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!
Dante
This is a commissioned piece in progress of a magnificent German Shepherd. The customer is unable to see my emailed photos, so I am showing it to him in this fashion. You all can peek over our shoulders – we don’t mind!
Time in Mineral King (instead of just painting it)
A picture is worth a thousand words – here are 11,000 words for you to enjoy. Click on them to see them larger.
This is as far as we went; still much snow remains
The next day we went to Empire. This is an old road built by the miners and it is a great relief to find it after scrambling up a long steep slope.
Went high enough to see down into White Chief.
My goal was this nubbin at 10,500′. Michael went 200 feet higher, but my good sense (and lack of depth perception) caused me to wait. Waiting is seldom a problem for me.
We love this section of trail leading to Timber Gap (which you can see still has patches of snow). The phlox and blue lips were outstanding!
Because it was the Fourth of July, I looked until I found a patch of red, white and blue!
A year of co-op school
If you are in your 40s or 50s, you probably keep noticing that amazing phenomenon of how quickly time flies. An entire year has passed with almost every Thursday spent at The Art Co-op. I learned a few new things, and one is that an art co-operative isn’t the right place for me. Another thing learned is that it is fun to watch the river, and I want to share that with you.
We opened on an August evening.
On October 13 it rained very hard. Here is Oct. 14 and 15.
For some reason, I didn’t take any more photos until January.
Water was noticeably up in February.
The flowering plum dominated my photos in March.
April was beautiful, of course!
So was May.
Here is my last day in June. Why no July? Even though we opened in August, we were setting up in July, so at the end of June, my year was completed. And, I feel compelled to tell you that Sierra Subs makes the best sandwiches I have ever eaten in my life. Truly! They are next door to The Art Co-op, which is still in business and has several new artists. Hmmm, did it take 3 more to fill my large shoes? 
Dancing Feet on eBay!
Sierra Swinney is 15 years old and has lived in Three Rivers her entire life. Ballet seems like an odd obsession for someone who loves to backpack with her dad in the local mountains, but Sierra has been dancing since she was four and dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. She has been accepted to the American Ballet Theatre’s summer program in Alabama, and this little painting is for auction on eBay to help pay her way. You can go to eBay and bid on it now, and let’s make lots of money for Sierra!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110554193307#ht_500wt_896
Day Ten on the Mural
Day Nine on the Mural
Not as hot today – phew! The mules turned out well, but the final pronouncement of their worthiness is pending approval by my mule friends, the Weldons. I think they look great from the standpoint of light and dark ( “values” in Artspeak). However, I may have painted their legs too skinny or their ears too short or something else horrible if you truly know mules, as the Weldons do.
The lake got its first coat of paint. This lady told me she couldn’t draw a straight line with a ruler, so i handed her the paint brush and let her work on the water a bit! It only seemed right, since her name is Mrs. Purdey and that is a brand of paintbrush I like to use.
After my painting session, I had a knitting appointment. (Oh come on! You KNOW you wish you had such pleasant appointments yourself!) When I came back by the mural, it was in full sun and Betsy and I were quite pleased with how it looked. I’m usually gone before it is fully in the sunshine, so this was a great surprise.
Day Eight on the Mural (snow!)
Summer has truly arrived. It was hot on the lift at 9 a.m. so after working on the “snapshot” of mules, I put the machine away and stood on the ground where there was a bit of a breeze. It is definitely easier to visit with passers-by when we are both standing on the ground; Michael stopped by and had a small tub of snow in the back of his pick-up. Yup. Snow. It had been in the ice chest until he pulled it out to make room for the groceries. First, I used some on my wrists – it has been said that if you cool your pulse points, you will be cooler. Okay, I could always be cooler. After that, I set my water bottle inside the tub of (melting) snow. Then, my Frankenfoot was hurting a bit, so I took off my sandal and stood with my foot in the snowmelt. After that, I needed a bit more water for washing brushes at the end of my painting session, so the water got transferred to my brush bucket. Snow in Exeter in summer. Weird, but useful.
Peculiar sight
In Mineral King there are some critters called “marmots”. (Every letter is pronounced unlike “merlot”) To the untrained eye, they appear to be cute.
To those in the know, they are a PAIN. In late spring and early summer they have a peculiar habit of chewing on wires and hoses in cars. They like radiator fluid and are impervious to its poison that would kill your pet. By the second week of July, they have stopped doing this stupid annoying thing and then perhaps they can be called cute. There are many methods to try and thwart their destructive ways. A number of years ago, a ranger saw that Michael had the hood up on his truck and decided that must be a way to discourage the creatures. (In reality, the hood was up so he could see if they were in there chewing on things.) Now, many people leave their hoods up in the parking lots which gives the marmots easier access to their preferred snacks. Other things have been tried, but this one is the most effective:
How to be an (professional) artist in Tulare County
That is the title of the talk (“lecture”) that I gave yesterday at the Creative Center in Visalia. The three items are: 1. Love the place; 2. Be flexible and 3. Never quit. The turnout was small, (I think “intimate” is the word used for such things) and I knew all but 3 people. After we introduced, we realized we had known of each other but just hadn’t met yet. The show looks wonderful, thanks to Glen Hill who really placed the pieces artfully. It is surprising how much this matters! Three pieces sold, and the buyers graciously consented to leaving them in place until the show ends.
There was a very bright spotlight in my eyes so I couldn’t see the audience. Now that I see them in this photo, I can see that several who were present aren’t in this scene. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and were all very complimentary. The Creative Center is a great place to show art and to have presentations – thank you Theresa, Glen and Bailey!