Category: Sources of inspiration

A Little Bit Too Hard

Sometimes I paint things that are a little bit too hard for me. They are not commissions, nor are they subjects that I think will sell.

Instead, they are things that I just want to paint, in spite of my lack of skill or experience. After I have completed paintings that need to be done for sale, working on these types of paintings is my “reward”.

Wow, is this ever difficult!! This is my great-niece, and I think of the painting as The Flower Girl.

The girl is from this photo.

The flowers are from this one.

The girl feels too difficult, so I am now focusing on the flowers. It is fun to find and mix all the colors, and if I get the petals a bit wrong, it isn’t critical like the face is.

Success on the flowers (still not finished) gave me confidence to paint a bit more on the girl.

Her hairbow is better and her arm is a little chubbier. This might need to rest for a month or two while I build my confidence and skill on paintings that don’t matter to my heart quite so much.

This will need about 10 more painting sessions, a decision on the background color, and a whole bunch of do-overs.

But I’m learning. That is what happens when one pushes through something that is a little bit too hard.

Okay, it might be a LOT too hard.

And More New Mineral King Oil Paintings

As promised in yesterday’s blog post, here are more new (and 2 refreshed) oil paintings of Mineral King, a regular source of inspiration for this Central California artist, also known as “A Regionalist from Quaintsville”. However, when thinking of Mineral King, “Gorgeousville” is a better name!

005 MK Valley 010 Mineral King a.m. 1527 Saw XV 1532 Vandever, MK

From top to bottom: Mineral King Valley, 12×16, $200; Mineral King Morning, 11×14, $175; Sawtooth XV, 6×6″, $55; Vandever, Mineral King, 6×6″, 55.

The titles aren’t clever, but they are accurate. I went ninja crazy (WHAT does this mean??) on the painting end of things, but stayed normal (non-ninja?) on the titles.

New Mineral King Oil Paintings

Mineral King is a continual source of inspiration for this Central California artist. I believe it is one of the best places in Tulare County and probably in all of Central California.

Two weeks ago I went on a focused Mineral King oil painting binge. Might even have been ninja crazy, although I still don’t know what that means. (just like the sound of it)

Here are a few of the results:

1528 Saw XIV 1533 MK Stream 1534 Bear 1535 Marmot

From top to bottom: Sawtooth XIV, 8×10″, $100; Mineral King Stream, 8×8″, $90; Bear, 6×6″, $55; Marmot, 6×6″, $55.

All are oil on wrapped canvas, ready for hanging. They are currently at the Silver City Resort, 4 miles below Mineral King (unless they have already been bought and taken home with people of disposable income and excellent taste.)

There will be more – stay tuned for more new and refreshed Mineral King oil paintings tomorrow!

A Business Trip to Mineral King

The last time I was in Mineral King, I did almost nothing. Accomplished quite a bit of knitting, but went nowhere and did nothing else. Read a little. But went nowhere.

The shadow beneath the bridge was nice. This photo has been enhanced, because the reality is that there is mostly brown, brownish gray, and brownish green in the scene. California is very brown, including the governor. Brown, brown, brown.

Sawtooth looked quite fetching on the way up the hill. (It is gray, not brown.)

There is some subtle color (enhanced browns?) on Vandever, which is the right half of Farewell Gap.

Each of these photos will make a decent painting, particularly if I juice up the colors.

Hey! I did do something. Gathering photos for future paintings is something. In fact, I think it must have been a business trip!

Hail and Quail in Mineral King

Because it was almost a non-winter, we had early access to Mineral King this year. However, it didn’t act very summerish in those early weeks. (You may recall our cold, gray, overcast, foggy and rainy Memorial Weekend.)

Two weeks later I was back, and had an exciting afternoon in the cabin.

Is this hail??

It is, but the mountain quail doesn’t mind. Wow, it really piled up out there!

It cleared up for an evening stroll, so we got to see the alpen-glow on Empire (this is the rock outcropping, not the highest part of the mountain.)

Despite our lack of precipitation during the so-called “winter” of last season, these spring storms are providing water, for which we are very grateful.

Hail remained on Sawtooth for much of the next day.

If a bit of judicious pruning was done, the point of Sawtooth would be visible in this view. I have made it visible with pencils several times (all sold, no records, sigh.) I think of this as Tim and Judy’s view, because they were married close by 19 years ago. (or was it 21 years??) We’ve lost touch with several moves and 3 adopted children later, but they will remain forever in my heart.

Maybe it is time to paint this scene. Mineral King provides an endless source of inspiration.

Related link:

Mineral King opening weekend

Hiking in Mineral King

While I was painting diligently at home in Three Rivers, Trail Guy, who is retired, was hiking in Mineral King. He now has possession of the little camera that I used to carry around, so he documents his hikes for me to share with you. Or maybe he does it simply to share with me? Whatevs. Here are some photos from a couple of forays in the earlier spring months.

Trail Guy met a couple of guys from Germany. If he told me their names, I forgot. How about Gunther and Rolf? This was on the way up toward Farewell Gap.

Isn’t it cold and gray here? Brrrr.

It is actually a great time of year to see stuff when all the growth is low and the bears are out.

Hi, Bear.

Pussy Paws! (and some sunshine)

Marmot!

Evidence of human habitation, back in the mining era of Mineral King

A splendiforous view from the Timber Gap trail. Trail Guy has a couple of loop hikes that he repeats several times over the course of a summer. This one is the Empire loop.

And this is the view I used on my first big mural in Exeter, called “Mineral King: In Our Backyard” (named by Trail Guy, of course!)

Related Links:

Mineral King: In Our Backyard

Empire Hike

More Opening Weekend in Mineral King

Mineral King was overcast, cold, rainy and foggy on opening weekend this year. Guess it makes sense to get March in May since we had May in March.

mineral king fog

What’s a Central California artist to do? How about read, knit and discuss colors? I said blue, Michael said purple, and neighbor Annie said purplish blue. (Discussing the yarn color with a purple glasses case thrown in for comparison.)

How about a some bird watching out the window? Down the hill we have California quail and scrub jays; up the hill we have Mountain Quail and stellar jays.

Is the sun starting to break out? Let’s go see!

Mineral King in fog

mineral king

Reminds me of a couple of paintings! Mineral King is definitely a major source of inspiration behind my art.

Well, oops. There seems to now be a tree missing from this scene.

Farewell Gap XVII

Farewell Gap XVII, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×10″, $100

1513 Honeymoon XX

Honeymoon Cabin XX, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×8″, $90

Relevant Links

Cabinart landscape oil painting

Tulare County Beauty

As a Central California artist in Tulare County, it is my mission, goal and duty to portray the beauty of this place I live.

Yesterday I showed you oil paintings as examples of the various subjects I paint that fall into a category I call “Because People Like It”.

However, I didn’t show you my latest paintings in several of those categories.

Let’s try this again:

Sequoia (this painting is still in progress – I wasn’t kidding when I said “latest”.)
Mineral King: (top painting – 6×6″, bottom painting 8×8″)
Citrus
Poppies
Three Rivers

Most of these paintings are available through this page of my website. Excuse me for sounding sellsy. (It is a part of the way I earn my living.)

Painting Subjects That Sell in Tulare County

If you want to earn your living as an artist, it is important to paint things that people want to buy. I think of these subjects as Because People Like It. In Tulare County, there are some stand-outs, and I try to keep them on hand in various sizes.

Sequoia – the Big Trees, park attractions like Tunnel Log, Moro Rock, Crescent Meadow and Tharp’s Log
Mineral King – Farewell Gap, the Honeymoon Cabin, the Crowley Cabin, and Sawtooth. There are some other Mineral King subjects that sell occasionally and I add them in for variety – Timber Gap, a foot bridge or two, trails, Vandever, views around the valley.
Citrus – oranges off or on the tree, orange blossoms, and the occasional lemon or tangerine/clementine/mandarin
Poppies – in fields, by themselves, in groups, against a blue sky, against a green background, lots and lots of California’s state flower.
Three Rivers – the Kaweah Post Office, the river (any fork will do), views of Kaweah Lake, views of Alta Peak with Moro Rock, and the Oak Grove Bridge (this might be due to my biased view of this Tulare County Treasure).

Sold Sunflowers

Remember I talked about painting things just because I love them? That is a different category than painting something because it sells.

Sometimes, the things I paint for myself sell quickly. This is a mixed blessing – WAIT! I wanted that one! Oh. That’s right. I paint to sell things. It beats getting a job.

A friend/customer stopped by one afternoon and fell in love with the sunflowers.

This is how they looked at the time of her visit:

sunflower oil paintings

Together we evaluated them. We agreed that the yellow one is brilliant, and that the orange one doesn’t quite have the pizzazz.

It didn’t matter to my friend because she wants to buy them both. I told her I’d study up on the orange one – probably just needs more color and contrast, the usual things. (Other common things that are lacking are sharp and fuzzy edges or needing more detail – it isn’t all color and contrast).

Her husband called me to say he wants to buy them for her for their anniversary. I delivered the yellow one wrapped, and when the orange one is dry, it will join its brother.

First, let’s get that hanger problem fixed. The mini green sunflower belongs at the bottom edge of the painting, not on the side. Since I paint these 6×6″ oils while holding them in my hand and rotating them around and around, sometimes they get sideways. I reattached the hanger, painted out and repainted my signature.

Done yet? After a few more layers of a brighter yellow, I think I will stop now.

Okay, now I think this one is worthy of joining the yellow sunflower!

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