An Extraordinarily Good Day

An interviewer once asked me, “What does a good day look like in your life as an artist?” 

(This post is just a bit of reminiscing about life before the fire took over our lives and thoughts.)

Rachelle brought her new lungs and her husband to see us, first time in person since the end of April. I fed them cookies. (They love my cookies so much that I spent $10 mailing some to them in LA. Yes, me, Frugal Queen of the San Joaquin!) Rachelle and I were so happy to see each other that our eyes may have leaked a little bit. Our hubbies were pretty happy to see one another too. 

Then, I finished this painting. (You have seen it on the blog by now).

I was on a roll so I pulled out this canvas.

I thought it was finished, and then I remembered that it needs a wind machine. You have also seen this one after it got scanned.

But wait! There’s more! A former drawing student (from 20+ years ago) emailed with the usual “You probably don’t remember me but. . .” My response was something like, “OF COURSE I DO!!” She came to my studio with her parents, husband, and baby who is too cute for words (yes, this from me, All Babies Look Alike). Out of respect for their privacy, I will just show you this one photo of me with L at my studio. We were both beside ourselves with delight.

To top it off, I sent invoices to 2 customers for recently completed commissions. Sometimes it feels as if I work for fun or for free, then a customer will remind me to send a bill. 

That was an extraordinarily good day.

P.S. I started designing a calendar for 2022, appropriately titled “Places and Things We Love” because. . .

Using pencil, oil paints and murals, I make art you can understand, of PLACES AND THINGS WE LOVE (for prices that won’t scare you).

Random Collection of Unrelated Thoughts in a Saturday Bonus Post

One week ago we climbed on the hill behind our house and saw this above our roof.

The smoke from fires makes it look like a foggy day. The differences are an orange tint, warm temperatures, and falling giant dandruff instead of a gray tint, cold temperatures and falling water.

This week Tucker and I had a little fun in the grass. He likes to stay just outside of arm’s reach, and jumps ahead whenever I crawl toward him. This is the second year of no mowing in hopes that the lawn would thicken up either by roots or by seeds. The cats love it long, and it seems thicker. Of course, transplanting chunks from another area may have contributed.

I just checked this book out from the library (Woodlake, because Three Rivers is closed due to the fires). It is fluffy, and fluffy is most welcome right now. The weird orangish tint is because of the fire.

This week I learned that the company who printed my coloring books has not saved the files. This means that reprinting any of the coloring books will involve a massive amount of computer work, again. The fad has passed along with demand, so I am unsure about proceeding. I am considering compiling a new one, combining pictures from the previous five. The Heart of Rural Tulare County is a long title, but it describes it well. This is an old post about designing #5. All the coloring books are sold out, but perhaps one of my retail outlets still has a copy or two. Here is the cover of the second one:

This week several places asked about reordering notecards. The prices have gone up considerably, and I am in sticker shock. When I started making notecard sets in 1987, they sold in stores for $5 for 10 cards. (You can read about that here, here, here, and here; there may be more old posts about them, but I am tired of looking for them and you are probably tired of reading all those links). Now they will have to sell at $10 for 4 cards. I made a new design, and will restock only a few of the most popular cards. People just don’t write that much any more to justify my keeping a large inventory. This is the upcoming Thank You card (no, it won’t say “Note Cards – 5.5″ x 4″ Folded – Premium matt: Front Side)

Because of the fires, drawing lessons did not restart the day after Labor Day. I have postponed them until the first week of October. I miss my students (a dear one died yesterday morning – if you are in drawing lessons and want to know more, email me). But, with the fire restriction of voluntary evacuation, I am reluctant to leave home; if it suddenly became mandatory to evacuate, then I wouldn’t be able to return home and get all my sweaters stuff.

 

Oil Paintings Sold in August

This is Labor Day, so this is about some completed labors. Today I will share some oil paintings of Mineral King that sold as of mid-August at the Silver City Resort/Store.

I can’t decide if the sales are unusually high, or if I am simply thrilled because much of life seems less than thrilling these days. So, in the spirit of celebrating things for which to be thankful, rejoice with me.

Maybe it is showing off. Nah. I am just trying to be businesslike, reminding you all that:

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

Good Sales of Sequoia & 3 Rivers Art

I’ve told you that sales have been brisk. Let’s look at the pieces that have sold recently and REJOICE! I haven’t included commissions or the large panels of Giant Sequoias. I might have even forgotten a few.

I have no false illusions about becoming a Big Deal, or that this is “The New Normal”. It is a surge, and I appreciate the business. When stores sell my work, they don’t tell me who bought the pieces, so I don’t have a way to personally thank anyone. Thus, this blog post (which might also be a bit self-promotional, but then it IS the blog of my art, and this IS how I earn a living.)

THANK YOU for reading, for buying, for liking my work and my words.

Four Places to Buy My Art

Apparently, in spite of not having pop-up ads, here is my own ad on my blog. Self-promotion and marketing are the most difficult parts of being a self-employed artist. However, if you are a reader of my blog, I am assuming you like my art. Therefore, telling you where to find it is simply providing you with a service, yes? (I refuse to end my sentences with “right?” as so many people do these days, a nervous vocal tick that sticks up my nose).

  1. Kaweah Arts in Three Rivers has been selling very steadily for me. This is an art consignment shop located along the main road through town, on the river side of the highway, AKA Sierra Drive. Great variety of local original art, open Thursday – Tuesday. No website, but on Instagram and probably Fakebook. They have my paintings (mostly Sequoia and Three Rivers subjects) and notecards.
  2. Farmer Bob’s World is a new adventure in agri-tourism in Ivanhoe, which is a citrus growing area north of Visalia. They offer tours and have a venue for events. It is new, and I am honored to be part of this, since citrus growing is my heritage. They have paintings (mostly citrus) and notecards. Their website is Farmer Bob’s World.
  3. The Mural Gallery, a store for Exeter, A Festival of Arts on E Street in Exeter just reopened. They have a good variety of mural related merchandise and the muralists are invited to show and sell their work. They carry my Exeter coloring books and paintings (citrus, Sequoia, foothill scenery). No website, but here is a youtube video discussing the murals. Exeter, A Festival of Arts. (The first 2 murals shown in the video are mine!)
  4. Silver City Resort, 4 miles below Mineral King (or 21 miles up the MK Road) has been selling my paintings for over 10 years. Now they also carry Mineral King Wildflowers: Common Names. Their website is Silver City Mountain Resort. (P.S. This is an old photo – the store is fancier these days.)
  5. A bonus place to buy my art is from me directly, either off the website (yikes, hope the piece didn’t already sell somewhere else before I learned about it!) or from me in person.

And remember, I make custom art.

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

We now resume our normal broadcast schedule.

Growing a Big Tree

The Big Trees, AKA Redwoods, AKA Sequoia Gigantea, take centuries to achieve their height and girth. Nay, millennia! In my painting workshop, they take about 2 days to 2 months, depending on the size of the canvas. 

Orange groves were holding my interest more than Big Trees for awhile. But, this is an art BUSINESS, and it is prudent to paint what people want to buy. So, I returned to this painting. Here are the steps of growth.

The tree is unnamed, based on a photo of a named tree, but not followed exactly. Why not? Because the colors were a bit dull and the details were obscured either by poor light or branches. Exactness is required in architecture, portraiture, and some landscapture. 

I made that last word up so it would match.

Big Tree, 6×18″, oil on wrapped canvas, $165 plus the dreaded state sales tax (which most likely will be wasted but it is one of the prices we pay for living in the Golden State.)

Usual disclaimer that all my paintings look better in person.

P.S. It costs a fortune to have a transplant, and while insurance covers much, there is much more that it does not cover. If you feel generous and inclined to help my friend, Rachelle, this is the best way to do so: HelpHopeLive.Org

New Place to Show and Sell

Three Rivers has a new retail establishment. It is called “Kaweah Arts” and is an art consignment shop, run by a generous, brilliant, and organized woman who simply wants to help artists get their work in front of the eyes and into the hands of the buying public.

There is no sign on the building yet but here is the front door and the address.

Kaweah Arts

41841 Sierra Drive

This is the former office for the Kaweah Commonwealth, which was a weekly print paper for Three Rivers until about a year ago when it converted to digital. A few months ago, the husband of the owner couple had a severe stroke, and now the “paper” (we still called it that even when it wasn’t made of paper) is silent.

The shop opened quietly on Thursday, May 6, and will have a real “grand opening” on Saturday, May 15. 

Step inside to this:

Look to the right:

Lots to see here, much of it familiar. I don’t know the number of participants but I do know the owner, Nancy, is a very thoughtful, and conscientious person to work with.

Congratulations, Nancy and Kaweah Arts!

Grand opening on Saturday, May 15

Two New Paintings Begun

With several paintings sold through Arts Visalia and Mineral King summer paintings finished, it is time to review my inventory. This is simply part of the business of art. Some artists paint what they love, others paint what sells, and the lucky ones get to do both. I move freely among all three categories.

Subjects that I always need to have on hand are: Kaweah Post Office, Kaweah River, Alta Peak/Moro Rock, Sequoia trees, oranges, poppies, citrus groves, and of course, the basics of Mineral King such as Farewell Gap with the Crowley Cabin, Sawtooth, the Oak Grove Bridge, and the Honeymoon Cabin.

This is not as boring and repetitious as one might think. It is a challenge to continue to paint the same subjects, finding different sizes, types of light, and angles, all while trying to paint better and better. After all, I want to be an artist, not just a painter.

Here are 2 new ones on the easels to beef up my inventory, or in ArtSpeak, “body of work”.

Upside down forces me to see the shapes more accurately.

Right side up helps me enjoy the process a bit more.

When I get to this stage, I am eager to start drawing with my paintbrush.

If that new retail establishment comes to fruition here in Three Rivers, I imagine I will be knocking out quite a few of these big trees in this format. 

P.S. My friend who has been waiting for new lungs GOT THEM ON SATURDAY!!

Post Show Thoughts

“Still Here” is over. This is my first time to exhibit in Arts Visalia, and I don’t have anything to compare the show to, particularly in light of the virus approach to handling things. Four pieces sold, and the director thought that was great, because some shows have no sales. (That would be highly disheartening.) Many cards and a few books sold too. The last day had steady visitation, a great time to visit with friends and meet some new people with an interest in art. In spite of the low-key approach, not knowing if the video interview and the virtual show was viewed much (thank you, those of you who told me you watched!) and the wondering about actual visitation levels, I think the show was a good experience and worth doing.

These are the pieces that have new homes (when they are shipped or retrieved).

Yokohl Creek was by far the most favored piece, both by those who saw the show in person and online. One smart person wasted no time claiming it; I will package it up to ship on Monday.

Someone I don’t know bought Yokohl Sky, which is always a boost of confidence.

Dear friends bought the cabin drawing while we were hanging the show! They had to be sneaky about it because I would have happily just given it to them. (A wise friend once taught me this: “If your friends won’t do business with you, who will?”)

Of my 13 pencil drawings of flowing water, “Rough and Tumble” has been the favorite (It is the background of the homepage on my website), most often spoken about or wished for. A friend bought this one too, which really warmed my heart.

Extra, Extra

Today I went to Arts Visalia to gallery sit. It was closed!

Tomorrow’s hours are noon – 8:30 p.m. and there are some available appointments, if you’d like to see my work in person. Here is the phone # to call: 559-739-0905. Ashley is there until 5:30 today (Don’t quote me on this because the operation is a little bit squishier than I realized) to make an appointment for you.