What’s Happening Now

The first painting to sell at IMAGES OF HOME was Sawtooth Near Sunnypoint.

To clarify the title for you: Sunnypoint was the name of a campground in Mineral King, closed by the Forest Service some time before 1978. The Nature Trail runs through it, and this view is how I wished it actually looked. Instead, Black Wolf Falls isn’t fully visible in this exact position, and Sawtooth only shows as a little point. Nonetheless, this is what we remember when we think of those 2 places, along with a full and curving stream. “We”? That would be me, myself, I, and the 4 people who bought this painting.

How can 4 people buy the same painting??

I’m glad you asked. When Person #2 said, “Oh, wow, I would love that but it is sold!”, I replied with, “I can paint it again for you.” 

This happened 3 times after the first sale.

This is what is happening now:

The top one is 16×20″; the bottom two are 11×14″.

This is also happening now:

I’ll ‘splain these to you later.  Meanwhile, my show IMAGES OF HOME is also happening now at the Courthouse Gallery in Exeter.

Special Painting for a Special Person

Remember when I painted a Farewell Gap oil painting and wouldn’t tell you why? I said it had to be the very best painting I had ever done. The Best Version of the Classic Mineral King Scene

The painting was commissioned by the Mineral King Preservation Society and the Mineral King District Association to be a gift for Louise, someone who has been very instrumental in both preserving the history of Mineral King and developing a good relationship between the cabin owners and Sequoia National Park. 

She also happens to be one of my dearest friends, someone who coached me through my first murals, got me my first paid public mural, and has been more encouraging than anyone I have ever known. She is also an author, and I had the privilege of editing and publishing two books for her: Trail of Promises and The Visalia Electric Railroad. We work together like a well-oiled machine, one that laughs a lot while producing good results.

Here are some photos of the presentation of the painting.

I love this lady.

P.S. These came via email:

1. What a beautiful post, beautiful painting, and beautiful lady.  How is Louise doing?  She looks well. – Jon S.

2. Your “Louise gift” in this morning’s post brought tears. what a touching tribute to my very special cousin.
three cheers for a beautiful exhibit! – Bev

Well Received (Successful Opening Reception)

The opening reception to my solo show, “Images of Home” at Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery was amazingly well attended. No one was counting, but I think there were at least 100 people, and everyone did NOT come at once. It was most totally excellent! 

This is the first thing you see when you step into the entryway.

This is what you see when you step into the gallery.

Here is a comfortable corner for contemplation.

These three pencil drawings of Mineral King look just right on this wall. (How would they look all together on a wall in your home?)

Sold!

These are still available.

This child was too cute to not photograph. (Her mom gave permission).

There were a few opportunities to photograph people in the gallery, but that wasn’t my real mission.

Sold!

Sold!

Sold!

Sold!

Sold twice!

Sold four times!

Yeppers, you read that right. I have to order some canvases, and then get painting. If someone expressed disappointment at having missed out on a painting, I simply said, “I can paint it again for you”. (Do other artists do this??)

 

Hanging Around With Great Friends

A few days before we went to Exeter to hang the show, this was drying in the dining room. 

Wait! This seems familiar. Hmmm, last year we had a similar situation. (You can read about it here.)

Trail Guy loaded the pickup (not the Botmobile — the fancy pick-em-up). I had already taken a load of paintings and drawings, and there also were large pieces propped up behind the front seat. We headed to Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery for a day of hanging art.

After spreading all the pieces around the gallery, figuring out a basic arrangement and groupings, we started figuring out how to hang the pieces. The system is a little bit of a challenge, but we were up for it.

Look at these wonderful friends! They made a big job, full of unknowns, into a fun day together.

This photo is to show you that there will be more than just original pencil drawings and oil paintings.

COMING SUNDAY

IMAGES OF HOME

Exeter Courthouse Gallery, 125 So. B Street

Opening Reception, November 14, 1-4 PM

You can read about me and my art in an article from the Visalia Times-Delta by going to the Mineral King District Association website; the article is “Recent Fires Don’t Deter Artist From Highlighting Tulare County Beauty”. Lisa McEwen is the most accurate writer/freelance reporter/journalist I have ever had the pleasure to work with.

Harder than it Looks

Being on one’s own in a completely flexible profession is not always easy. There is no specific roadmap, operator’s manual, or industry standard and even if there were, it would probably not apply here in Central California’s flyover country. The only galleries in Tulare County are non-profit, run entirely by volunteers, most of whom are good-hearted individuals without training in such matters. Artists may have some training, but generally it was decades earlier, completely outdated, or just various bits gleaned from the highly diverse internet, where one can find anything, everything, and nothing.

This brings me to a boatload of questions about my upcoming show, Images of Home. Some answers have appeared since I initially wrote this post.

  1. If the gallery is normally open on Saturday, will people be able to see the show the day before the reception?  Nope, the gallery will be closed.
  2. When will my show actually end? With December 25 on a Saturday, will the gallery be closed on the Sunday of that week? How about the following week? It will end on an as of yet unspecified date in January.
  3. Will anyone actually come to the reception? Oh Crystal Ball, where art thou?
  4. Should I have kept my art in Three Rivers in the art consignment store that is open many more days and hours than the Courthouse Gallery? Shoulda, coulda, woulda, prolly not, ain’t nobody knows nothin’
  5. Is it “Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery”, “Exeter Courthouse Gallery”, “Courthouse Gallery of Exeter”? None of the above; it is Exeter Art Gallery and Museum Association
  6. Why do I have so many questions? Do other people? Why is it so hard to find answers? Does anyone beside me actually care about these details? silence. . . 
  7. How will I decide which “occasional Fridays” to be at the gallery? I will be there four consecutive Fridays from 11-3 beginning November 26.
  8. How shall I publicize those Fridays to interested parties? Good question. . . 
  9. How can anyone think with the neighbor’s dog barking incessantly? focus focus focus on the task at hand
  10. Why doesn’t the neighbor care? Or answer emails or return phone calls? If we decided to sell and move, would we have to disclose the barking dog to the buyer? Some folks just are not community minded

And you thought all I did was sit around and draw or paint all day! This self-employment as an artist is harder than it looks. Let’s just contemplate something peaceful to calm ourselves as we wait for more to be revealed in the fullness of time.

Yokohl, oil on wrapped canvas, 10×20″, $350

Images of Home

Exeter Courthouse Gallery (Is this the right name?)

125 South B Street, Exeter, California
November 14 – December 30 (Is this the actual closing date?), 2021

Opening Reception – Sunday, November 14, 1-4 p.m.

I know the title of the show is correct, as is the address and the date of the opening reception. Now, what am I going to wear? Should I get my hair cut? Why do we say “hair” when it is all of our hairs that get cut?

I need a cigarette.

WAIT! I don’t smoke! Never have, never will. 

If you see me out in front of the gallery pulling weeds, just be polite, okay?

 

For Your Shopping Convenience

Here is the new calendar again for your convenience. I don’t want to post the backside because Reader and Commenter Sharon doesn’t want to see any months in advance. If you want to see it, email me and I’ll send you the picture of the back. It is $15 including mailing and tax until November 1. Then it is $20 including mailing and tax. This is the link that works.

This is the new coloring book. It will be $20 and isn’t here yet. You may order it now if you don’t mind waiting until sometime after November 8 for me to ship it to you. Here is the link to the page where the book will be available.

Images of Home will be a solo show at Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery, full of my oil paintings and pencil drawings. I will also bring calendars, coloring books, note cards, wildflower books, and Wilsonia books. The gallery hours are 12-4 on Saturday and Sunday. I will be there on Fridays to keep the place open, but don’t know what hours. The opening reception will be Sunday, November 14 from 2-4. I will continue to tell you about this until you want to unsubscribe or email with concerned notes about my repetitious blogging. The particulars about the show are here.

Finally, this is what I saw when I walked back to the house from the studio one evening last week.

Sure beats smoke, eh?

Friday List

Here a listicle for you because I spent all day staring at the computer and feel a little dull.

  1. Mineral King cabin owners are allowed to go up and finish the process of securing their cabins for the winter. 2 teams went in last weekend, warriors in a posse to rescue cabins from various elements. Now some of the owners will get to inspect, perfect and complete their work. (“Some” because many live far away or don’t feel the need to go up before the predicted storm.)
  2. The storm is predicted to be bigger than any we’ve had for 2 years.
  3. Precipitation doesn’t always put a fire out. Things smolder for many months.
  4. There were 10 things broken on my website, several of which were repaired, and several which remain a mystery. I think there might be 2 versions of my blog – one which allows commenting and one which does not; one which shows the heading in a normal way, and another which does not. This is way out of my limited experience to explain or fix. 
  5. After spending an entire day staring at the computer screen, the new coloring book might be finished. (Will be $20 each) Here is the cover:
  6. The details of my upcoming SOLO show at Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery got nailed down.

Images of Home

Opening Reception: Sunday, November 14, 2-4 p.m.
Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery, 125 So. B Street
Gallery open: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 12-4
Show will tentatively hang through Christmas Eve
I will be there on Fridays!
 

 

Mineral King August Tradition

The Mineral King Preservation Society has been hosting a concert for several (five? ten? I can’t remember) years. It happens on a platform that was initially built for dancing back in the days of the Mineral King resort. The musicians are a married couple who call themselves Mankin Creek. They are bluesy, folksy, terrific!

You can see the edge of the platform. On it, and around the edges too – might have had 100 people.

Dinner is provided – sandwiches from Sierra Subs, grapes from The Farmer (our hiking partner).

Farewell Gap had nice light.

I messed around with settings on my camera, found “super vivid”,  and decided it would look better painted this way.

But, this is how it looked with real alpenglow, not enhanced by the camera’s fancy settings. It is the best!

Some of the staff from the Silver City Resort were uninhibited about dancing and really added life to the evening. Afterward I talked to them (they sell my paintings for me!) and learned they are from: New Hampshire, New York, Nebraska, Michigan, San Diego, and Orange County. Uninhibited about dancing and undaunted by travel.

These events make me tired. I need to spend time just sitting and knitting to prepare and to recover. The color in real life is pretty close to “super vivid” light on Farewell Gap.

Taking a walk with a friend is also a good recovery activity from too much time in a crowd.

And look who we saw on the way down the hill after the weekend. Didn’t get his face – Trail Guy was driving and not too keen on sitting in the middle of the road while waiting for a good bear pose. My inability to get good animal photos is one of the reasons I stick to landscapes.

Post Show Thoughts

“Still Here” is over. This is my first time to exhibit in Arts Visalia, and I don’t have anything to compare the show to, particularly in light of the virus approach to handling things. Four pieces sold, and the director thought that was great, because some shows have no sales. (That would be highly disheartening.) Many cards and a few books sold too. The last day had steady visitation, a great time to visit with friends and meet some new people with an interest in art. In spite of the low-key approach, not knowing if the video interview and the virtual show was viewed much (thank you, those of you who told me you watched!) and the wondering about actual visitation levels, I think the show was a good experience and worth doing.

These are the pieces that have new homes (when they are shipped or retrieved).

Yokohl Creek was by far the most favored piece, both by those who saw the show in person and online. One smart person wasted no time claiming it; I will package it up to ship on Monday.

Someone I don’t know bought Yokohl Sky, which is always a boost of confidence.

Dear friends bought the cabin drawing while we were hanging the show! They had to be sneaky about it because I would have happily just given it to them. (A wise friend once taught me this: “If your friends won’t do business with you, who will?”)

Of my 13 pencil drawings of flowing water, “Rough and Tumble” has been the favorite (It is the background of the homepage on my website), most often spoken about or wished for. A friend bought this one too, which really warmed my heart.