Cammy Davis
Mixed-Media Artist
Extraordinaire
By Maralyn D. Hill
Davis is busy and resourceful. She
received a Haines Foundation Grant,
CLIPS Award and Trailblazer Award,
and is a founding member and on the
steering committee for the Arts
Alliance of Southern Oregon.
Cammy studied Fine Art at the
University of Idaho, raised a family
and then went back to complete her
degree in Interior Design at Bellevue
College in Washington.
C
ammy Davis came to my
attention as a result of my
being a guest on her show,
“Art on the Airwaves.” As you
read Cammy’s interview, you
will see that in addition to being a
well-respected mixed-media artist
who is inspired by nature, she has
developed two other skills necessary
for success: a good business plan for
herself and a path that helps others
in her field achieve success. I’ve
found that individuals who bring that
combination together do quite well.
She exhibits her work in solo and
group exhibitions in galleries
throughout Oregon and has her
“artistic maps” published in books
and periodicals. Cammy is the
creator of “Edgy in October,”
has a line of jewelry based on
her paintings and is the host of
“Art on the Airwaves.”
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Maralyn: What medium(s) do you
work in and how did you decide
to work in that space?
Cammy: I am a mixed media artist
and I work with everything from
metal, concrete, wallpaper, textiles,
plaster, sand, fiber paste and collage.
Occasionally, I purchase mediums
from the art supply store, but
typically, I create them myself.
I find that the experimentation lends
to my creativity. I grew up simply,
with the mindset that if I wanted
something, I needed to find a way to
make it. That philosophy has carried
forward into my artwork. I create
the entire piece, including building
the panels myself. It just doesn’t
feel like something I’ve created
unless I made the entire piece, from
nothing to something inspiring.
Maralyn: Is there a specific artist,
person or place that inspires you
or your work?
Cammy: I am the most inspired by
Nature. When I was in 2nd grade, my
parents sold their motorcycle shop
and adobe house in San Luis Obispo,
California, and decided to be hippies
(this was the 70s). They bought an
Airstream travel trailer and moved
us to Washington and then Seattle
to “live off the land.” The saving
grace was that my parents always
bought beautiful pieces of land, first
on Puget Sound and then later, by
a small river in Oregon. I grew up in
the woods and played in the river.
That close connection with Nature
remains my inspiration.
Maralyn: Do you have a favorite
piece that you have created?
Cammy: My favorite recent piece is
called Airstream Pods. A friend was
doing this Isolation Pod rejuvenation
treatment, and his comments about
the peace he felt reminded me of
growing up in the Airstream. In the
dark, it was always a warm oasis.
As a child, I always hated that the
Airstream was my home, but as an
adult, I look back and remember the