Artist Though she grew up in a big family, Carrie Davis’ parents gave each of their children the attention a child deserves. “I am one of five children and a ton of pets! My parents fostered a home full of love, respect, integrity, fun and creativity. My Dad, an attorney and mathematician, has always had a great eye for drawing and rendering. I still remember him teaching me at a very early age to draw a horse. I was so young and thought he was the coolest,” Davis recalled. “My mom celebrates life and family on every possible occasion. We grew up making holiday t-shirts, baking for events, built forts in the formal living room, dug mud pits, put on plays and many other great memories a kid could dream up. They wanted us to be kids and have fun, create, [and] explore.” And that is exactly how Davis remembers her childhood to be. Davis was born in Dallas, Texas, but raised in Tyler, Texas. She let her creative spirit shine from a very young age, and with that she discovered that she loved art. “In elementary school my parents gave me a box my mother decorated to say 'Carrie’s Treasure Chest,' to house all the little collections I had going of rocks, bubblegum, dried paint strings, etc. ... I started my college art career at Baylor in 1999 and finished my BFA from the incredible art department at UT Tyler,” Davis shared. After college, time had to be shared. Davis decided to focus on growing her own family. Her husband, Richard, and she had three children, while she maintained a career as a full-time artist. “During my third pregnancy, I agreed to do a fundraising event in Dallas where I was a “live” painter for the evening. Yes, I stood on my feet in heels and hose for hours, painting a piece from scratch, while onlookers enjoyed the evening and asked questions,” Davis remembered of an event that benefited the Livada Orphan Care for children in Romania. “My life as an artist and mother are completely intertwined. My children come and paint with me, then go back to work on their own mud pits! Then sometimes I leave the art to help them build the pits, only to return to my art with a new shade of brown to work with, or a neat shovel I can use in the piece. That’s just how it works in my world.” No. 86 BSC ENE
Carrie Davis
Article By: Poonam Patel Courtesy Photos By: Carrie Davis
Besides creating and celebrating art with her children, and at public events, Davis has been hesitant to show off her creations to others. “Before this past year, I went more than 10 years without showing any art publically. As a professional, I’m not proud of that. But as a mother of three babies, I was thrilled to live life on a small scale. That allowed my art and ideas for art to marinate. My loving friends Kate and Andria told me it's time to serve it up and send it out,” Davis remembred. And she did just that. Davis, who paints on canvas, and occasionally on heavy card stock paper, looks to life and her surroundings as her inspiration. With a little extra push from her friends and her husband, she has decided to start showing off her work. “My extremely supportive husband, Richard, created a wonderful garage studio, and allotted a whole room in our house as a studio space! Secretly, I think he is hoping I stop painting in every single room, the yard and sometimes in his workshop,” Davis said. With the help from her friends, Davis held an art show last fall to jump start her journey into sharing her work with others. Because Davis doesn’t use any social media platforms, nor check her email, getting a spotlight on her art is taking some time. But she, and Richard, are hopeful to get her work out there. Richard posts some of her artwork through his Facebook page, and they are in the final stages of setting up a website. “I am also planning on furthering my skills by getting my MFA in Art from UT Tyler, starting this Fall,” Davis added.
You can check out Davis’ artwork at www.facebook.com/ remnantfineart/ and www.remnantfineart.com. B SC EN EM A G.COM