Painting While Waiting

The project manager for the mural job at the giant Catholic Church in Visalia called me. The mural portion is stalled until the niche project is completed. “Niche project”? I am not very conversant in Catholic, so she explained to me that there will be little compartments (niches) to put people’s ashes, about 2400 people’s ashes, in some granite thing called a columbarium. There are troubles with procuring both labor and materials, so I will just start some new oil paintings until further notice.

After choosing what subjects and canvas sizes, I assign an inventory number and put hanging hardware on the backs. I don’t know what other artists do; none have told me their particular systems, so I just made this up in March of 2006 when I started painting. It has served the customers and me quite well.

Seven of the eight canvases are ready to go; the eighth is in that unopened box from Blick art materials.That’s where I get most of my art supplies; in the beginning, many came from people whose mothers-in-laws used to paint.

After the hardware, I began with the base coat, just the skies first.

Next, I systematically did a very messy application of thin paint in approximately the right colors and places. This keeps little white spots of canvas from peeking through.

They all sort of look alike, and sometimes I got confused while following the photos with the odd titles on my laptop, along with the new inventory list. I’ve ordered printed photos for most of these, and when they arrive, I will secure each one behind its canvas in hopes of minimizing the confusion.

This is only five. Tomorrow, more on this topic of painting the best of Tulare County.

 

Favorite Subject, Favorite Month

With apologies to my long distance friends who live where there is real winter, I LOVE FEBRUARY! Along with this being one of my very favorite months (March and April rate very high), I love to paint orange groves with foothills and mountains in the distance. Two favorites, right here in Tulare County. (DON’T MOVE HERE because we are fat, undereducated, unemployed, and don’t have a Trader Joe’s).

I thought this one was showing great promise, wondering if perhaps it should be the scene I paint 18×36″ instead of this measly 6×18″.

Then I realized I used the wrong photo for this size canvas. They do all sort of look alike, and until I get them titled and more detailed, I am prone to making these mistakes.  So, I just smeared everything around to cover the canvas better.

Some of the wet paintings got hung on the board to dry.

Others got piled on the table so I could paint the edges a little bit, mostly just to use up the paint in the brushes and on the palette.

Still haven’t opened that big box. I’m waiting for all the photos to come, because I think that might lessen the chances of further mix-ups.

Next week, I’ll show you a few recent photos of why I love Tulare County so much at this time of year.

 

Planning Paintings, Part Two

When deciding what to paint, there are several factors to consider. What subjects will sell, which sizes will sell, what do I already have on hand, has anyone expressed an interest in a particular shape, size, or subject, and do I have good photos to work from?

After studying my stack of photos in the Citrus file, I chose eight to paint. You saw four yesterday, and here are the other four.

This will be 18×36″($1200) and I will raise the mountains in the distance, might make the hills more green, and grow those orange trees larger. And, I might hang it in my dining room, unless/until someone buys it.

 

6×12″ for this one, $125, maybe add some distant snow-covered peaks and grow the trees a bit, or crop off the dirt at the bottom so it fits the canvas.

 

This will be 10×20″ ($400), and it is almost perfect, except for needing more oranges on the trees.

 

6×12, ($125) more oranges on the trees, some cropping on the sides to make it fit the ratio of 1:2.

Next, I will wire the backs of the canvases, assign inventory numbers, think of good (or mediocre. . . this gets difficult after awhile) titles, and then start with base layers.

Which one would you like to reserve? Because sometimes your Central California artist needs to remind people that. . .

Using pencils, oil paint, and murals, I make art that you can understand of places and things you love for prices that won’t scare you.

Planning Paintings, Part One

There is a file on my computer named “In Progress”, with one inside of it called “Paint”. Inside that folder is yet another folder named “Citrus”.

“Citrus” isn’t entirely the right title. The right title would be too long: “My Current Favorite Subject to Paint” or perhaps “Orange Groves, Foothills, and Mountains” or we could call it “The Best Things About Living in Tulare County”.

The file has 30 photos, so it takes awhile to study, compare, name them (so that I can find the right ones again), and think about the best proportions and ways to crop.

After I choose a stack that I want to paint, then I inventory my canvases, finding a variety of sizes and shapes that will work best for each of the paintings.

Recently I chose eight new scenes, and then assigned various canvas sizes to them. I price according to size, rather than difficulty, which means the prices are consistent. (I’ve shown them with the sizes in case you want to reserve one or more of the paintings.)

Have a look at the first four photos and canvas sizes:

This one will be 6×18″ ($165), and I will make mountains appear behind the foothills; there will also be a bit of squishing and stretching of the scene so it will fit the chosen canvas ratio of 1:3.

 

This one will be 10×20″ ($400), and the oranges will be more visible on the trees; more trees will be added at the bottom to better match the proportions of the canvas, or some sky added; maybe some of the mountains will be condensed.

 

This one will be 12×16″ ($350), and the oranges will be more visible; I might take away the little avenue that appears in the lower left corner. (Now spoken for.)

 

This one will be 6×18″ ($165), so it will be more cropped than the photo, (which you might be able to tell is a couple of photos melted together with Photoshop in an attempt to widen the scene.)

Tomorrow I will show you the other four photos that I plan to paint.

 

Waiting Around, Chapter Two

While waiting around for permission to begin painting two murals in Visalia, I remembered that I needed to finish a small painting. When it rains, it is dark and cold in the painting workshop. So, I haven’t painted in about a month. Good grief, will I remember how??

Do you remember this little painting? It needs work.

Instead of painting in the cold painting workshop, I carried everything outside.

It is too wet to scan and too wet to photograph properly, but you can definitely see that it is improved from the first photo.

What a fine place to paint. I remembered what to do with oil paints, no problemo.

Thus we conclude today’s chapter of What I Did While Waiting Around.

Solds in November and December

Today’s post is a visual list of pencil, colored pencil, and oil paintings, some commissioned, some sold through galleries, some to people getting in touch via email, and from the one show that I didn’t do. You have probably seen all of these, but not in one big whack that makes me feel all puff-headed and successful.

Painting With Gazelle Intensity

Because of missing two weeks of work, the two oil painting commissions became a rush job. I had one week to get them from the sloppy first layer to finished.

The yellow ranch house needed a tiny bit of finessing, a signature, the edges of the canvas painted, and then it needed to dry. I was so focused on that last day of painting that I forgot to take any pictures of the process. 

The barn needed another layer of sky, another layer of grass, some cattle, more finessing, a signature, painted edges of the canvas and to dry on the same schedule as the yellow house.

Because the sky was so empty, I supplied it with some clouds. In addition, a tree grew on the left, a shrub on the right, and the barn got a bit of tightening up. I had to resist the urge to draw in every ripple on the corrugated tin. It’s a PAINTING, not a pencil drawing!

Cattle—distant? Yes. Closer? Yes.

More grass with visible details was needed in the foreground, along with a few more cows. 

Again, I was so rushed and focused that I didn’t take photos of the process. I had to get this thing into the house so it could dry in time to be shipped.

So, here is the result of a week of painting with gazelle intensity.

DONE ON TIME (dried, varnished, packed and shipped!)

And once again, the gazelle-like painter outpainted the cheetah-like clock.

Happy Boxing Day! Did you box up your extras to give to the needy today? That’s why it is called “Boxing Day” in the UK.

Rescuing A Ranch House Painting

The ranch house painting was stressful. it was a manageable project, but definitely pushing the limits of my abilities.

The Difficulties

Some photos, even though they are clear and have good detail and light, just don’t have the right information. This one had giant up-close tree branches that were making shadows, but looked disproportionate. The deck off to the right was confusing and hidden by trees that didn’t look good enough to paint because they were too big. The customer requested grazing deer. The canvas proportions didn’t match the photo, but cropping would eliminate the important front steps.

On top of that, there was the looming deadline. Trail Guy asked me why I didn’t charge a rush fee, and then I remembered: it wasn’t a rush until 2 weeks of my working time were stolen by a virus.

What’s a Central California painter to do?

The Solutions

Technology to the rescue: I used Photoshop Junior to size and place the deer on top of the painting (on my laptop, not on the actual painting). The result is a little too disturbing to show you, because the deer photos are in sharp contrast to the mushy looking painting and I don’t want you to join Team Doubt (of which I serve as captain).

Those steps, ugh. When in doubt, I resort to drawing with my paintbrush, a big no-no in The Art World, but I am painting for real people, those who “may not know art but know what they like”. (My kind of peeps)

Those steps, better now.

The deer challenge begun, according to my results with Photoshop Junior.

Hey, Bucky!

Those distant deer.

While I was painting distant deer, there were close deer on the other side of the window.

Okay, this will work.

The deer need brighter stronger colors. And there needs to be some grass blades softening the harshness of those all-important front steps. 

I think I am going to be able to sign this one without too much future embarrassment. (There is usually embarrassment about earlier work if one is growing in one’s skill.)

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Barn Painting Rescue

This commissioned oil painting was causing undue stress. First it was a dark and murky ranch house, then it became a barn, then the barn was in the wrong place, and pretty soon, I was doubting my ability to do the painting at all. I finally resorted to measuring, comparing my proportions to the photo, and using this neato tool to get the angles exactly right. 

Finally, I was able to begin the detailing that I love so much.

The sky needs another layer, there are more trees to put in, the grass needs a bit more detailing, and then there will be grazing cattle. 

I’ll show you the yellow ranch house rescue tomorrow.

You might still be able to order a 2023 calendar but they might be gone by now. (There were 3 left yesterday.) Unless I see you in person, it won’t arrive before Christmas. HOWEVER, it will arrive before January. Mineral King HIKES 2023

 

Fixing and Finessing

The customer requested grazing deer on the lawn. I tried.Placing and sizing the deer was just a guess, and after contemplating things, I decided they were just too small to be that close to the front. So, some grass grew over them. When the grass is dry, I will try again.

I removed the top step in the foreground because they just looked too “heavy” (big, taking too much space, competing with the house), and changed the color of the concrete. 

I added more branches on the left and grew the tree on the right.

Then the branches on the left sprouted leaves.

Next, the barn. In order to get the right proportions and angles, I worked on this upside down

I used the sky to shape the barn. 

I was mechanically following the photo without thinking about placement, and then I realized that it was too far forward on the canvas. Look at it and you’ll see what I mean.

So, beep-beep, back the barn up. 

Now this has to dry so I can recoat the sky, add some clouds, work on the background hills, and start making the barn look as if it is there to stay. Oh, and then add grazing cattle. I hope I can make them the right size in the right locations.

This calendar might be the right size for your location.

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