Beginnings

Today is the first day of spring. I can't think of a better day for beginning my blog. I hope my blog will be an effective way to discuss my artwork, the creative process and interesting art and artists.

My name is Nancy Murphree Davis. I am a 38 year-old artist just getting the nerve to pursue art as a career. Between a professionalism workshop I recently attended and the encouragement found through the tasks and methods of the Artist's Way by Julia Cameron I feel empowered to take the next steps. I welcome constructive comments, suggestions and especially reactions and comparisons to others' artwork. If you also have an art blog, I would love to view it and when I find it interesting, I will likely link to it.

I moved to the DC area last summer. The excitement of having so many art opportunities nearby fired the creative furnace. I subscribed to several local email newsletters. To my surprise, one of them listed a roundtable discussion where one of the featured panelists was an artist that I went to undergraduate school with. Her name is Margaret Boozer. I think her large wall hung pieces are beautiful, interesting and very different than past usage of clay as a medium. The Smithsonian blog, Eye Level agrees. Read their take here.

Another artist I would like to mention is Duane Keiser. He has a blog where he posts one new painting per day. These oil paintings are small (approximately postcard sized) and exquisite. The site was recommended to me by a fellow artist at the studio where I create. I find the paintings exquisite. It did not hurt that the first one I viewed is an olive shell, one of my favorite shells. If you like the paintings, or are intrigued by the "A Painting a Day" idea, you can have each new painting image emailed to you.