About the artist
David Davis
Water-media painter · Boone, North Carolina · the Blue Ridge Mountains
Artist statement
Painting the moment the light changes
I live and paint in Boone, up in the North Carolina High Country, where the mountains do something different every hour. Clouds in the valley and the sun in the sky may exist only for a fleeting moment as fog rolls in and erases a whole ridge. The places I've painted a dozen times show up anew on every visit of endless wonder.
Watercolor is unexpected — a controlled chaos, much like nature. Out of endless possibility, an unexpected beauty emerges. Light in the sky, the hue of the valley, the depth of the shadow... if I capture even a fraction of this extraordinary place I live or where I travel, I have succeeded. Up close, my paintings dissolve into washes, edges and texture. Stepping back, they blend into a memory of a place I explored.
Most of what I paint, I've stood in front of: along the Parkway, on a back road, at the edge of open water. Some of my work wanders more toward abstraction, more color and movement than place. These draw on more experience than a specific location, yet it is two ends of the same drive: to hold onto that which never stands still.
Every painting is an original, made by hand, one at a time. If one finds its way onto your wall, thank you. That means a great deal.
In the studio
"Watercolor is unexpected — a controlled chaos, much like nature. Out of endless possibility, an unexpected beauty emerges. Light in the sky, the hue of the valley, the depth of the shadow... if I capture even a fraction of this extraordinary place I live or where I travel, I have succeeded."David Davis
Process & influences
From the trail to the palette
My work starts outside — I love plein-air and work in nature as often as I can. When time or place does not allow, my work may start behind a lens and continue in the studio. In the studio, these experiences, sketches, and notes become finished art. Building layers of light and shadow, I work hard to capture the fleeting moment experienced on the mountain.
My greatest influence is the master of atmospheric perspective and light — Mother Nature. She captures spectacular views, saturated sunsets, and an endless array of color throughout the Southern Appalachian landscape.