The Paintings of James Doyle Avant

James Doyle Avant, an avid outdoorsman and nature lover, paints landscapes and wildlife.  "My first love was just traveling around our beautiful country and photographing as much of it as possible.  I must have photos of every windmill, old barn, and hillside of the Southwest."  About 1990, he became interested in painting and so with encouragement from his wife, Patricia, he decided to give it a try.  "I taught myself using resources from our local library and attending demonstrations, workshops and classes in my local area.  Very quickly, I developed a passion for art."  Additionally J.D. says, "I incorporate nostalgia as so much of our countryside is slipping away.  Landmarks and wildlife are constantly being displaced so my work is my way of preserving these memories."  Most of his paintings depict places that actually exist in full or part and are largely derived from the artist's own photographs, leaving photo-realism out, but incorporating his traditional style to render them much as they are while "embellishing" them, using artistic license.  James has paintings in many private collections and is becoming known for his Texas Hill Country scenes.  One of his latest paintings, "Crossing the Buffalo" won the People's Choice Award and placed third at the San Jacinto Art Show.  It shows a cowboy and longhorn crossing a hill country river.  He is a member of the Baytown, Pasadena and Galveston Art Leagues, having work on exhibit for sale in both the Baytown and Galveston galleries. He has studied under Larry Prellop of Salado, Texas who is currently being considered as the Texas State Artist for the year 2009.  A graduate of Texas A & M University, James and his wife Patricia are native Texans and longtime residents of Baytown.