Painting
David Fox
New to Spring 2025!
Ber, OR
Booth 551
Featured Artist
I came to art through an unusual path. Although I’ve always been drawn to creative work, I began taking drawing seriously after college, fitting it in wherever I could while building a career opening and operating health clubs across the United States. Between projects I would return to drawing, sometimes sporadically, but always with a sense of pull. That rhythm continued for many years until around 2016–2017, when my previous career began to wind down and I finally had the space to give art my full attention. That’s when I discovered oil painting.
Since 2017 I’ve explored different subjects, techniques, and approaches, eventually finding my voice in landscapes and cityscapes. I tend to paint what surrounds me and what captures my curiosity—the season I’m in, the places I’m exploring, the atmosphere of desert evenings, palms, mountains, or the quiet shimmer of city lights. I’m drawn to big, bold color and I enjoy taking risks: placing cool notes where warm ones “should” be, pushing contrasts, and finding harmony in unexpected combinations.
At the heart of my work is a desire to capture mood, a sense of place, and the emotional impact of light. Many of my paintings carry a quiet sense of nostalgia—as if the viewer recognizes the scene, not as a specific location, but as a feeling they’ve known. I aim to create landscapes that feel familiar yet elevated, inviting the viewer into a moment that feels both personal and universal.
“Desert Palms” grew out of a lifelong connection I feel with places defined by palm trees. Whenever I’m surrounded by them, I feel a sense of ease—as if I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. For the La Quinta Art Celebration, it felt natural to lean into that feeling and create a piece that celebrates the palms, light, and atmosphere that make this region so distinctive.
I’ve always loved the Southwest. I spent twenty years living in California and went to college in Arizona, and during that time the desert became a place of deep comfort and inspiration for me. Its wide skies, warm evenings, and the silhouettes of palms moving gently in the breeze have stayed with me long after I left.
“Desert Palms” is my way of honoring that part of my life—its calm, its color, and its unique beauty. The painting isn’t meant to represent a specific location, but rather the feeling of being in a desert landscape that’s both welcoming and quietly powerful. My hope is that viewers feel that same sense of warmth and familiarity when they see it.