Susan Cox Davis 2005 Mixed-Media Adobe Village at Sunset on Handmade Paper

A vibrant mixed-media work on handmade paper by Susan Cox Davis, signed lower left in red and dated "05" lower right. The composition layers a row of adobe and pueblo-style structures — pinks, corals, ochres, and whites with shadowed door and window openings — against a horizon of desert vegetation rendered in mossy greens. Above, a dramatic crimson and magenta sky unfolds in horizontal bands, accented by metallic gold strokes that suggest sun and breaking cloud, with passages of violet and turquoise threading through the upper register.

The handmade paper substrate carries visible deckled edges and fibrous texture that reads through the watercolor and gouache passages, giving the surface tactile depth beyond a standard sheet. Adobe villages under saturated New Mexico skies are a recurring subject for regional New Mexico artists working in the early 2000s, and the technique here — torn-paper layering, metallic accents, and high-key color — sits comfortably in that tradition. Professionally framed under glass with a wide linen-finish mat and an ornate carved gilt frame, ready to hang.

CONDITION

Excellent. No damage noted to the artwork, mat, glazing, or frame. Presents cleanly under glass.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Artist: Susan Cox Davis (signed lower left)
• Date: 2005 (inscribed lower right)
• Medium: Watercolor and mixed media on handmade paper
• Image Size: 11" × 11"
• Framed Size: 19" × 19" × 1¼"
• Framing: Gilt carved frame, linen-finish mat, glazed

About the Artist:
(Courtesy: The Adobe Fine Art)

Susan's paintings have evolved from transparent watercolors to experimental mixed media, acrylic, collage, oil and encaustic.  She attended watercolor workshops given by nationally known artists; most notable were Don Andrews, Robert E. Wood, Frank Webb, Miles, Batt, and Stephen Quiller.  Her studies also include the Intensive Studies Seminar in Taos, New Mexico and the Tougaloo Art Colony with instructors Moe Brooker and Murray DePillars.  Her studies continue with the Mississippi Art Colony at Camp Jacobs, which have been led by well-known instructors such as Jos. A. Smith, Mary Lovelace O'Neal, and Noah Saterstrom.

Susan's paintings have been exhibited at shows sponsored by the Mississippi Watercolor Society, the Mississippi Artist Guild, the Vicksburg Art Association and the Mississippi Art Colony where she has received numerous ribbons including two Best in Show.  Her paintings have been juried into the Grand National Exhibition sponsored by the Mississippi Watercolor Society and exhibited at the Mississippi Museum of Art four times earning her the status of signature membership.  In 2003, her collage painting entitled Celebration of Jacob won the Bancorp South Award at the Grand National Exhibition.

Other achievements include designing a logo for the Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness and Sports and having her painting On the Square chosen as the poster for the Canton Flea Market.  In addition, Susan was commissioned to do a painting for the 1997 Christmas card for Governor and Mrs. Kirk Fordice.  Her painting Sounds was included in the 2006 Mississippi State Committee/National Museum of Women in the Arts exhibit at the Meridian Museum of Art.

She is a signature member of the Mississippi Watercolor Society in which she has held the offices of Treasurer, Vice-President, and President.  She is also a member of the Vicksburg Art Association and serves on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Art Colony.

"My artistic vision is fed by my diverse experiences with people and places.  My paintings are reflections of the many streets that I have walked.  The houses and archways share a sense of place extracted from my memory.  The windows are souls, the doors are hearts: some open, some closed.  The women depict the spiritual, emotional, and situational aspects of female persons.  My art comes from within."
Susan Cox Davis