Interview With Artist Cindy Davis

Biography

Cindy Davis’ paintings have been exhibited and sold in Georgia, Florida, California, Colorado, Maryland and Tennessee. She frequently exhibits in Albany, Georgia as well as participating in art events in through the Deep South.   Mrs. Davis is a member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters, the Southern Artists’ League, and the Georgia Artist’s Guild of Albany. She is best known for her large format, abstract acrylic paintings. She owns and manages an internet-based art business, Flint River Gallery, LLC, currently representing 9 southern artists.

THE INTERVIEW

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: Acrylic and Oil

Q: How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?

A: I have been painting like a crazy person for about 6 years now. Before that, I painted occasionally on and off for years. I got started painting 2 inch daisies on notebook paper.

Q: Do you have any formal training or are you self taught?

A: I am self taught, and I rather like it that way. Although I am always reading, learning, and experimenting with ideas gleaned from books, the web, and artist’s that I meet.
I hold a BS in economics from the University of Tennessee.

Q: Do you have any favorite art supplies that you would like to recommend?

A: I love, love, love Golden Acrylics. My favorite brush is which ever brush happens to be in my hand. It’s not the brush, but the artist, that makes it exceptional.

Q: Do you work with any specific styles or subject matter?

A: I lean toward organic subject matter. By that I mean natural objects and the random lines and compositions found in the woods and fields.

Q: Can you recommend any books, videos or other resources that will help new artists?

A: Too many to list. I would recommend finding a good used book store if you really want to learn something about art, otherwise you might not have enough left over for supplies. Many of my favorite art books are vintage books; no longer in print.

Q: How do you get ideas to create a piece What inspires you?

A: I am most frequently inspired by small things I see in my everyday life. Everyday, I see something I want to paint. There is the really weird looking shiny, cracked area of a concrete floor where I work. This area is about 5 inches in diameter. The texture and color is intriguing for me. I want to get back there and sketch it so that I can blow it up on a large canvas. You really should see it, there is a lot going on in that small spot.

Q: Do you have a website you would like to share?

A: I have a small clump of websites.

For my own art, www.CindyDavisArt.com

For my gallery of southern painters,www.FlintRiverGallery.com

For South Georgia ART, www.SouthGaART.com.

I have built and currently manage all three of these websites.

Q: Finally do you have any last words of advice for beginner artists?

A: Listen to advice of others, then when they are finished go and do what you wanted to do in the first place.  I think you learn more if you make your own mistakes.

This advice actually comes from my mother-in-law, Jackie Davis. She is one tough, smart, independent lady all of 5foot nothing. Growing up on a farm in Oklahoma obviously taught her a thing or two about independence…….and kindness.

Anyway, it is good advice for fixin’ trucks or fixin’ paintings.