Art: Inspired By Mineral King

Farewell Gap, a pencil drawing, will be available as a framed original for $400 and in card sets.

After 7-8 months of painting toward a show about Mineral King and (almost) in Mineral King, it is tomorrow!

Is it considered shouting to use bold type? Or is that only for capital letters? I’ve always always always considered italics to be whispering, so maybe this paragraph will be more soothing to your ears.

Four artists with cabins in the Mineral King area will be showing and selling our work on the deck of the Silver City Store tomorrow, June 30, 10 AM until 3 PM.

The Silver City Store is 21 miles up the Mineral King Road. It is a long way there, a long and winding road, and it is well worth the effort it takes to get there. The store is at about 6700′ in elevation, and it is no longer called “The Store” but now is “The Silver City Resort”. The store itself has been remodeled into a new rustic elegant interior; the artists will be on the spacious outdoor deck.

Linda Hengst, Joan Keesey, John Keesey and I will be there. Linda paints in acrylic (or is it oil? Hard for me to tell the difference), Joan does tight realistic botanicals in watercolors, and John does whimsical playful watercolors of somewhat stylized scenery of the area. Linda’s work makes you say “Ahhhh”, Joan’s work makes you say, “Ooooh”, and John’s work makes you smile. My work? Um, let’s see. . . “How much for this one?” 

I am taking 23 oil paintings (some of which I have shown you on this blog), 5 pencil drawings (all of which you have seen on this blog), Mineral King cards (old and new designs), a few reproductions of pencil drawings (also of Mineral King, duh) and some copies of my book The Cabins of Wilsonia. (The Cabins of Where? Yes, they have been requested.)

Let’s roll! See you tomorrow??

Art: Inspired byMineral King

Show and Sale

FOUR ARTISTS: Jana Botkin, Linda Hengst, Joan and John Keesey

SILVER CITY RESORT, 21 miles up the Mineral King Road

Saturday, June 30, 2018

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Honeymoon Cabin #33, 6×18″, $160 inc. tax. (I like this one so much that if I saw it in a gallery, I’d probably buy it.)

Small Business Decision

The business of art is full of choices and decisions, and rarely is there a map or an instruction book. I can find things on the World Wide Web, but often the advice is contradictory, or geared toward folks who live in cities or sell in galleries. This forces me to do my own thinking, an exhausting proposition at times.

For the upcoming show on June 30, “ART: INSPIRED BY MINERAL KING”, I have been painting diligently since January. Many pieces have sold, so I just keep painting more. 

Last week I made a small decision: I am not going to show photos of the newest pieces I’ve finished on the blog. Instead, I am saving them for the actual show. Afterward, I will post them here, hopefully with a SOLD sign on them.

This is a marketing decision. Might be good, might be dumb. As my dad used to say, “Time will tell”. (I prefer “More will be revealed in the fullness of time”.)

Then what shall I show you today? How about Piper and some weird white poppies:

There are white poppies in my yard. Piper is puzzled by this.

Redbud Festival This Weekend

My booth at the Redbud Festival 2 years ago.

Ever heard of the Redbud Festival in Three Rivers, California?

WHAT: Annual arts/crafts fair in which 30-50 makers of beautiful things gather to sell their wares. 

WHEN: Saturday, May 12, 10-5 and Sunday, May 13, 10-4

WHERE: Three Rivers Veterans Memorial Building (on Sierra Drive, weird, roundish white building, screaming ’50s-’60s architecture)

WHO: Local and semi-local artists and crafters (both the cute and the highly skilled types of crafters – you decide which is which)

HOW: Just show up. Bring money. Bring a nice attitude. Bring a friend. Bring your Mom.

  1. EXTRA FACT: The redbud tree finished blooming in March. (I just work here.)
  2. EXTRA FACT: I will have 4 of my 5 coloring books because the one on the Parks is SOLD OUT!
  3. EXTRA FACT: There might possibly be a few packages of those new experimental Mineral King cards
  4. EXTRA FACT: I will bring a bunch of paintings not yet seen in public (unless you count this blog as public, which it probably is, since this is the WORLD WIDE WEB)
Professional makers have pop up tents in the parking lot – always great stuff to see and buy!
My booth 3 years ago – nice sunlight coming in the weirdly round building

While I Was Waiting

Painting workshop and studio

There is a trick to doing art shows and open studios. The trick is waiting patiently, on stand-by, all systems ready to go.

Studio ready for guests

How does one be productive while waiting but not be so involved that a visitor/customer/guest feels like an interruption?

Coloring olives with my Blackwing Colors in Heart of Agriculture coloring book (WHY won’t this photo rotate?? Sorry, but you’ll just have to tilt your head!)

It is a mindset. I remind myself that on THIS day, I am not here to produce; I am here for the visitors. Therefore, anything that gets done is a bonus.

  • Knit
  • Weed
  • Color
  • Begin a drawing, before things get too detailed and engrossing
  • Update inventory lists
  • Update the website
  • Edit a chapter for the upcoming book about the Springville TB Hospital (This one was tricky, but I squoze it in before I heard a car arrive!)
  • Enjoy the beautiful spring day in Three Rivers
California’s state flower in my yard

As much as I’d like to just make art and be left alone to do so, this is not realistic. The business of art requires interaction with the public, most of whom are interesting and pleasant people. The business of art also requires keeping track of inventory, updating one’s website, and planning ahead.

Another pencil drawing begun for the 2019 calendar

Sometimes, it requires sitting, being available, and waiting.

Piper kept me company for awhile.

P.S. Knitting and weeding are bonus activities, reserved for recess time.

Too Random, Need a List

Too much variety means all of this could take up multiple posts, so a list will be the best approach today.

  1. There are now many new paintings listed on my website – For Sale–Oil Paintings–Landscape. If you sort by newness, you can see them.

    Honeymoon Cabin #28, 8×8″, oil on wrapped canvas, $100
  2. I finally finished coloring the grapes in my coloring book Heart of Agriculture.
  3. I started 2 other pages in the same coloring book. The ag coloring book is fun to me because there are so many colors besides just normal landscape colors. (The plum is light colored because that is how plums look hanging on the tree. The white stuff is called “bloom”.)
  4. I found a web designer! I will withhold comment until the job is finished, but so far, I am impressed. 
  5. It was good to be at Anne Lang’s for First Saturday February; I’ll return for First Saturday March.
  6. February is International Correspondence Writing Month. Ever heard of that before? There is even a website! They call themselves (who are “they”??) InCoWriMo

Interesting Place in Three Rivers

The Perfect Gift Boutique is an annual event held by the Kaweah Artisans at the Arts Center in Three Rivers. This is an old building, vaguely Craftsman in style, somewhat shabby, and in its third life – it has been a home, the Womans Club (Yes, that is the way a national club for women spells its name) and now an arts center with many uses. 

Nikki the weaver and I usually set up on the stage. The back wall is actually made of sliding panels that open onto the back yard, so that the viewers of a play can sit in the back, outside.

The rock work is extensive, resourceful (using river rock) and interesting. I’ve heard that it is a little scary upstairs, but I love those double-hung windows and shingle siding. This is at the very top of the triangular back yard.

The balcony overlooks the back yard; I wonder if it was ever used in plays there.

This is looking up from the stage into the back yard audience area. 

The interior is where we, the Kaweah Artisans, spend our time. It is an open space where about 5-6 folks can set up their wares. This is the view that Nikki and I have of the room from our perch on the stage.

Could you people hold it down? I had a rough night and need my sleep.

First Saturday December

In Three Rivers, the first Saturday of each month is a special day. Some artists open their studios, some retailers offer discounts, and it is just a little more of an event to visit our town.

For First Saturday December, I will have my studio open for first time in several years.

You can see the newest mural, buy a calendar (other things too), and perhaps even get bitten on the ankle by Samson (unless he worked the late shift and is sleeping in one of his secret hideaways).

Pick up a map at Anne Lang’s Emporium to get directions to all the participating businesses, and this month it includes two other artists in my own neighborhood.

P.S. My studio has come a long ways in the past almost 16 years!

Perfect Gift Boutique Today

Perfect Gift Boutique is today, in Three Rivers at the Arts Center, from 10 AM – 4 PM. Tomorrow too. Eight of us will showing and selling our wares.

 The Perfect Gift Boutique

Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving,

November 24-25, 2017

10 AM – 4 PM

Three Rivers Arts Center, 41673 North Fork Dr, Three Rivers, California (first building on the left after crossing the Kaweah River on the North Fork Bridge)

 

Umpteenth Annual Perfect Gift Boutique

The Kaweah Artisans’ Perfect Gift Boutique will be Friday, November 24 and Saturday, November 25, 2017, at the Three Rivers Arts Center. The times? Oh no, I can’t remember!! 9-4? 10-4? Stay tuned. . . here are some leaf photos for you to enjoy while I look for the times.

It is a little bit hard to leave home on a sunny fall morning.

10 AM to 4 PM!

Three Rivers Arts Center, 41673 North Fork Dr, Three Rivers, California (first building on the left after crossing the Kaweah River on the North Fork Bridge)

Backyard Boutique Roundup

That backyard boutique day was an early early morning for this little gray duck.

First, the bad news: the most gracious and lovely hostess of the event announced that this is the last year she will be putting this on. Bummer.

Now the good news: All these paintings now have good homes (not that my studio was a bad home, but it was just a waiting room.)

At first, my space was inside the garage, since rain was predicted.

The rain didn’t come, so I dragged everything forward to the opening onto the back yard. Looks a little messier this way, but then people HAD to see me as they came into the yard. I met some wonderful people, reunited with some old friends, found a few new future drawing students (there’s a waiting list), and shared some resources with artists who needed a bit of help.

A good time was had by all, especially after the sun came out. Such a huge yard and this is only half!

Then, I got to go home. That’s always the best part. I can paint some of these leaves, or maybe just lie down with my feet up and my tongue hanging out like a tired dog. 

Woof.