Not Enough Paintings??

Each year, summer comes and Mineral King opens at the same time. This year I felt very prepared, having completed 30-40 paintings of Mineral King, many of which sold as I was working on them. Small paintings sell at the Silver City Store Resort, and that is my main place to sell during the summer.

In July, I decided that I still didn’t have enough. There were too many Sawtooths, not enough general subjects, and definitely not enough bears. Because of the difficulty of getting photos of bears, I don’t have much reference material. However, the one bear painting I did sold immediately, so I decided to paint from some of my other bear photos, even though they aren’t that good. After all, if I can draw horses that I can’t see, certainly I can paint bears that I can’t see.

All that was hanging in the painting workshop was the 10×10″ sold bridge and a retouched “Leaving Monarch”.

After a little self talk (Who cares if you don’t want to paint bears from photos that don’t offer enough detail? Would you rather wait tables somewhere? Be a nanny? Pack fruit? Come on, let’s move it, hubba hubba hubba!!), I began two 6×6″ bears, and prepared to do another painting of the famous view from the bridge of Farewell Gap with the Crowley Cabin.

Turning things sideways helps me see the shapes more accurately.

Then I slapped out the 6×6″ painting of the most photographed, painted, drawn and recognizable scene in Mineral King. Very few people notice that the tallest tree, the red fir on the left is no longer there. A shorter red fir is now in that position, but I have a collection of “old” photos that I don’t want to waste. So I paint it and people buy it. (Thank you, Buying People!)

Top to bottom, left to right: Bear IV, Mineral King XI, Leaving Monarch, Oak Grove Bridge XXIV, Bear III

(Lest you worry about my attitude, I actually enjoyed the painting session in spite of the rattling swamp cooler and excessive heat. It helped to listen to The Recappery, where the History Chicks gave a thorough account of an episode of “Anne With An E”. They are so much fun, and they bleep their cuss words.)

Pushing Through For Good Customers

Recently, I’ve focused on my weaknesses in drawing and painting. If I can’t see it, it might not be possible for me to draw or paint the thing. But, if I push through and have help and take lots of time, sometimes I can succeed.

If these weren’t commissioned pieces with a paycheck at the end, I would have given up. Much of what I choose to do is speculative work – will it sell? Will anyone care?

But, both of the recent ultra difficult pieces are not speculation art. There were real customers with an idea of what they wanted, and they counted on me to figure out how to do the job. They each gave me as much time as I required, trusting my ideas and judgement.

These are good friends and good customers; knowing my limitations, I wanted to please them in spite of the difficulties.

If I was more business oriented, there would probably be a contract, a down payment, and the contract would talk about things like “Change Orders” and “Photo Availability”.

I showed you the completed Mineral King Pack Station last week (and since learned that the white horse’s eye is too high, but too late, it is at the framer now).

Today, have a look at the completed Homer’s Nose with the Oak Grove Bridge.

The customer is very happy and so am I!

About the truck on the bridge: the customer’s husband was heading down the hill, while a friend was coming up the hill. When the friend arrived, Mrs. Customer asked the friend if she had seen her husband on the road. The friend said she hadn’t. Later, the friend shared the photo she had taken of the bridge on the way up, and Lo-And-Behold, she had photographed Mrs. Customer’s husband’s pickup-truck on the bridge without knowing it!!

P.S. What is “lo and behold”? I think it means “oh my stars!”. . . My neighbor, who died at age 94, was very fond of that expression, and I think of him every time I hear it.

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 7

After doing the 10×10″ oil painting Oak Grove Bridge XXIV, I felt ready to return to the commissioned oil painting that combines the Oak Grove Bridge with Homer’s Nose (AKA Snozz Rock).

It was engrossing work. There were more design changes to be made, and I was eager to see if they made it more appealing, both in the execution and in the viewing. 

At 11:45 a.m. I added some leaves in the upper sky region and began repainting Homer’s Nose in more carefully mixed colors. I also changed the line of the foliage in the center section because it was too straight across the top and needed to blend more gradually in the the distant rocky area. (Wow, this is so hard to put into words – you’d understand it better if you could see me waving my hands around and pointing.)
At 1:13 I remembered to stop for another photo. Homer’s Nose is looking more detailed and more correct in its colorations.
In the 2:11 photo you can see tighter detail in the rocky places to the right of Snozz Rock.
At 2:48, I grabbed my camera again. Why?
At 4:46 I took the final photo of the day because the background greenery was looking good, the bridge got new detail, the beginning of a truck, more colors and tighter shapes, and now the water is taking shape.

There is still much work ahead, but now I feel capable, thanks to my little guide buddy, Oak Grove Bridge XXIV.

P.S. Tonight is a public information meeting about the bridge’s future at the Three Rivers Veterans Memorial Building at 6 p.m. The plan is to “rehabilitate the bridge” to “correct seismic and structural deficiencies”. Maybe They will explain how, or more importantly, when and how long.

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 6

I thought about calling this “Final Chapter”, but I hope I live on to keep painting the bridge and improving with each one.

We made it through about 23 oil paintings of the Oak Grove Bridge. There were repeated views, color adjustments and exaggerations, brighter versions, muted versions, paintings with sharp clean edges, paintings that looked sort of blurry, and the last one from a completely different angle.

Then, I began working on the commissioned oil painting that combines the bridge with Homer’s Nose, a prominent landmark granite rock outcropping. The bridge felt too hard in this one, so I decided to do a smaller version of the exact same view in order to work out some difficulties.

“Difficulties”? I might be a slow learner, or perhaps a bit simple. I’ve painted the thing 23 times and still have difficulties?

Just try to be polite here, ‘kay?

Here is Oak Grove Bridge XXIV in a few steps (although it took many more than a few steps to do this).

As you last saw it. . .
Beginning to tighten things up, like the tree/shrub on the far left that overlaps the bridge, ditto on the right, and adding light and detail to the bridge posts.
A few minor adjustments remain, but it is SOLD!

There were some shenanigans by some hooligans while I was trying to concentrate.

This photo tells me that perhaps when I have finished all the commissioned paintings and drawings, I might do a bit of shelf straightening.

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 5

We made it through Oak Grove Bridge #18. Is there a #19? Yup. All the way through #23, which may or may not be the twenty-third oil painting I’ve done of this, my favorite bridge.

Oak Grove Bridge #19, 24×30″, begun in 2016, finished in 2017
Oak Grove Bridge XX, 11×14, commissioned to match #16, 2016
Oak Grove Bridge XXI, 10×10″, 2017
Oak Grove Bridge XXII, 11×14″, 2017
Oak Grove Bridge XXIII, 12×16″, begun in 2017, completed this year, sold.

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 4

I may have found a clue to the Oak Grove Bridge oil painting numbering problem. I was preparing for a show of oil paintings, and had several new paintings going at the same time. One was on a collapsible easel, and true to its nature, it collapsed and tore the painting on the table behind it. After feeling sick for awhile, I removed the canvas from its foundational frame and sewed it into a tote bag. 

Numbering problems continue – there is no #12 or #13, and I jump between Roman numerals and normal numerals (what are those called??)

When life hands you lemons (or torn paintings), make lemonade (or tote bags). The painting wasn’t finished, but no one cares.

Now back to the completed oil paintings of the Oak Grove Bridge. I started messing around with exaggerated colors in 2014.

Oak Grove Bridge #14, 11×14″, still in my bright experimental stage, 2015
Oak Grove Bridge XV, 6×6″, 2015
Oak Grove Bridge XVI, 11×14″, 2015
Oak Grove Bridge #17, 8×10″, 2016, back to brights again
Oak Grove Bridge XVIII, 8×10″, 2016

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 3

But wait! There’s more! More Oak Grove Bridge oil paintings.

Here we encounter a numbering problem. When learning to oil paint, every artist has her own system for keeping track of completed paintings (or not.) It took me awhile to sort things out. Hence, here are two Oak Grove Bridge # Nines and Tens.

Oak Grove Bridge IX, 6×6″ It looks as if I played fast and loose with the arches here, when compared to earlier versions. Got a little overconfident, perhaps?
Oak Grove Bridge IX, 10×10″, 2014
Oak Grove Bridge X, 6×6″, 2013
Oak Grove Bridge X, 10×10″ 2014 (in my experimenting with brighter colors phase)
Oak Grove Bridge XI, 6×6″, 2013

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 2

Happy Birthday, Cory!!

It is easy to go on and on and on about this subject. Tulare County landmark, favorite bridge, art. . . 

Oak Grove Bridge V, also available as note cards.
Oak Grove Bridge VI, a small version at 6×6″
Oak Grove Bridge VII, also 6×6″
Oak Grove Bridge VIII, another 6×6″ version

All of these paintings are sold and todayI’m giving you a break from all the “ads” (although you may commission me to repaint any of these bridge scenes for you!)

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint

There will be several chapters in this series about my favorite bridge, the Oak Grove Bridge on the Mineral King Road in Tulare County, California. (All those specifics are just in case you are new to the blog; if so, welcome!)

Yesterday we looked at three pencil drawings of the bridge. Today I will show you some of my earliest oil paintings of this wonderful subject.

First oil painting of Oak Grove Bridge (or at least the first one I kept a record of), 11×14, 2009. I oil painted for 3 years before I had enough confidence to tackle this subject.
Oak Grove Bridge III. What happened to #2?
Oak Grove Bridge IV hangs in my friends’ guest bedroom, a great honor.

Keep your seat belts on – it is a long and winding road with about 20 more oil paintings of this beautiful Tulare County landmark to go!

Sort of Working

In July and August, I don’t teach regular drawing lessons. My students often say “enjoy your vacation” or “have a nice summer” as they are leaving (and several cannot resist the urge to sing “See You In September”).

Although I do spend much more time in Mineral King in those 2 months, I am still working. Sort of. There was the show Art: Inspired by Mineral King  on June 30. I deliver paintings to the Silver City Resort (AKA “The Store”), work on commissions (both pencil and oil), blog, keep track of what is selling, work on my new website design, work on the upcoming calendar, plan for any upcoming shows. That’s sort of working, isn’t it?

Sometimes the kittens become a tad bit distracting.
This subject matter is getting easier in its architectural parts, but I still struggle with the rocks beneath the bridge. This is because they are hidden.
This commissioned oil painting got a few licks on the canvas, but those rocks beneath the bridge really hang me up.
The smaller bridge is drying and awaits more layers. Sawtooth and the river are also both drying, and are now for sale.

Sawtooth #33, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $65 includes sales tax (welcome to California)