Jim and Shirley Davis. Photos by Catherine Stachowiak
At the Art Gallery of the Kern River Valley Art Association, the July 13 reception was themed “America.”
Shirley Davis was Artist of the Month, showing her beauties on more than one wall. She has also shown in various galleries. She said, “I have some paintings right now in the Las Vegas Art District in a gallery down there, and here, and in the central coast. There’s some galleries in Big Sur that I showed at. But I’ve actually had the most success here and online.”
Davis loves painting pictures of birds, landscapes, and various creatures including frogs, fish and humans. And she seems to gravitate toward a style she calls an acrylic pour. She told the Kern Valley Sun “The buffalo, I did an acrylic pour and painted it over the pour. It inspired me to do the buffalo. And I love animals and I love color. There are some (paintings) that are not over a pour.”
She has focused previously, on watercolor, oil painting, mosaic baskets, pottery, and glass fusing, and glass soldering. However now she mostly focuses on acrylics because of her health issues. She has done her art on and off for her whole life, focusing her creative energy sometimes on other things she enjoys doing at home.
Davis also authored a book, filled with her artwork, focusing on what her childhood days were like.
Davis says her husband, Jim Davis, manages sales of her art on her behalf.
Vile One, a famous artist from down in Los Angeles visited the association and painted the windows at the Big Red art center building. He told the association that night, “I’ve traveled around the world doing work that I do. And I love communities like this.” He also wants to return to Kern Valley and share his technique at a later date.
Peter Buchanan, won First Place Best of Show for the painting he painted with chopsticks, an oil base enamel titled, “Mother Sequoia.” Second Place went to Dorothy Landeros that night for the oil painting titled “TaTanka White Buffalo.”
The Third Place winner was Joanne Ayers Brown for the acrylic piece titled, “40 Mile Town.”
Honorable mention was given to artist Nichole Secrest, for her glasswork titled, “Caught.” A second honorable mention was awarded to Barbara Martin, for her pottery work titled, “America ”
Of interest during the evening was a depiction of the old Onyx store, by John Adams, which was not for sale.
