Oil Paintings | Cabin Art

California Quail

We have California quail all over our property in Three Rivers. They are notoriously difficult to photograph, but sometimes I sneak photos through the windows.

That’s how I was able to paint this California quail. Studio painters work from photos, not from real life or a photographic memory.

I’m thankful to live in an era of easy, convenient and abundant photography, along with abundant California quail.

1622 Calif quail #2 — California Quail #2, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $60

California Quail #2 is available on this webpage, or all the usual flexible ways that I mentioned in yesterday’s post.

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The Last Oil Paintings in Mineral King

“Last” is one of those many faceted English words. Here it means the most recent Farewell Gap, Mineral King oil paintings.

4x4" - wow that was tiny! — 4×4″ – wow that was tiny!

Farewell Gap XIX - wait, does this mean #19? Are there 2 of this number?? — Farewell Gap XIX – wait, does this mean #19? Are there 2 of this number??

Another unnumbered Farewell Gap painting

Farewell Gap XVIII - notice the red fir on the left has shrunk. — Farewell Gap XVIII – notice the red fir on the left has shrunk.

Farewell Gap IXX - does this mean #19?? — Farewell Gap IXX – does this mean #19??

Farewell Gap XX - hmmm, haven't we had that number already? And how did the fir tree grow back? — Farewell Gap XX – hmmm, haven’t we had that number already? And how did the fir tree grow back?

Farewell Gap XXIII, and the fir is tall because I like it that way, so there.

There are more depictions of Farewell Gap, on murals, in pencil and in 2 coloring books (drawn in ink). However, in the interest of relieving monotony, I won’t continue this theme in other media. (Did you know that “media” is the plural of “medium”? “Medium” when it means material used for making art, not the size of my clothing.)

And Yet More Mineral King Oil Paintings

4x4" Farewell Gap 2014 — 4×4″ Farewell Gap 2014

Farewell Gap XVIII, 2015 (This is my favorite.) Short fir tree on the left!

Farewell Gap IXX, 2015 Short fir on the left.

Farewell Gap XX, 2015 Double short firs.

Tomorrow we will take a final look at the Farewell Gap paintings.

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Mineral King oil paintings oil paintings

Still Oil Painting in Mineral King

Not really oil painting in Mineral King – oil paintings of Mineral King, painted in Three Rivers.

As a studio artist, I work from my photos. The variations are based on size and shape of painting (square, rectangular, really rectangular – and never horizontal for this scene, although that is an interesting idea). The variations also happen with time of day and time of year and type of snowfall and flow of water AND where I stood to take the photo. Plus, sometimes I juice up the colors a little more than natural. Sometimes I work at tight realism, and other times I try to loosen up. That isn’t natural to me, but is certainly faster.

These all look sort of dark, but I think it was the way I photographed them, not the paintings themselves. 2014 wasn’t a dark year. 2015 was a dark year, but we’ll have to see if that sadness was reflected in my paintings tomorrow.

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More Farewell Gap, Mineral King Oil Paintings

Happy Birthday, Diana Banana!!

Since I have about 32 oil paintings of Farewell Gap with the Crowley family cabin in Mineral King, let’s keep going. You can evaluate my progress (or lack thereof).

I painted it often in 2012.

Farewell Gap X, 2012 (this one seems particularly realistic)

Farewell Gap, XI, 2012 (this one is also very realistic)

The Roman numeral numbering system isn’t consistent here. Sometimes I called a small version simply “Mineral King”, sometimes I included it in the consecutive numbering.

Come back on Monday to see how I painted the scene in 2013.

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Mineral King oil paintings oil paintings

The Same Mineral King Scene

I paint the same Mineral King scenes over and over. One in particular sells very well. It is the classic Mineral King scene, the view from the bridge at the end of the road. Farewell Gap, the East Fork of the Kaweah River and the Crowley family cabin.

Let’s look at these in order of painting. There are variations in time of year, color of light, amount of snow on the peaks, amount of water in the stream, size of the fir tree on the left, arrangement on the canvas, and skill level of the artist. (Don’t mention this to my boss – she’ll get worried that I might ask for a raise.)

There are 32 of these in my iPhoto, but I don’t think that corresponds with the way I’ve titled them. Sometimes I can’t count very well. (Oh great, there goes my raise.)

And no, I won’t put all 32 in this post. They also might not be in order of getting painted. (There goes my raise for sure.)

Now there is a gap in time. Either I numbered the paintings wrong, or I took a big break from painting Farewell Gap. I think I spent a few years painting nothing but oranges, trying to get more comfortable with oil painting.

This might have been a repaint to the 2nd one above. Oh man, don’t tell my boss. She would be shocked, dismayed and disappointed at my shoddy record keeping.

Stop by again tomorrow for more Farewell Gap Mineral King oil paintings.

Mineral King oil paintings

Layer After Layer After Layer

That’s how I paint – layer after layer after layer. The Artspeak word for that is “glazing”, but I prefer English.

Layer one – Should have begun with the sky, but I asked my boss and she said, “Do whatever you want, if you think you’re so smart!” I didn’t want to mix up sky color – lazy or unmotivated or just rebellious that day, and my boss wasn’t paying attention anyway.

I’ve painted this Mineral King scene a few times before, so sometimes I just want to experiment because it gets a little boring. Maybe I ought to try painting it without looking at photos – that would be a challenge.

But I digress. Layers, we were talking about layers on Mineral King oil paintings. Or layers of Mineral King oil paintings. I could fill a room. . . I wonder if you could arrange them in order of experience. . . I wonder if I could.

Whoops. There were a lot of unphotographed layers in between the first picture and this one. Guess I got into it and forgot to show you the steps.

Now you can see the baby steps, incremental changes as the photos move along.

It is time to dry, and then I will put in all the tiny improvements and details that you need to see in person to properly appreciate. It might even require reading glasses, cheaters, middle-aged-magnifiers to see those details.

I’m not sure I like the willows that are not yet leafed out. . . they do pull your eye to the cabin, but the cabin pulls your eye to the cabin.

(Hey! Stop pulling my eye – you are going to pop out my contact lens that way!)

Next. . . a new ugly beginning, waiting for layers.

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Fruits, Nuts and Flakes

The current state of my fruits (no nuts or flakes) in progress

A friend said he disagrees with the idea that California is land of fruits and nuts. He said it is more like a bowl of granola: fruits, nuts and flakes.

I wonder why there is a correlation between flakes and artists. Artists have often been called flaky, and I work very diligently to blast that stereotype from my profession.

In my experience, it is contractors who are flaky. When I find a builder or a repairman who returns calls, shows up on time and actually calls when he cannot make it, I rejoice and spread the word. They are rare birds.

And here is a not so rare bird.

Hey, Rabbi Google (as we were taught to call it while in Israel), these are oil paintings – an orange, pomegranates, and a California quail.

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Payback to Mean Art Teachers

When I begin a new painting, it is ugly. Messy. Rough. Weird.

Those are discouraging words, here at my home on the range.

However, after oil painting for more than 10 years, I’ve come to accept that the start to an oil painting is ugly. Gotta start somewhere! My method of layering, called “glazing” (are your eyes glazing over yet?) brings improvement with each pass over the canvas.

Honestly, it is fun sometimes to just slap paint on in any old way and think, “So what? It’s a long process, and it will get better, so who cares?”

This attitude and approach is probably causing some of you to twitch, and would cause some of my former art teachers to palm their foreheads or bash something or yell at current students.

Payback, you former mean art teachers, payback. I never did like mean teachers who yelled or criticized, but always loved the ones who taught. (Thank you again, Mr. Stroben!)

Now I get to be both an artist, and a drawing teacher. Always helpful (I hope!), honest, and ever so slightly weird, but never never mean to my students.

Anyone want to sign up for drawing lessons?

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More About Fruit and Nuts

I paint a lot of fruit. I don’t paint very many nuts.

I drew walnuts a few years ago (feels like 5 years, probably is 10).

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Wow. That’s pretty good, if I do say so myself! And I do. I LOVE to draw. However, drawings need frames, and oil paintings sell better than pencil. Sometimes I ask my boss if I can draw, and she says I can after I finish all my work. Sigh.

A couple of years ago (feels like 2, must be 4), a friend commissioned me to do some 2×2″ paintings of all the best selling produce in California. Maybe it wasn’t the best selling – maybe it was the crops that California produces the most of.

nuts Those are the only paintings I’ve ever done of nuts – a walnut on the upper left and almonds on the upper right.

Pretty cool idea, eh?

oil paintings

Category: Oil Paintings

Happy Birthday, Diana Banana!!