That’s the title!
Signed, but not titled
Last weekend I was at the Chevron station when a man in a white van pulled up behind me. He asked if I had done the mural; I hesitated until he said he liked it. (Chicken!) Then I admitted it was mine. We visited about it for a bit, and he asked if he could make a suggestion. I said, “of course!” Then, he felt a bit embarrassed, and I had to really work to get it out him. He suggested having more flowers extend beyond the borders, which I had considered earlier but gave up on when I couldn’t get my paintbrushes to behave in the drying wind. Hearing it from a “fan” caused me to realize that a second try was worth the effort. The man kept apologizing, and finally I had to explain that I am painting for normal people’s enjoyment, and that anything a “normal person” suggested was probably worth considering. He admitted to being a “normal person”, so Mr. Normal Guy, I thank you!!
untitled, Tulare County Fire Station #14, South Fork and Sierra Drive, 7×14′
Mural, Day Four
Mural, Day Three
The hardest part about this mural is the wind! It makes the photos flap around, my hair flies in my face, and the palette and brushes dry out Very Fast. Wow, this is a windy location! The other surprising thing is that no matter how many days I have worked on it, I always think “2 more days”. More will be revealed. . .
Alta is patched and repainted a bit.
It is actually further along than this, but I had to take the photo before the mulberry tree shadow reached the image.
Today I taped off the edges in order to decrease the hassles. Good policy, don’t you think? One should always decrease hassles if given the chance! (Once again, the color is not accurate in the photo – a field trip is recommended.)
Fire Station Mural, Day 2
Murals are very social projects. Compared to Exeter, it didn’t seem that social until I began adding up the visitors! TCM DOC brought me some wonderfully welcomed liquid refreshments this a.m. Kristi wondered if I can walk tomorrow and if I had lunch with me. Lieutenant O’Dell bought some gray goo to seal up the divot in the center of Alta Peak. A former drawing student stopped by to say hello and so I could see his dog, which I named “Barney” back when he was a pup! (Handsome Aussie!) A stranger stopped by to say “God Bless You!” (I thanked him and wish I had thought to say “He has and is!”) Shirley the mail lady stopped because I had the flag up on the mailbox (forgot to mail my stuff at home) – we didn’t recognize each other without our knitting in hand! Plus, I met Mike and Steve, 2 EMTs. Best of all, my Other Half stopped by when he finished work! Here is the divot patch waiting to dry:
And here is the day’s progress from a distance: 
The lake needs a bit of work. The mulberry tree is casting a weird shadow over the left side, in case you were wondering. 
And here it is a bit closer. Next? The lake divot needs snow, the lake needs another coat, and the corners need wildflowers! The colors are sort of pukey in these photos – guess you’ll just have to drive by!
New Mural!
This is at Tulare County Fire Station #14, at the corner of Sierra Drive and South Fork in Three Rivers. When I arrived this morning, this is what was waiting:
Nice prime job, Mike! Thanks! Next, I drew on the design with a small stiff paintbrush in gray paint. It needed a little improving, so I switched to green for the corrections.
Then, I began with the sky and worked my way forward. Had a nice visit with Lieutenant O’Dell – I grew up with his dad and uncle out in the oranges north of Ivanhoe! (Can’t be anonymous in Tulare County!) He was hospitable and helpful, and he likes to draw, so I gave him lots of tips as I painted. At the end of the day, this is what the tank looked like:
Look what’s next!
This is a concrete water tank at the Tulare County fire station #14 in Three Rivers. Starting Monday, October 19, it will get painted with a mural! Don’t those guys have good taste? It isn’t costing taxpayers a thing – the volunteer fire fighters raise money for extras like this! Aren’t those guys great? Nope, I’m not showing the design yet. More will be revealed in the fullness of time!
My story, part 2
Oops, I said that the building where I paint isn’t very photographic – silly me!
About 3 years ago – who am i fooling?? – exactly 3 years, 5 months and 13 days ago I began oil painting. There were several reasons for it, none of which matter anymore since I am loving the new medium. (If you really want to know, you can email me and I’ll tell you.) One of the reasons is that colored pencil is too slow and really causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome to kick in. Since knitting and splitting wood are among my favorite non-work activities, I need my wrists to last as long as possible. Have a look at some colored pencil work:
This is available here: https://www.cabinart.net/originals_new.shtml After that shameless commercial, (albeit “soft” since I didn’t put a Paypal button on this site) I will keep you awaiting the next installment of my story!
Growth, part ten (Getting big)
Back when the mural project began in 1996, I had no intention of learning to paint. There was a vague distant dream with no tangible plan for getting there. The dream was painting a mural in Exeter of Mineral King but much had to be learned first. So, learning to paint with oil, getting better at landscapes, then gradually increasing the sizes of my paintings became the plan. After getting comfortable with a paintbrush, I had to learn to use acrylic paint. It is not as easy for me as oil, but I’m catching on! 
Completion Celebration
Wow, that was a great turnout last night! Thank you for coming! Those who came heard that there are 12 hidden things but only were shown 4 of them. They also learned of the 2 dumbest questions and the 3 most annoying comments. I could have gone on about the mural for 3 hours, but it was kind of hot out and the food would have run short before I got any. (no starving for this artist!) Wish I had had the opportunity to speak with every one there and name each person who helped make the mural happen. There will be a little 3-dimensional effect, and possibly a larger 3-dimensional effect. More will be revealed. Meanwhile, have a look at some hidden items:
You probably can tell the first is a coffee pot; the second is NOT a purse but a fishing creel; the third is NOT Sasquatch but a running girl. She isn’t fat – that is her sweatshirt billowing. She isn’t holding a scarf – that is my attempt to blend her into the snow patches in a natural manner.