Day One on a New Set of Indoor Murals

Yesterday I messed up and accidentally hit “Publish” on Day Two of this mural project. If you subscribe, you saw it ahead of this post. Oops. I am sorry. Hope you didn’t get too confused.

I asked the Customers if there was anything they would like done differently. Mr. Customer said he’d like about 10% more blossoms. I can do this. 

I hope to finish in one more day of painting. About 1/5 of Day One was spent in set up, staring at the reference photos, staring at the wall, mixing the colors and thinking.  However, maybe I will find lots to refine and redo and it will require a Day Three.

After this, there are 3 more parts of indoor painting for these fine customers, which we will call the Customers. (They are friends too, and it is my practice to protect people’s identities on the World Wide Web.)

No Supply Chain Troubles Here

This will be my only post to remind you that I have things for sale. This is because we are deep in the Christmas season. (I am addressing the fun segment best classified as Excessmas, not to be confused with the solemn segment I think of as Nativity.)

There is a new coloring book, Heart of the County.

Mineral King Wildflowers is still available.

The Cabins of Wilsonia is now $40 instead of $50.

Notecards in several designs are available. (Is it rude to give someone Thank You notes as a gift? Prolly. Might want to get the version without “THANK YOU”  on it as a gift and get the Thank You cards for yourself.)

There are many more designs of cards available on this page.

There are ZERO 2022 calendars remaining. 

I don’t have any paintings or pencil drawings at my studio. They are at 3 different locations: Kaweah Arts in Three Rivers has cards, all the books, and paintings; the Courthouse Gallery in Exeter (limited hours – see them here) has everything except pencil reproductions (those are only available online or through me in person); the Mural Gallery in Exeter has paintings, cards, and the books. (The Mural Gallery’s website is looking wonky so here is the address: 119 South E Street, phone 559-592-3160)

I can mail merchandise to you but doubt it will be there by December 25. You are welcome to call, email, or just flag me down if you see me around Three Rivers*, and I will do my best to help you get some gifts for your Excessmas celebrations.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go find a pair of pants to ruin while painting a mural.

*Driving my faithful and somewhat still sporty ’96 Honda Accord Coupe, “Fernando”.

That Was Quick

On Friday I delivered some notecard packages to the Mural Gallery in Exeter. Manager Cindy told me of good sales of paintings there and said someone bought an 8×8″ oil painting of a poppy. That someone also requested the same size of an orange and another of a pomegranate. I asked a few questions, then went off to the Courthouse Gallery for a day of gallery-sitting and painting.

A little later, I heard from Cindy that the customer is from Barcelona, Spain, and will be returning there shortly after Christmas. That’s cutting things a little close, especially since I may not be going back down the hill before then.

When I looked in my crate of supplies, I saw an 8×8″ canvas with a photo of an orange lying on top of it. Hmmm, I wonder. . .

So, I started a new painting of an orange.

Because I have painted more oranges than I can remember, I was able to veer away from the photo but keep it believable. Of course, I had my painting friend with me to point out any areas of weakness.

I bypassed a few steps here: no wire on the back, no layering, no drying, no scan, no varnishing. But it will dry, Cindy will deliver, and our customer from Spain will go home with 2 paintings in her luggage!

IMAGES OF HOME

125 South B Street

Exeter, CA 93221

This blog post is just a reminder that my show is still up. Now it has an end date – January 2, 2022.

These are the dates and times left to see the show:

  • Friday, December 17, 11-3
  • Saturday, December 18, 12-4
  • Sunday, December 19, 12-4
  • Sunday, December 26, 12-4
  • Sunday, January 2, 12-4

That’s it, that’s all!

This, That, et cetera*

This: 

This week is cold. It isn’t even winter yet, but we got snow in Three Rivers, along with rain. I have been working on a little project in the painting workshop, but kept the doors closed because it is cold. This means it is too dark to take photos.

That:

I bid an indoor mural job for some people who had me paint this for them more years ago than I can remember. (More photos here)

This time they want small areas painted in 4 different areas with very specific detailed things: wisteria, trumpet vines with hummingbirds, boulders with lichen, grass and wildflowers, and a manzanita shrub. This might take longer than the redwoods, due to the fiddly nature of the subjects. Painting indoors is easier than painting outdoors; the only worries are dropping brushes and dripping paint. Drop cloths, along with knowing I can always add another leaf or two help with those very real concerns.

Etc.

  1. I finished a 6×6″ poinsettia commissioned oil painting (too wet to scan)
  2. I began the sixth commissioned Sawtooth Near Sunnypoint oil painting.
  3. My painting pants, a recycled part of Trail Guy’s uniform from his days working for Sequoia, which I’ve been wearing since 2009, RIPPED! The fabric was quite thin – too much sitting on asphalt and rough boards of scaffolding and the bed of a truck. I should have been cleaning my paintbrush on the backside of my pants instead of on the legs so that the paint would glue the fabric together. I don’t know when they ripped, but it was while wearing them at home that Trail Guy noticed. (This was much better than when my skirt ripped while I was in town – see item #1 here.)
  4. The last day for my show at Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery will be January 2, 2022. Here’s a weird thought: that was supposed to be the beginning of my show at Arts Visalia, the one that actually took place in April.
  5. The 2022 Calendar, Places and Things We Love, is almost sold out. (5 or 6 left? only at the Courthouse Gallery – speedy quick like lightning, LET ME KNOW TODAY IF YOU WANT TO ORDER ONE AND I WILL RESCUE IT ON FRIDAY FOR YOU! – Order here.)

    *Have you heard people say “eck settera”? It is spelled “et cetera”, abbreviated “etc.”, properly pronounced “et settera” and it means “and the rest” in Latin. You’re welcome!

     

You Just Won’t Believe This One

After I finished 3 more Sawtooth Near Sunnypoint paintings, I thought it might be prudent to do one more. This would go quickly (both the painting of it and the selling) at a smaller size, 6×12″. I chose that size for the Mural Gallery, who had just sold a 6×12″ painting of Farewell Gap. I thought this might be a good companion to that one, if they were willing to call the customer.


I delivered the new one wet to the Mural Gallery, then headed to the Courthouse Gallery for the day. Within an hour, someone came in who had just been at the Mural Gallery. She loved the painting but didn’t buy it because it was wet!

She walked around the show, and came back to the new 11×14″ painting of Sawtooth that I had just hung on the wall, replacing the first 11×14″ that had sold. I hadn’t yet put up a “SOLD” sticker, and the customer said, “That’s the one – I’ll take that!” 

Oh-oh.

Me: “Umm, I’m sorry, that one is sold!”

Customer: “Can you paint it again for me?”

Fall down laughing!

Me (after getting hold of myself): “Of course!”

Me (after customer leaves): “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? WHAT IS GOING ON?”

Me (next day): “I wonder if I could paint this scene now without looking at any photographs or previous versions.”

Trail Guy: “Better not try that if you want to sell it!”

 

Painting More Than Sawtooth

Do you remember that I sold this painting of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River more than one time at the opening to my show, “Images of Home”?

The second purchaser requested a thicker canvas, so as soon as it arrived, I dove in. (Have you ever noticed that “dove” means both the past tense of “dive” and a bird, depending on how you pronounce it?)

 

Notice that the redbud are brighter in this one. The colors on our screens don’t adequately reflect the reality of the paintings. At one point I walked to the place in my yard where Moro Rock and Alta Peak are visible so I could clarify a few things that weren’t clear in my reference photos; that was convenient!

I also worked a tiny bit on this painting that has been a difficult project. I took it to the painting session in Exeter where my honest and helpful friends could help me discern some of the weaknesses.

First, I removed the stump that identified the spot on the trail because no one else cares besides me; the point of painting is to make it irresistible to any random viewer, not just painting because it makes sense to me. The fact that it is signed and yet I continue to work on it should indicate my level of desire to make it better – normally after I sign, I stop looking at a painting.

Then I widened that tree where the stump was, taking it out to the left edge of the canvas.

We also decided on these changes: have the light come from the left side instead of the right (or, gasp of horror, both sides), straighten the leaning tree on the right to make it cease pulling your eye out of the picture, add a bit more visible sky, vary the tree sizes, add more branches because real life is messy, and whatever I do, DO NOT TOUCH THE DEER. (That’s because they are tiny and difficult – if it ain’t broke, I ain’t “fixin'” it!)

Still not finished, but definitely better. It needs texture on the tree on the right, light corrections on all the trees (it is on the wrong side of most of them), more branches, a few more skinny trees.

This is artWORK;  not artPLAY.

 

Second Chance at The Courthouse Gallery

Did you miss the opening reception of my show in Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery, “Images of Home”? Here is another chance to see the show while I am present and, most important, while snacks and beverages will also be present. 

Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery is having another reception for me.

Okay, it’s not really for me. It is a celebration at the gallery to thank docents and gallery association members, and the gallery asked me to invite you, my friends, collectors, and other interested parties, because my art* is still there. So, if you wanted to attend the opening and weren’t able to come, this is a second chance for you. 

Here is an abbreviated version of their official invitation:


Let’s celebrate!
Come to the Museum and Gallery and enjoy some snacks and refreshments – and great art by Jana Botkin – on Sunday, December 12, from 1 to 4 p.m. It’s a great way to thank our friends for their support!

It would be fun to see you there! Where is “there”? 125 South B Street, Exeter, California

*Yes, I still have a few 2022 calendars.

P.S. I will be painting at the gallery today, Friday, December 10, from 11-3.

Cowering in the Backseat on the road to Mineral King

Last weekend I went against my resolve to avoid the Mineral King road until/unless it was covered with fresh green growth or snow. The burned areas just held no appeal – scary, sad, ugly. 

However, Trail Guy, The Farmer, and Hiking Buddy were curious, so I went along. 

We stopped above the Sweet Ranch/Lake Canyon because The Farmer wanted to check out a flat area that he had seen many times from the road. You can see that the soil is just as weird here as it was in the burned area at the end of North Fork. The historic Sweet Ranch is seen here in the distance, surrounded by green plants because it was very well protected, for which we are very grateful. This is how the road looked: a bit of green on the shoulder, and barrenness all around. We stopped again above Lookout and did another foray out on another knoll.  I think these are soap plant, obviously a very hardy little piece of greenery that responded to the October rains.

We didn’t stop again for awhile. I only took this one photo – many many burned trees still standing until after Atwell. 

Normally I think that Mineral King isn’t very pretty this time of year – too much gray and brown. Compared to the road, it was BEE-YOO-TEE-FULL!!

Some observations:

  • There is an old road cut above the current road, visible from around the Cold Spring water trough up to somewhere below Lookout. (I wasn’t paying very much attention – instead I was cowering in the backseat with my knitting).
  • If there is a big warm storm, there will be mud, rocks, and boulders on the road in many places.
  • The water troughs are standing and running. (Wait, what?? How can something be both standing and running?)
  • Everything around the Trauger’s water trough is burned and it is easy to see up to where the homestead was with lots of standing dead trees.
  • Slapjack water trough area is all burned.
  • Redwood canyon is all burned, but the 2 redwood trees are fine.
  • Willows along the road above the bridge are all gone – hacked down and piled along the road.
  • The part below the bridge around Monarch Creek that needed to be pruned for visibility was not pruned.