A week or so ago, when explaining the thought that goes into planning for a show to a friend, he said to me, “You are too analytical!” I asked why he thought that was a problem, and he said that women aren’t usually analytical. Well, if I don’t analyze what to paint, then when it is showtime, I might end up with too many pieces all the same subject and all the same size. (He just shows up for work, does what he is told, and collects a nice paycheck. Sounds boring.)

This painting was a little too wet, and the workshop was a little too cold to dive back into this. Since I am working from multiple photos, it is taking a lot of concentration and focused thought to get the right elements in the right places at the right sizes.

So, I used my powers of concentration and focus to do some analyzing in preparation for the upcoming solo show. I went into the studio and made lists. How many blank canvases of which sizes do I have? How many paintings of which sizes are either finished or in progress? Where am I lacking in sizes? How many paintings of each subject are either finished or in progress?

Next, I moved to the file of reference photos—kind of a mess. I organized them into groups: Finished (but keep handy just in case), Nope not gonna do these after all, and then put the remaining ones into proper order: citrus, Mineral King, Sequoia, Three Rivers, foothill scenery, Exeter and ag. These were photos that I had selected a few months ago thinking they were the best ones to work from for the show.

I thought about the subject matter: plenty of citrus, could use a few more Mineral King, people don’t care that much about Sequoia at an Exeter show. Do people at an Exeter show actually care about Three Rivers? How many foothill scenery paintings do I need? And finally, what will fill the bill for Exeter and ag?

I chose the next four paintings to work on, two foothill and two agricultural and “drew” them onto the canvas.

I looked at the poppy painting again, looked out the door, and decided to go for a walk. The flowering pear is starting to show buds, and the green looks fake.

The flowering pear across the highway from the Remorial* Building is always the first to bloom and the last to hold its color.

There’s plenty of time to finish another 15 to 20 paintings before October.( Let’s not think about the paintings needed to sell at Silver City, the possibility that the Ivanhoe liberry** might suddenly be ready for me to begin their murals, the trips I have planned, the fact that it is too hot to paint here in the summer, and time at the cabin.)

*”Remorial” is how our neighbor taught us to say “Memorial” when she was 9.

**”Liberry” seems to go with “remorial”. Prolly.