cabinart weblog

Crescent Meadow, 10×10″, oil, $125

Tunnel Log III, 10×10″, $125

Yes, you have seen this scene before! I love this view of the meadow by Tharp’s Log, so every time it sells, I think about how to repaint it in a little different format.

This may be hard to fathom, but while I was working on the mural, I also knocked out a few paintings. They will appear here one or two at a time for the next few days. The plan was to have them for a show and sale in Lodgepole, but we, The Kaweah Artisans, have not received permission from the National Park Service to proceed with the show. Meanwhile, they will appear here one or two at a time for the next few days.

Got a deal on 10×10″ canvases, which seem to work well with my cropped scenery paintings.

One day I was just speeding along my walk, minding my own beeswax, trying to keep up the pace, and WHAM! I threw on the brakes and went marching up to the kitchen window of some friends’ house because I recognized my own paintings! Just kind of surprised me - like unexpectedly seeing the face of a long lost friend.

One of the best things that ever happens to working artists is receiving a check in the mail for paintings sold, especially when one has forgotten about said paintings! I sent 6 paintings of beachy things to Lady Spencer in Cayucos, California. Gina is an old friend from Exeter, and her store is full of lovely items from various artists. We’ve talked for years of her selling my art, and it took years for us to find the right plan. (Of course, by dragging it out, each time I visit the Central Coast I had an excuse to see Gina and call it a business trip!) She believes that more than just beachy subjects will have a market; I trust Gina’s instinct and experience.  Here is what I am sending her next:

Okay, they are just begun in this photo. The flag will be a gift for someone who has gone above and beyond the call of volunteerism on the mural. The large poppy painting is a commission. (K, are you reading this??)

Getting better by the day!

I have decided that there are 3 kinds of sky colors applicable to my painting:

1. Photography blue  - can be washed out, greyish blue or fakey overdone blue
2. Real blue, so frighteningly blue that no one would believe it in a painting
3. Believable painting blue that most painters just fall back on - default blue!

Blick.com had a great sale on 10×10″ canvases. Since I have enjoyed the 6×6″ squares so much, I decided to try these.  There may be a show in Sequoia over Labor Day, and it makes sense to paint subjects that are relevant to that area. These are all from photos that I have used in the past, but the square format adds a challenge and makes them look new.

Mineral King Morning, 11×14″, oil on wrapped canvas, $175

(the weirdness around his nose is the reflection in the wet paint)

One might think that after painting about 80 pieces of citrus, one might tire of the subject. One would be wrong.

The rough early stages no longer fill me with dread and worry that this will be the painting on which my career croaks.

These are for a special purpose and have a bit of a story. I bought 12 2×2″ canvases to try - no, oops, I bought 12 packages of 5 each! 60 of these little canvases should last me awhile.

Dante is just drying, and I have finally finished this early a.m. painting of Mineral King in addition to almost finishing a commission of redbud.

This is a table full of dreams and plans. It will take some time to think about my current inventory and upcoming shows before I know what sizes to paint which subjects. Anyone have a working crystal ball they can lend to me??

Here is Dante again after several hours. The proportions got reworked a bit, the background darkened, and more paint added all over. The eye on the right is a little weird, but the paint is too wet to respond to any commands from a brush!