Today I took a day off from my normal Sunday routine and went to Mineral King. Big surprise, that destination, hunh? Anyway, it was very very beautiful. You can see for yourself in these pictures. Besides, I needed to see it in person once more before beginning to paint!
These funny little machines were a great method of transportation over a road that was intermittently snow and bare pavement (we need more snow!!!)
This is Sawtooth, which will appear from a different angle in the mural but remains recognizable. 
And Farewell Gap is the most photographed site in Mineral King. This is the view from the bridge. The little machines vapor-locked because it was so warm up there today, so I skied over to the cabin while we waited for them to cool down. I had to find an extra pair of sunglasses for our friend. His shades are somewhere down around Redwood Canyon – if you find them next summer, please let me know!
Projection
First published in January 2009
Remember overhead projectors? That is the device we hope to use to project the image on the wall. I spent 4-1/2 hours tracing the model painting of the mural onto a roll of tissue paper (the kind called “flimsy” by architects). Today I found back-up bulbs for the projector, bought a couple of boxes of magic markers, and had my tracing converted to a series of 10 transparencies. 
The projection takes place after dark with lots of people manning Magic Markers. The process ensures that the mural will match the model painting that has been approved. The model painting is called a “maquette”, which actually means a 3 dimensional model, but we don’t have an adequate word for a 2 dimensional model. The Mural Team requires an accurate to-scale painting before giving the go-ahead to an artist, and the artist is supposed to follow that maquette to a tee!
On my previous murals, I simply drew a small to-scale sketch and then marked off the centers of the painting surface and began drawing with my paintbrush. I thought 80″ x 80″ was huge.
Next, the Seatrain (20′ x 8′) was stunningly massive.
Finally I began the one on 6 4’x8′ panels and could hardly grasp the grandeur of it all. (Silly girl, Trix are for kids!) That one on panels was difficult because the design process hadn’t been fully solved before attempting the panels.
The Mural Team of Exeter has much experience (2 dozen or so murals since 1996) and knows that the design process has to be completed and adhered to in order to have any sort of control over their outdoor gallery. (I fully agree with this because I was the President of the Mural Team when we put these rules into place.)
The Wall
First published in January 2009
Look at this!!! Holy Guacamole!
Giant Project Revealed
First published in January 2009
- What? the next mural in Exeter
- Where? the 100 north block of E street, on the west side, facing south . Yes, that is correct – it overlooks the parking lot of the Exeter Sun.
- When? We are hoping to project the image on the wall on the evenings of Thursday and Friday, February 5 and 6
- Biggest what: (no surprise here) – Mineral King, of course! 😎
- Size: The wall is 105′ x 15″; the mural will be 103′ x 12′ *
- Who? me! I get to paint it after planning for months and months and months. . .
Print this out, cut out the pictures, tape them together in this order, imagine the longest sepia part scooted to the left, and there is the next mural!!
- Update: The wall turned out to be 110′ long, and the mural ran the entire length
Breakthrough!
First published in January 2009
This little gem is a sneak peak at the Giant Project, known hereon as GP. Why am I teasing you with this? Because I have had a victory and want to share it! I have been fighting my paint and brushes, trying like crazy to get them to do what I want. I struggle along, wondering if I will ever learn to paint properly, wondering why I can’t get anything to do what I request, wondering why no matter how many hours spent it still looks like a dog’s breakfast.
On Sunday a.m. a bottle of linseed oil appeared on my front porch with a note from my 6th grade teacher. (He signed it “Tom S.” and I thought it was from someone I know here in town because I always think of my 6th grade teacher’s first name as “Mr.”, not “Tom”, for goodness sake!)
Like the good girl that I try to be, I wrote him a thank you note and wondered if I would ever have a use for linseed oil in painting because my earlier attempts at using it have been crap less than satisfactory. It left random shiny spots on the painting which I tried to ignore, and then a well meaning friend said, “I like this painting but it has shiny spots on it”.
Then I learned about some special recipe from the teacher at the junior college where I soldiered through half a semester of a painting class 2 years ago. (I sort of knew he and I weren’t a good teacher-student match when he said to me “The trouble is, you don’t know how to draw!” Okay, thanks for that helpful tidbit Mister, but I am about to have an opening of a solo show of my drawings so your opinion of my abilities is crap less than satisfactory.) Anyway, this special recipe also made random shiny spots and was weird to use, sort of sticky and it made the color too weak, and I could see no point to using it. Maybe if I had stayed the entire semester I would have learned how to solve this problem, but it seemed that staying home to paint was a better use of my time than driving 80 minutes round trip for each class that was mostly just easel time with bad light and bad rap “music”.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, I bravely went out to the easel, determined to master this problem of misbehaving paint and WHAM! into my brain came the idea of linseed oil from Mr. S. (the good teacher who taught me how to draw but denies it saying I already knew. . . go figure! I knew how to draw in 6th grade but somehow forgot through my career of drawing?)
Knowing things on the easel couldn’t possibly get any worse, I tried the linseed oil mixed with the paint and it was MAGICAL! It was fabulous! All I can say is THANK YOU GOD for sending Mr. S by with that linseed oil, even before I knew it was needed so desperately!
Reflection of societal values
First published in January 2009
The post “Art and the Economy” made me think about my art and if it serves the functions that were written about in Art Calendar magazine. Take the cheerful little cheap inexpensive painting of Three Peppers IV, which I am showing you again in order to lift your spirits with the state of the economy. 
1. Is this a “non liquid asset par excellence”? It is certainly non liquid, and I think it is excellent. (I might change my mind in a few months as my abilities increase.)
2. How does this “reflect societal values”? Food is good. We like to eat. Variety it good. Color sells. Peppers are affordable. Peppers are good for you. Okay, this painting qualifies in this category.
3. Have I “offered new insight”? Lots of people paint peppers in the 3 colors, sometimes even four (peppers come in orange too). But how many people paint them in a blue colander, hunh?? Okay, got that one nailed! (This is exhausting my feeble mind, but for the sake of intellectual discussion I will soldier on bravely)
4. Does this painting “offer a new perspective of reality”? How many of you look at your groceries as art? Are you inspired to view your food from the perspective of beauty in addition to nutrition? Were you aware of the dual purposes of edibles? Aha! There’s a “new perspective of reality” for you!!
Excuse me. I think I need to go lie down for awhile from all this heavy mental lifting. Better yet, perhaps I will knit a few rows on the hat I am making FOR THE FOURTH TIME (but I am not upset about it – I am economizing on yarn with the state of the economy in these economic hard times et cetera)
Art and the economy
First published January 2009
Have you noticed how often the phrase “with the state of the economy” is getting used these days? Tiresome to hear the repetition of whatever phrase the media and culture latches onto. . . sigh. Anyway, here are a few thoughts about art in “these current economic times” (another worn out phrase – sorry!)
In the current issue of Art Calendar magazine (note the correct usage of the word “issue” here), there are several articles about selling art in an economic slowdown. One speaks of art as the “non liquid asset par excellence”. It also discusses art as a “reflection of societal values”, and as a chance to “offer new insight and perspectives of reality”. Is that what I do???
If so, it just happens, because my thought pattern is rather predictable when it comes to making art. First thought: “How beautiful!” Second thought: “Can I capture that first on film and then on canvas or paper?” Third thought: “I wonder if that will sell. . . ” I have never considered my art to be a non liquid asset, only a way to bring joy and beauty and memories and peaceful happy thoughts to my customers’ lives! (what kind of a simpleton am I anyway???)
My “guru”, Jack White writes about all the people whom are not affected by the economic slowdown. These are nurses, ambulance drivers, teachers, fire fighters, law enforcers, just to name a few. He says that these folks are our customers. In my opinion, these have always been my customers. Who else lives around here? I know one or two people who do esoteric stock market type jobs, and they aren’t any bigger customers than my blue-collar buyers.
Perhaps the way to survive “the current state of the economy” (sheeesh! how else can this be phrased??) is to live in a continually semi-depressed rural economy so that “these current economic times” are hardly noticed as any different (other than the excess of those hackneyed phrases).
For example, I know a guy who has been waiting months and months for 4 different contractors to bid on building a new house for him. Last night in Costco, it was crowded and shelves were empty (Hey! can I get some mozzarella cheese over here??) My husband and I have had our new roof lying in our yard for 2-3 years waiting for our favorite carpenter to install it and even with the state of the economy (sorry) he is still too busy.
Here, let your spirits be lifted with this bright, cheerful, colorful and cheap inexpensive painting! Three Peppers IV, 6″x6″, oil on wrapped canvas, SOLD (I certainly hope so, since 2009!)
The Ornament Story, chapter 4
This is the crowd shuffling back down the hall as the party was over. The conversations were so much fun. I heard people going on about the bathrooms (“Fine facilities!” in a very Southern accent), talking about how many paper napkins with the White House emblem that they stuffed in their purses, and the cameras never stopped snapping. (In 2007, people took photos with cameras, not phones. I still do.)
We were very reluctant to leave, as were most of the guests. It was all such a beautiful fantasy, and it was hard to believe it was over so quickly. While I changed from my useless high heels to a pair of walking shoes, Michael made friends with Jeff, a Secret Service guy:
He showed him the photos of meeting the President in Sequoia in 2001 and referred to him as “Dubya”. I said, horrified, “Michael! They probably don’t call him that here!!” Jeff said, “Actually, we call him Forty-three”. Isn’t that a hoot?
There are many many layers of security around the White House, several different fences and gates to pass through before emerging onto Pennsylvania Avenue. Here is one last glance back:
I think I stood on a bench for this one. (It was safe – my high heels were in my oh-so-dorky-with-dress-up-clothes trusty red backpack). There was a fence separating us from the White House and another fence separating us from outside the White House.
Our next mission was to locate a Metro Station and figure out how to get back to Alexandria, where we had a 19 block walk back to Janey’s (see why I brought normal shoes with me?) Michael was a little uneasy with this, but since I had just been in China, I knew this would be a piece of cake. Why? Because everyone spoke English here AND we could read the signs. So, that is my story of the ornament. One last thing: have a look at the little item that gave me this adventure!
You used to be able to view all the ornaments but that webpage has expired. It is interesting to note that no where were the artists mentioned, only the National Parks that we represented. And we were instructed to not use our designs commercially—no reproductions, no advertising saying “as designed for the White House”. Since then,I have made more ornaments, although none identical. Besides, I paint better now.
The Ornament Story, chapter 3
A note about getting “gussied up”. . . I faxed the White House a second time to ask about the dress code. Here in Tulare County, “dressed up” means that I iron a polo shirt for Michael to wear with decent jeans. “Formal” means his best Wranglers, boots, and a “sport” jacket. (“Sport?” What, is he going to play basketball??) Really really formal means a tie with the formal ensemble. So the White House returned my fax with a phone call, and I was told in no uncertain terms (in a nasally whiny tone) that “No denim is allowed on the compound”. This meant a major shopping expedition for Michael.
Me? I found a $3 blue velveteen jacket at the local thrift shop, and since I have enough clothing for a small third world nation of short women who wear their skirts too long, this was adequate to complete an outfit for me.
We arrived in style at the White House, and joined the queue to be officially identified as invited guests. Everyone was excited, dressed up, and friendly. We finally got inside the White House itself and began the shuffle down a long hall. Everything was interesting, everyone was nice, every moment was fun! (incidentally, there were 2 men at the reception wearing blue jeans. Michael asked one of them how he got away with that, and the guy said ,”I don’t dress up for nobody”. Apparently he doesn’t bother with proper English either.)
I could go on and on about the details, but will try to contain my enthusiasm. (You realize that I really don’t get out much so this was over-the-top exciting.)
Here is a photo of the East Room where the reception was:
Outstanding food, truly outstanding! Incredible to be there, really.
Here is the podium where Laura Bush spoke:
We were too short and too far back in the crowd to see her. I was wearing my highest heels, to no avail other than killing my feet, and this was many years before the words “peripheral neuropathy” ever entered my lexicon.
This is the tree in The Blue Room. It was 18′ tall, and my ornament was placed in a perfect spot. Lower right is the back of the head of the woman guarding the tree on the side where my ornament hung. My ornament doesn’t show in this blurry photo—clearly I was a little too wound up to take proper photos.
Here is the view from the Blue Room where we were all standing around in shock and awe:
Suddenly, the carriages turned to pumpkins. Everywhere we looked, a uniformed guard was saying, “This way please”. That had to have been the quickest 2 hours of my life! to be continued. . .
The Ornament Story, chapter 2
Bob from the White House filled me in on the details of the reception, so I began making travel plans. (Nope, it wasn’t paid for by anyone but Trail Guy and your Central California artist.)
We have very good friends in Pennsylvania who invited us to stay with them AND, get this, lent us a car! So we flew into Harrisburg, which has rocking chairs in its airport. Yes, I know many airports have these now, but remember, this was 2007.
Here is what some of their area looked like: 
After recovering from a red-eye flight (Note to self: NEVER do that again), the next day we drove to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia to the home of our cabin neighbor and partner in my book The Cabins of Mineral King. The drive was so interesting to us. Just seeing signs along the freeway that mentioned Civil War battlegrounds was fascinating to these West-coasters. And the colors – this photo was taken at a rest stop.
I knew I would love Janey’s town from years of hearing about it. Sure enough – just look where she lives! Please excuse the car in the way – parking is at such a premium in her neighborhood that we had to have a permit for our borrowed car and she had to negotiate with a construction crew for a place to put the car. These homes were built in the late 1700s, and I was shamelessly and instantly in love with the whole place.
We got all gussied up, and Janey drove us to the White House. To be continued. . .