Making Another List

 

While figuratively twiddling my thumbs and waiting for responses, I took advantage of the empty schedule to do some necessary tasks. These sorts of things don’t normally come to mind when people think about an artist’s work.

  1. Finished bookkeeping to file my sales tax report. (no photo for that boring task)
  2. Took inventory of notecards to see which ones to order next time the printer has a sale. Should I reorder this one, which I love but doesn’t sell very well? 
  3. Checked on sales and inventory at Kaweah Arts and resupplied them with cards.
  4. Asked Trail Guy to repair my flat files and then reorganized the contents. (They don’t show in this photo and my walls are currently almost empty, unlike this deceptive photo of abundant paintings.)
  5. Finished the design and ordered the 2023 calendars. (Hold your camels because I’m not ready to show you yet!)
  6. Asked Trail Guy to oil the shingles on my studio that are looking tired from the sprinklers, and he did it – thank you, TG! (This photo was taken last year.)
  7. Updated my inventory lists for the places that sell my work on consignment.
  8. Worked on the 30,000 photos in my computer, getting the drawings from The Cabins of Wilsonia separated into their own folder. (280 drawings, all requiring lots of boring computer work to get into order). The book is now $40, such a deal.

And thus we conclude another lazy listicle of another day in the life of your Central California artist who would rather be…

…making art that people can understand, of places and things they love, for prices that won’t scare them.

Waiting. . . and Making Lists

Today is a peek into the life of a professional artist. A working artist. A self-employed artist. A rogue, solo, maverick artist. Something.

So many jobs on hold. Time for a listicle:

  1. Finished a commissioned drawing but the customer isn’t ready for it.
  2. Framed a drawing requested by a business to use in a display, but the proprietor hasn’t told me when she’ll be there to receive it.*
  3. Been chosen to supply art for a new office building but the Committee hasn’t made its decisions yet.
  4. Been asked to paint a mural but the Asker hasn’t returned my calls.
  5. Sketched a few ideas for that mural but since the Asker hasn’t told me the budget, I don’t know how big to make the mural.
  6. Designed and bid 3 murals for a large project and waiting to hear if my ideas and prices are acceptable.
  7. Ready to paint a replacement in anticipation of selling something from Falling into Winter at Exeter’s Art Gallery and Museum (formerly known as The Courthouse Gallery). I’m certain this one will sell. (6×12″, Unspiced, $125)

*UPDATE: THE DRAWING OF THE GATEWAY BRIDGE IS NOW ON DISPLAY AT THE THREE RIVERS HISTORICAL MUSEUM.

Mural News

The Visalia Times-Delta has an article in the Saturday edition about the Mooney Grove murals. This is the link.  Maybe it works without a subscription. You’ll have to try it. (Thank you, J.C. for letting me know!)

 

More Fall in Mineral King

It was clear by the colors that fall has arrived in Mineral King. We missed fall the past two years because of fires, so this year we are soaking it in. 

This is more of our walk down the road and back up the Nature Trail last Saturday.

The next day we took a walk up the valley to Crystal Creek, where we took in more of the bright colors of fall, a real gift after the smoke of the past two falls.

The Sierra Gentian at Crystal Creek from last week were now fully opened.

But that looks a bit too summery for a post about fall, so let’s conclude with this bright little leaf, whose name I do not know. (Want to name him? How about Rufus?)

Beginning of Fall in Mineral King

Since I am currently working on a project that is not ready to be publicized, this week will have two days of Mineral King. 

Last weekend it was clear that fall has arrived. It didn’t feel like fall, but the colors were evidence enough.

A friend had left his sweatshirt along the trail to Timber Gap, so we headed up to see if it was still there. I only made it a little past the junction before giving up. Trail Guy went to the place where the sweatshirt had been, looked carefully all around, and finally concluded that someone new is now wearing a gray sweatshirt with the words “Grove City College”. (If you know who, please let me know!)

The next day we walked down the road and up the Nature Trail to enjoy the colors. These photos are what we saw while heading down the road.

And I’ll show you the rest tomorrow!

 

 

Drawing on the Side

What does “drawing on the side” mean? Is that like salad dressing on the side?

In this case, it means that I have a pencil drawing in progress that I keep with my drawing lessons supplies. That way, if I get to lessons early or if no one shows up for class (REALLY?? Yeppers, it has happened), there is something I can work on instead of just knitting.

You thought what? That I would play on my phone? If you thought that, you don’t know me very well.

The back tree needs to be darker and there is a little patch of unfinished background.

No rush. It isn’t a commissioned pencil drawing. It is just a way to A. indulge my love of drawing, B. show my students a piece in progress, C. give them a chance to evaluate my work because we must tell one another the truth, and I want to know if they have been paying attention, D. be productive in otherwise empty time.

Eight Things I Learned in September

Started with six and then two new learnings arrived. It was a month of great thankfulness for no fires and for a little bit of rain without lightning.

  1. King Arthur Flour is supposed to be superior for baking. I have always just bought the cheapest unbleached white and whole wheat flours from the bulk bins at Winco, so this will be a giant leap forward. My tastebuds are not very discerning, so I may decide it isn’t worth the extra moola. However, I have been told it is worth the higher price. I looked it up and the shipping is high (of course!) and the website sent me around in circles, so I am not providing the link. Found the flour at SaveMart. Expensive, so it had better be good*.
  2. Simon Beck is a snow artist. Say what? He creates 2-8 acre “murals” in the snow, geometric designs, by walking in a pattern with snow shoes in new snowfalls. Here is an article about him with more photos than words.
  3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a wonderful book, one I read many years ago, again in 2003, and just finished. Why does it seem as if I have never read it before?
  4. Fiestaware is the last pottery factory in the United States. I had no idea. Dishes are overwhelming thrift shops because people rarely buy sets anymore and definitely don’t choose “fine china” along with “everyday dishes”. Guess I was way ahead of my time when I decided against “fine china” back in the early ’80s. But oh my, I do love those bright colorful dishes. (I learned this while listening to Mike Rowe interview Salena Zito – Episode 268).
  5. Also on Mike Rowe’s podcast (episode 260), I learned about a dairy called Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana that is entirely self-sustaining. They found a way to feed their cows so that the milk is lactose free, has 1/2 the sugar and 1/3 more protein than regular milk, and Coca Cola bought the brand, naming it Fairlife. I bought some—super expensive, and good, but not sure it is worth the extra money. But I felt so hyper-nourished and righteous about it).
  6. Painting on a south-facing wall is an activity best done in December, January, or February. I learned this years ago when I painted my first giant mural in Exeter. However, when the work appears, it doesn’t often come with ideal options. (Begun in January, completed in May.
  7. Asphalt driveways DON’T need to be resealed every year. In fact, about every four years is right, according to ASR, an excellent asphalt seal and repair company. We’ve been thinking we were neglecting the driveway by skipping a year or two, and in fact that was the right thing. If you keep resealing it, it traps moisture and starts flaking. Who knew?? Obviously not the guys driving around resealing driveways every single year!!
  8. There was indeed a carousel at Mooney Grove Park. It has been restored and now is in front of Hanford’s Fox Theater, according to old friend/blog reader David Stevens, who also provided this photo (THANK YOU, Dave!)

*Good, but not awesome.

An Artist’s Aimless and Arbitrary Random Roundup

How is that for a fancy name of a lazy listicle? Sometimes there are various and sundry things taking place in my life  and sometimes, I think you all might be interested. Let’s have a look:

  1. Remember the commissioned flowing water drawing that I was redrawing because the the original had sold? IT DIDN’T SELL! IT WAS HANGING ON THE WALL IN MY STUDIO THE ENTIRE TIME!! Good grief Charlie Brown. This is the new version.And the old:I found it impossible to duplicate the old one exactly, but it doesn’t matter, because water motion doesn’t duplicate itself exactly either.
  2. We have a bad bear in the neighborhood. This was our first attempt to thwart him after his first attempt to tear into the door.
  3. This is the second way “we” (Trail Guy, but I watched a little bit) secured the door against Mr. Bad Bear.
  4. I mailed the sweater to my friend that I began for her back in August, and this is how she reimbursed me for postage. (Now should I reimburse her for $4 it cost to send this plus a very appreciated turquoise necklace?)
  5. The lawn was still a meadow until recently, I allowed Trail Guy to mow it. This year I am clipping and saving the seeds to see if I can fill in the bare spots, which don’t show under the long blades of grass (or under Tucker, who doesn’t show among the long blades either). Once mowed, I realized the lush lawn was actually the botanical version of a comb-over.
  6. Oh, Fernando, you have been so faithful. I’m so sorry about your ignition switch. If you live in Tulare County and drive Honda, Toyota, Lexus, or Acura, you NEED Foreign Auto Works, 210 N. Cain, Visalia. Mark’s number is 559-734-8285. You are welcome. (I wouldn’t dream of driving something he doesn’t work on!)
  7. The ignition switch is now repaired; now the windshield wipers don’t work. When does the owner of a much beloved old car say “enough”? Sigh. (If I didn’t have AAA and Foreign Auto Works, I’d probably be more inclined to update my ride.)

Tomorrow’s post will be our monthly Learned List. 

Quick Turn-around in Mineral King

For most of the summer, I caught rides up the hill with neighbors and then rode home with Trail Guy in the Botmobile. It is fun to drive the road, but there is no reason to beat my car up needlessly. It is also fun to spend car time with friends.

I didn’t make arrangements for a ride up the hill because I thought I’d still be painting in Mooney Grove. However, I finished the mural, and then wild horses could not have kept me from going to Mineral King. It was for only one night, a total of about 28 hours up the hill.

Hello, Oak Grove Bridge!!

Hello, Traugers! 

And this is what I meant by “beating up my car”. The potholes are legendary.

I didn’t photograph the hogwallows in the 3 dirt sections. The light and shade hides the deep dips, so you’d better be going v e r y slowly and paying close attention. (I thought for a bit that I needed a gear lower than first.)

Deck-time is precious, particularly in light of not having time up the hill during the past two Septembers. Much of my short stay in Mineral King was spent catching up with friends.

We had some work to do on the Honeymoon Cabin‘s new steps.

I still don’t understand why this is called the “Point Cabin”. It’s not on a point; what’s the point?

We had time for a short walk to Crystal Creek.

Fungus?

The light was rapidly changing, sometimes brilliant, sometimes muted.

The currant crop is very light this year but the juniper berries are thick.

The colors never look as good in photos as in real life.

Crystal Creek is like Facebook at this time of year: about 1/4″ deep, and a mile wide.  There was a stray clump of Sierra Gentian by the creek. (A PhD* camera isn’t adequate to the task of exposing the flowers clearly while blurring the creek.)

And thus we conclude a quick turnaround trip to Mineral King.

*Press Here, Dummy

Custom Art Means Accepting Commissions

I accepted the job of painting a custom sign for a cabin owner. This is a larger version of one that I did 10 years ago, one that fell apart from being out in the weather.

He asked me in July, and the summer got hot, as summers do in Tulare County. Because he wasn’t in a hurry (bless you, Mr. Customer!), I just piddled along, and then stopped for a few weeks when it was just too hot in the painting workshop. 

Suddenly, the heat quit, so I returned to the project.

It is a little bit too hard for me, so there is a fair amount of thinking, trying, erasing, waiting, and trying again. Here are the steps.

I am working from the old sign and don’t remember what the source was for this Norse god of winter, named Ullr.

I changed the border color from yellow to a more pleasing yellowish green.

A little bit at a time, because this is just difficult.

What is so hard? Seeing the proportions correctly, getting the oil paint and brushes to behave, figuring out where to place the border decor.

This time I will include some wildflowers. Mr. Customer and I discussed lupine, so there is more thinking involved in size and placements.

Finally, I am happy with the results, as is the easy-going customer.

P.S. Recently someone else asked me to paint another strange and unique sign, with blurry and uncertain reference photos and calligraphy. This time I had the good sense to turn down the job. An artist has got to know her limitations.