February in Three Rivers is the beginning of springtime. Look at all the daffodils (and narcissus? Or are they all narcissus?) in my yard in these photos taken on February 14.
I love February. Wish it was longer.
February Flowers in Three Rivers
A Three-Painting Day
Three paintings of Tulare County scenery were brought closer to completion on a productive day of painting. Two were fun, and one is still riding the struggle bus.
Not a lot to say about this other than I photographed each step.
It was fun to detail the unusual barn, and now I need to detail the road and lower right pasture.
This painting is really fun. I filled in green around the rest of the poppies, added more green in the lower regions, built the oak tree (needs the beginnings of spring leaves), and put the lupine stalks in place.
I took this painting to a life-long friend for her input. She has a great eye for design and has assisted me in the past. She suggested more of an overarching canopy and more detail on the road (which was also suggested by my friend and blog reader MB). I got this far on the canopy before the light ran out.
Maybe adding tire tracks, more light, and some dirt clods will be all this piece requires before it exits the struggle bus.
Big Oak Tree
Did you know that Tulare County is home to the largest oaks in the country? The valley oak, quercus lobata is not what this big oak tree is. I found this tree somewhere along Dry Creek Road. I didn’t get close enough to know what kind, but I can tell by the shape that this isn’t a valley oak. It is unusually perfect, almost symmetrical, and all without ever having been pruned (except when cattle chew on the lower leaves.)
Once it is dry, I will sign it, paint the edges, and either photograph or scan it, so you can see it with its brighter and more accurate colors.
Layer by Layer, Little by Little, II
Layer by layer, little by little, these two paintings are inching ahead in spite of the Central California artist’s desire to park indoors by the wood stove with a book.
The top one is 12×16″, an odd barn along Dry Creek Road, known as the Homer Barn. The bottom one is 11×14″, some perfect oak tree with wildflowers beneath on some perfect day of driving Dry Creek Road, in Tulare County, California’s flyover country. But don’t forget that we feed the world. (And don’t move here either, because we are all fat, uneducated, poor, and the air is terrible.)
Layer by Layer, Little by Little
On a cold gray day, I didn’t want to paint. It is much more enticing to sit inside by the wood stove with a book. However, October’s show is coming and when it gets hot in the painting workshop during the summer, I will want to paint even less than I do when it is cold and gray. So, I took my donkey out to get some work done, telling myself that I could just do one color, or one piece, or one layer and quit any time it was just too uncomfortable. Then I turned on the little space heater and began.
When this layer is dry, I will relayer everything, paying closer attention to the colors, edges, angles, proportions, etc. At that stage, I will wish I could sign it, but will know better. There are always ways to improve the accuracy on the details, correct colors, and increase contrast in the most important places.
Yea for me. I stayed out in the workshop long enough to get to this stage. Then, I even did another painting. (No trophies required. . . )
Randomness: Paintings, Clouds, Cat
Today’s post is a series of unrelated topics, just short glimpses of my little life.
Took a walking break in the middle of a painting day, because it is February and the sun was shining.
And I puttered around in my herb garden one afternoon.
I love February.
Analyzing, Thinking, and Walking
A week or so ago, when explaining the thought that goes into planning for a show to a friend, he said to me, “You are too analytical!” I asked why he thought that was a problem, and he said that women aren’t usually analytical. Well, if I don’t analyze what to paint, then when it is showtime, I might end up with too many pieces all the same subject and all the same size. (He just shows up for work, does what he is told, and collects a nice paycheck. Sounds boring.)
This painting was a little too wet, and the workshop was a little too cold to dive back into this. Since I am working from multiple photos, it is taking a lot of concentration and focused thought to get the right elements in the right places at the right sizes.
So, I used my powers of concentration and focus to do some analyzing in preparation for the upcoming solo show. I went into the studio and made lists. How many blank canvases of which sizes do I have? How many paintings of which sizes are either finished or in progress? Where am I lacking in sizes? How many paintings of each subject are either finished or in progress?
Next, I moved to the file of reference photos—kind of a mess. I organized them into groups: Finished (but keep handy just in case), Nope not gonna do these after all, and then put the remaining ones into proper order: citrus, Mineral King, Sequoia, Three Rivers, foothill scenery, Exeter and ag. These were photos that I had selected a few months ago thinking they were the best ones to work from for the show.
I thought about the subject matter: plenty of citrus, could use a few more Mineral King, people don’t care that much about Sequoia at an Exeter show. Do people at an Exeter show actually care about Three Rivers? How many foothill scenery paintings do I need? And finally, what will fill the bill for Exeter and ag?
I chose the next four paintings to work on, two foothill and two agricultural and “drew” them onto the canvas.
I looked at the poppy painting again, looked out the door, and decided to go for a walk. The flowering pear is starting to show buds, and the green looks fake.
The flowering pear across the highway from the Remorial* Building is always the first to bloom and the last to hold its color.
There’s plenty of time to finish another 15 to 20 paintings before October.( Let’s not think about the paintings needed to sell at Silver City, the possibility that the Ivanhoe liberry** might suddenly be ready for me to begin their murals, the trips I have planned, the fact that it is too hot to paint here in the summer, and time at the cabin.)
*”Remorial” is how our neighbor taught us to say “Memorial” when she was 9.
**”Liberry” seems to go with “remorial”. Prolly.
Green and Orange
Poppies and oranges are two of my most popular subjects. Orange and green, green and orange. Orange is yellow and red; green is yellow and blue. I’m getting more relaxed about the specific shades of each, focusing more on values, which is Artspeak for darks and lights.
This painting will take awhile, because I want it to be perfect. Do I always say that? Prolly not. I’m not a perfectionist. It takes discipline to keep returning to the same painting over and over when I just want to cross it off my list and keep going on to the next one. BUT, I have learned that it is better to be a little annoyed during the process than embarrassed later.
This one has been very fun. It seems finished now, but chances are that I will see small things to correct once it is dry.
Finally, this one has orange trees that are green but the ones on the right are really wet and shiny.
This is an excellent example of how to not photograph a painting.
All three paintings show the beautiful parts of Tulare County at the prettiest time of year. When these are finished, I will begin one in the fall season. It won’t be orange or green.
Another of Tulare County’s Prettiest Places
Maybe “Tulare County’s Prettiest Places” would be the right name for my show at CACHE.
But what if I want to paint other places too?
Who will want other places? My fan club (fall down laughing) is based here in Tulare County.
Enough already with the speculation and analysis—let’s paint.
This is Rocky Hill Drive, probably the most popular outdoor place to run, walk, and bikeride in Tulare County.
WAIT—”Popular Pretty Places”?
Stop it and just get on with the painting, will ya?
You can’t go up on Rocky Hill itself, only up between Rocky Hill and Badger Hill. But in the very flat land of the flatlands, this is the only place for walking uphill or downhill.
This 6×18″ oil painting needs better detail on the orange trees, the shoulders of the road, and maybe even some work on the center line once all this paint dries a bit.
One of Tulare County’s Pretty Places
Remember seeing this 16×20″ mess first layer?
I think it will be a good one. I combined about 4 photos on Photoshop Junior* to see if my version of this scene was better than reality and concluded that yes, indeedy it is, or it will be if I can execute it with excellence.
Let’s go!
I am choosing to not show the beginning photos for a couple of reasons.
- I don’t want any input as to whether or not I have chosen the correct elements in the correct sizes and placements. Sometimes I do want input; this time I do not; that could change. . .
- I want you all to judge the painting on its own merits rather than whether or not I can accurately copy a photograph.
Phooey. I can see 3 shapes that look wrong right now. “Wrong” in that they don’t look fully natural or believable, because I am only judging this painting of one of Tulare County’s pretty places on its own merits, not while looking at any photos.
*Photoshop Elements is the “easy” version of Photoshop.