“I paint what I’m passionate about,” says owner and artist Ruth Odile Davis of Odile Fine Art in Harwich. Influenced by her summer sanctuary as a child—now the place she has called home for over 40 years—Odile continuously captures the infinite landscapes and breathtaking hues of the Cape and Islands in her unique, effervescent style.

Odile began art lessons early, discovering her talent and passion in just fourth grade at the Berkshire Art Museum where she decided upon her signature name, Odile. She went on to train in watercolors, acrylics and pastels, until finally settling upon a medium she loved: oil. “Oil just produces the most vibrant colors and pigments,” explains Odile. She considers herself a colorist, painting on large canvases to give her landscapes a dynamic impact.

Surrounded by endless marshland, waterways and scenic landscapes, Odile’s sources for creativity are abundant. At times, her work will begin with a simple sketch or photo to get the pigment of a color just right, but more often, her work is purely formed from her own recollection and vision. In her memory, Odile grabs hold of a passing moment or feeling using color, imagination and loose brush strokes. Odile’s work has been featured in art shows and magazines, as well as in private and public collections. She finds the most important aspect of her work to be conjuring emotions in others, the same way that a scene captures her own heart. Odile’s color-driven landscapes evoke the familiar feeling of a place you can’t quite put your finger on, inviting the viewer to determine their own interpretation of the location, time and mood.