give Me Fever

You Give Me Fever, 10 x 8

My husband came up with the title.....and it was clever enough that I finally had to cave in to the temptation to name a cedar painting something related to allergies. This again is at the top of Mt. Bonnell in Austin; a scraggly cedar, probably wind-worn and hail damaged at some point so high up on the edge of a cliff, but hanging in there nonetheless.

-julie davis

Mt. Bonnell Cedars

Mt. Bonnell Cedars, 8 x 10

sold

"The Allergens" or "Cedar Fever" were two other names I considered for this piece, but I didn't have the heart to prematurely condemn it through the eyes of so many Central Texans who might read this blog. So, I gave it a dull name based on where the scene actually is....atop Mt. Bonnell in Austin. Lake Austin flows behind and far below these cedars. This is a slightly larger version of "Roadside Cedar Trees" (couldn't go with the names then, either). Merry Christmas Eve.

-julie davis

Roadside Cedar Trees

Roadside Cedar Trees, 6 x 6

Cedars don't have the best reputation around Austin due to their ability to make some of us miserable with allergies this time of year. As trees, however, I find them fun to paint. They have an elfish quality, the little branches reaching upward like pointed ears. And that fits right in to the Christmas theme, so how about that for a timely post?

-julie davis

*I've taken the "click here to purchase" button off the pieces in my show, but if you're interested in one, just email Shannon at Wendow and she'll help you out (shannon@wendowfineliving.com).