cabinart weblog

People often confuse the word “consignment” with the word “commission”.  May I help? Consignment: agreement to pay a supplier of goods after the goods are sold. Commission: to give an order for or authorize the production of a piece of art. I’d like to add a third word here: “conversation”. It means an exchange of words. I learned a long time ago not to count my chickens before they are hatched, although that is still my greatest talent! (also known as “optimism”) For the first several years of my business, I used to get so excited after someone said he’d like me to do a drawing for him. I was counting eggs, chickens and dollars, forgetting that until money exchanges hands and there are photographs on the table, it was simply c o n v e r s a t i o n. However, it never hurts to think about those conversations and tentatively plan. A lady emailed me to say she’d be coming to the studio during Studio Tour and she hoped I had some paintings of Fiesta ware. I don’t, but have been looking for a reason to paint some. I know that she did not commission me and hasn’t committed to buy anything. That’s okay, because I’m eager to do this subject matter. If I do a good job but it doesn’t suit her, someone else will probably want it! Here are the beginnings of three new paintings (probably best viewed from the back of a fast horse, or perhaps without corrective lenses at this point):

Oh, look! There are 2 Mineral King paintings - what a surprise!

When I participate in various shows, I usually have expectations for great sales. (Optimism is a necessary ingredient for the self-employed.) Sometimes instead of sales, I just have conversations and hand out business cards and meet people. That is called “exposure” in Artland. It is a necessary thing - one needs to be exposed to the public in hopes that they will become the “buying public” someday. However, one can die of exposure, so when one’s career is a bit more established, those exposure events should be limited, in my opinion! Generally speaking I don’t do too many of those types of shows anymore, but Saturday night’s was pleasant despite the low turnout. Met lots of nice people, handed out business cards, sold a handful of paintings. The good news (there is almost always good news) is that I will have plenty of paintings available for The Studio Tour! Here is how my display looked:

Here are my semi-wild cats, AKA The Brown Ears (to separate them from The Boys, Perkins and Zeke).

If their tails don’t show, I still can’t tell who is Butch and who is O’Reilly.

Cashmere has missed her second appointment to be spayed at the veterinarian’s office. If she has kittens, want one?

Now that Butch has watched me try to catch his Mom and put her in a box, i.e. try to murder her before his very eyes not once but twice, I doubt that I’ll ever get to touch him.

O’Reilly continues to be an utterly delightful little feline!

It’s my main subject, along with Three Rivers, the big trees and citrus. (You knew that, right?) I finished working on this little painting while at the Art Co-op, put it outside in the sunshine, and then later noticed it was pouring, despite the brilliant sun cooking the side of my head through the glass doors. Because it is oil paint, the water beaded up on the surface so I just blew it off. Literally. Got a little light-headed in the process, but saved the painting. If it weren’t for Jim Peters, I couldn’t have worked on this because I forgot my magnifying glasses and he graciously lent me a pair of his! Thanks, Jim!

The map is too large to put here, so just show up on Saturday at either Anne Lang’s Emporium (open at 9:00? 10:00?) or the Art Co-op (open at 11 a.m.) and get a copy. This month there is a special incentive to visit all the participating places. Each place is worth a certain number of points and there is a wonderful prize!

Today wasn’t “my” day at the Art Co-op, but Ms. Saturday was sick so I worked. The river was roaring and muddy!

It is fun to watch the seasonal changes at that prime little spot. The brilliant yellow trees out front have been a treat, and I have been waiting for someone to come in and tell me their name.

 Today a lady named Martha (no, not my mom but another lady) told me they are Acacia trees without even being asked, just what I was waiting for! Have a closer look:

This is one of the most dreaded, misunderstood and boring aspects of being an artist. We artists, in general, dislike writing about our work. Obviously this doesn’t apply to me! But while I love to write, the artist statement gets me bowed up. I don’t do well with Artspeak, and I hate pretentiousness. This a.m. I read an article in the business/art magazine Art Calendar about writing an artist statement and realized it was time to update mine (yet again!) I’m still not sure if it is supposed to be a personal history, a personal philosophy of art, or an explanation. Regardless, here is my current one:

Art has been my fulltime profession for 17 years. Pencil used to be all I’d consider – it was the best way I knew to get every single detail in excruciating perfection. As my drawing students and customers asked for color, I reluctantly entered the world of colored pencil to record life around me. It didn’t resonate with me the way graphite did (and still does!), so 4 years ago I began to oil paint. As my proficiency increases, I’m able to focus more on light and color, and less on minutia. Although my medium is different, my favorite subjects remain: giant Sequoias, Mineral King, citrus, and Three Rivers. Tulare County is my home and recording its beauty is my goal. 

It will probably be rewritten many more times as I learn what this is supposed to be and do. Mostly it is a requirement for gallery entries or group shows. Since I tend to be a maverick (as my college photography teacher told me back in the late ’70s), I can usually avoid this part of an art career.  Yea! So, have a look at what is almost finished for the Zonta show (and they invited me WITHOUT asking for an “artist statement”):

A few months ago, I painted the famous Kaweah Post Office. This is up the north fork of the Kaweah River, and is the smallest operating post office in the United States! Really! The folks who live near it and use it insist that they don’t live in Three Rivers but in Kaweah, and since they do have their own zip code, I suppose it is true. However, the town of Three Rivers claims the Kaweah Post Office as its landmark. Regardless, it is cute as can be and always sells when I paint or draw it. It sold as an 11×14 in November; someone stopped me in the Three Rivers Post Office (Where else for such a request??) last week and asked me to paint it again.

Here it is in its beginning stages.

Here it is a little later. Incidentally, all realistic artists either  work from photos or they lie about it. (This is a quote from Jack White, my painting guru)

I’m writing blog entries when I should be painting. Painting is supposed to be my first priority now, so anything else produces guilt. But, I feel compelled to stay in touch, and tell you about another trip into Mineral King. As usual, it provided more inspiration, recreation and good times with Michael in the snow.

There has been avalanche activity in the valley. First, a slide came down off spud mountain. The real name is Potato Hill because it reminded the Irish miners of rows of potatoes in the fields of home. Those rows are avalanche chutes. Here is one result:

This is a little shed that prolly needed rebuilding anyway. . . out of respect for my friends and neighbors, I will leave this without identification, and will also not show the cabin that got knocked off its posts. (It doesn’t look nearly as dramatic in the photos as real life anyway!)

Another slide came down Chihuahua, which is the drainage across the valley from Spring Creek (about 1/2 mile before Crystal).

It is all snowy, so how do you know this is a slide instead of just snowfall? It is fan shaped, like an alluvial fan but made of snow instead of dirt. And, it covered the creek that is exposed in other parts of the valley:

There are also broken branches and other debris, but it isn’t that pretty in a photo, so I skipped that part of today’s lesson in Mineral King Winter. (There won’t be a test or any homework, no worries!)

Say what? “Founded in 1919, Zonta International is a global organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy.” They have a chapter in Porterville that hosts a wonderful event called Wine and Art, and I get to be part of the Art part. (that was a weird rhyming sentence!) March 6 is the date, and there still might be tickets available. You can email me and I can forward your inquiry to the right Zonters (I made that up - can you tell?) This is one of the paintings I will have for sale at their event: