Week One of Operation Mineral King Painting Factory felt successful. 7 of the 11 paintings are completed (except for drying, scanning and varnishing), and it seems possible to complete the remaining 4 (3 are large-ish) and maybe even make tracks on the other 2 on stand-by, all next week. (Prolly not. . . that is overly ambitious, given the way life often intrudes on my work plans.)
This painting really wanted to be detailed, so I began on the left side.The right side is really looking sorry by contrast.This detailing took FOUR HOURS!! Good thing I like it. I like to draw, because I definitely “drew” with my paintbrushes, something frowned upon by The Big Boys and Girls of Art.
This painting was a challenge. It is a scene I haven’t painted before, the view at the upper end of the Nature Trail as you enter the cabin area.
This might be the best I can do with this one. Squishing a vertical scene into a square sort of works.This one is also new to me in terms of painting. It is the view from Timber Gap.This feels easy after working on the 6×18″ piece of a similar view.
I like this!This one needed a sky do-over. I think I last worked on it in low light. It is better, but this was photographed in low light, so hard to say.This one is finished, and is so fun to photograph in front of its larger brother.Why not photograph the new Sawtooth in front of the muralized one?And I think this one can be considered finished.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MELINDA!! (now entering the S-words)
This is the third day of Mineral King Oil Painting Factory.
This one was drying, taking up valuable easel space.These three needed attention.Here they are with the photos on top that I’ll use, hoping that somehow seeing them there will make me a better painter.WHO IS THIS???Piper, how did you convince your brother to come out of hiding??Tuxedo sat there briefly, tiptoed around a bit, heard a noise and returned to the hole. I’ve been thinking that Ansel would be a good name for a black and white cat.Back to work, feeling happy because perhaps I will have 2 cats after all.Feeling happy makes for good painting, maybe. When this is finished and dry, I’ll compare it to the earlier ones (unless they have all sold).Sawtooth. I thought I could set it aside, and then I realized that the telephone pole could use some foliage.Here is the popular 6×18″ size.Same, but betterJust kept adding detail, layer after layer, until it seemed as if I was just lifting off what just got laid on.At the end of the day, I feel tired of standing, staring, squinting and painting. That makes it a good time to do some loose base coats, since my ability to focus has diminished after about 6 hours of painting.
This whole idea of being a painting factory has its good points and its not so good ones. Have you noticed that applies to almost every single thing in life?
The good: Getting things finished well in advance of a deadline is a good way to do business, and focusing on the same subjects and colors over and over should be honing my skills.
The not so good: Focusing to this degree is tiring, I might be boring my readers, and OH NO WHAT IF THEY DON’T SELL BECAUSE I HAVE SATURATED THE MARKET??
Besides these 11 paintings in progress, there are 2 more that have been on stand-by for months – my favorite bridge and Eagle Lake.
I’ll think about all that another day.
P.S. Tony was thrilled with his goose, the black and white cat is definitely gone, and the 6×18 painting has sold.
Are you just bowled over by the clever titles to my blog posts? Some days I just about put myself to sleep with the repetition in titles, but there is always something new to post for you to see and read.
This one only had a tiny mark on it during the last painting session. It will need aspen branches and leaves in the foreground to make it more identifiable as the upper end of The Nature Trail in Mineral King.These 2 blank canvases were waiting for me; I forgot to start them on the day when I began the other 9 paintings. Forgot! Right there on the table and I FORGOT??Surprahz, surprahz, surprahz, as Gomer Pyle used to say. This is Farewell Gap with the Crowley cabin.Now here’s a real surprise – Piper is becoming comfortable. The tuxedoed brother was still in hiding at the time I wrote this post. (Update on tuxedoed brother cat: he ran away.)He looks both scrawny and confident.This is an entirely new format for a Honeymoon Cabin painting.I add the next layer with better attention to color and detail, working from back to front and left to right.At the end of the painting day (and decent light), Piper was still hanging out with me. And you can see that the color of light is distinctly different at this time than when I began.
I went to Mineral King. Literally, this time. It was interesting to see in person what I have been painting, the winter version instead of the summer scenes.
First view of Sawtoothmethods of transportation – the Botmobile and the Trackster/snow buggyNot enough snow on the road for snowmobiles, but the Trackster had no trouble.Wow, clear view down to the valley Closer view of SawtoothThe Honeymoon CabinClassic view from the bridgeSAY WHAT?? Someone worked hard to share this bizarre little joke with those who make it to MK in the winter!Trail Guy skiing past the 10′ snow stake by the pack stationTrail Guy skiing through the cottonwoods; these are the ones that are so brilliantly yellow in the fall.Farewell, Farewell (Gap).View from the Trackster heading downhill.What was snow in the morning was bare pavement in the afternoon.
Back to the easels. . . thanks for stopping by this week!
P.S. Last year at this time I was repainting the Mineral King mural and it was HOT out after a very wet winter; this year winter didn’t arrive until March. Weird.
One Sawtooth, one Honeymoon Cabin, one White Chief, three of the most popular scene of Farewell Gap with the Crowley cabin, and one of just Farewell Gap minus the Crowley cabin. 6×6″ is the most popular size.
Keep painting, Central California Artist Who Specializes in Mineral King.
I am back to Mineral King, figuratively speaking, not literally. There is finally some snow up there, and I’m happy to be here in the painting studio, painting summer scenes of Mineral King.
First, look who showed up! Piper and his brother arrived on a Friday, and Piper decided to get acquainted with us on Sunday. He spent most of Monday in hiding with his brother, and when I was finished painting, he came out.
Piper is the name he arrived with. We’ll probably keep it. (the name and the boy cat).
My initial goal was to begin 9 paintings, but then 2 more sold, so I increased it to 11. It feels daunting, so the plan is simply to begin each painting. Then when I paint next, I can choose whichever one rings my bell to focus on. Just need to get some momentum started. . .
Leaving Monarch, 8×10″Timber Gap, 8×10″
What is this?Oh! It is White Chief., 11×14″
Skies only on three 6×6″Another sky on a 6×18″, a popular sizeMountain ridge underneath the sky. The squared-off peak is White Chief.This 6×18″ of the Honeymoon Cabin feels very experimental. I’m making up the missing parts so that it fills the canvas. (The pink line is a strange computer action, courtesy of the Mac photo program. . .?)End of the painting session, part one.End of the painting session, part two.Inspector Piper wants to know what happened here today.
P.S. I typed this blog post with Piper on my lap. This is good, but where is his brother??
As promised, here are some finished Mineral King oil paintings from my Phactory Phases. Factory Fases? Too much cuteness for you? I’m sorry. Must be the oil fumes.
They are all oil paintings on wrapped canvas, which means the sides are painted so they don’t need frames. The prices don’t include 8% sales tax; if you live outside of California, you don’t have to pay it, lucky you. If you want to order, you can go to the sales page and use shopping cart and Paypal or you can send me a check in the Real Mail, the US Postal Service, my favorite way to reach out and touch.
Mineral King Trail II, 8×10″, $125Mineral King Alpenglow, 6×18″, $150Honeymoon Cabin #30, 6×6, $60Mineral King Stream, 6×6″, $60Juniper, 6×6″, $60Sawtooth XXIII, 8×8″, $100
I love to blog, to post here on my web log, weblog, blog, online journal. Mostly I just run on about the business of art, but sometimes I show you things for sale. I don’t wear plaid pants, assault people, lie or talk fast; instead, I just provide opportunities for my handful of readers to buy the things I make.
It is my hope that you enjoy my blog, and find enough opportunities to buy my work without feeling sold to.
This is a post about 4 cute little oil paintings of various Mineral King scenes on boards, each one sitting on its own tiny wooden easel. (Well, yes, they are for sale – thank you for asking!)
White Chief – SOLDSawtoothVandeverLittle Farewell Gap – SOLD
The rectangular paintings are 4×6″ and are $50; the squares are 4×4″ and are $40.
Such a deal! They are available on this page. (Sort by price, lowest to highest, and they will appear on the first page.)
Now there’s a creative blog post title for you. . . just the facts, ma’am.
I’m almost finished with this phase. Paintings need to dry, get signed, scanned, and varnished. Have a look at the various stages.
Cute little 4×6″ oil painting on board, on its very own easel.2 scenes waiting for wildflowers, and a bridge awaiting some painterly confidence.Drying from 2 sky do-overs.Say buh-bye to the unwanted pomegranate.
Maybe next week I will have a host of completed, signed and scanned Mineral King oil paintings to show you.
This year I have set the goal of finishing all the Mineral King oil paintings well before the season begins. The Silver City Store has been selling my oil paintings since 2010, and it is good for them, for me, and for the customers. The past 8 years have provided a good idea of what sells and in what sizes and quantities. Why not look at this information and make a plan?
Phase I was finishing a large quantity of paintings in the month of January, some that were begun in December. The total was something crazy huge, like 2 dozen or so. I hadn’t planned on buying 4×6″ canvases or painting on 4 little boards that used to contain things like tomatoes, so the number went up. All this production forced me to figure out how to use my painting hours more efficiently, and in February, I am continuing with this plan.
(Do you need a nap yet? A cup of espresso?)
Phase II is filling in the gaps – do I have the right quantities of the best subjects in the most popular sizes? Nope, not yet. Here is how beginning another 8 paintings looks. It’s not that pretty, but it is not as gross as making sausage, I guess, although I’ve never witnessed that operation.
Wiring and writing titles and inventory numbers.Buh-bye, sweet little pomegranate that no one wants.Skies come second, after I have “toned” the canvas, which is Artspeak for smearing the gunk from the bottom of the turpentine jar all over it and letting it dry.
There are about 6 more subjects I want to paint. These are also Mineral King, but they involve new scenes.
If this seems a little repetitious to you, well, it is. It is a little repetitious to me to. That’s the thing about doing work for a seasonal business – it is repetitious because there are new customers every week, and they haven’t seen my paintings before. Or they saw them last year and want to add to the collection. Or, their friends saw their painting and wanted one too.
