Work That Doesn’t Feel Like Work

In my normally slow month of December, I finally had the chance to work on my upcoming book Mineral King Wildflowers: Common Names.

It seems to be cooking along just fine, and then something goes wackadoodle with InDesign or the template ceases to do its templatish magic or it takes hours and hours to resize all the photos to the same effective PPI (you’d really rather not know) or some of the photos get corrupted and I have to keep moving the flashdrive back and forth between the 2 laptops or I realize the title page simply says “MK Wildflowers” instead of Mineral King Wildflowers . . .

You get the idea.

One morning I worked about 10 minutes on it and suddenly it was lunchtime. Then I put in about another 1/2 hour and it was dark out. Then another 10 minutes and it was 9 p.m. So, you see this is an engrossing and enjoyable project.

The worst part will be writing the blurb on the back. Have you ever tried writing about yourself? Don’t, if you are able to avoid it.

The plan is to have it in hand in April so I can do a book signing in the Mineral King Room at the Three Rivers Historical Museum before the Redbud Festival when people are in a wildflower state of mind. (Have you ever been in a wildflower state of mind? It might just be an idiosyncratic trait of this Central California artist.)

Working & Wondering

A view from a home in Three Rivers that I will be drawing soon.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day has always felt like a freebie to me. I don’t work much, but spend time thinking about the previous year (did I actually do anything noteworthy?) and about the upcoming year (do I look as if I have a plan?).

Last week I thought about blogging, marketing, what to paint, what to draw, the 2020 calendar, and mostly about the upcoming book, Mineral King Wildflowers: Common Names.  I wondered how I got selected as the Best Artist in Three Rivers in 2018 and didn’t know it.

I made lists, calculated a year’s worth of mileage on my car, vacuumed the studio, called Huge & Rude (the telephone company) because the internet isn’t working very well (what’s new about that?), rehung paintings in the studio from Anne Lang’s Emporium (now closed), updated lists of available paintings, delivered paintings to the Mural Gallery in Exeter, put new art on the website, and generally wondered about my art business.

Where will I sell my work? What shall I paint? Is there a way to draw more? Is there a reason to draw more? How do I tap into those thousands of people blowing through town on their way to Sequoia National Park? Should I hire someone to teach me how to reach a wider market? Are little boutiques the right place for my work? If not, where is? How do I find more customers? Do I post to my blog too often? Why do so many people not even know what a blog is? Do I have to join the dreaded Facebook? Will this be the year I have to get a cell phone? Should I get my good camera repaired? Should I buy a better small camera? Who’s on first?

I often wonder about my art business, in case you were wondering.

Things I Learned in 2018

Happy New Year! 

My wildly resourceful Christmas wrap, symbolic of my gifts of learning to you each month.

Do you like those end of the year round-up lists? Here’s one for you, almost entirely made up of links to previous posts. (Each one will open in a new tab.) We remember the things we review, so let’s go. . .

  1. 11 Things I Learned in January
  2. 8 Things I Learned in February
  3. 8 Things I Learned in March
  4. 6 Things I Learned in April
  5. 8 Things I Learned in May
  6. 7 Things I Learned in June
  7. 7 Things I Learned in July
  8. 8 Things I Learned in August
  9. 8 Things I Learned in September
  10. 7 Things I Learned in October
  11. 6 Things I Learned in November

We have documentation of 84 new things learned in 2018. (and probably 1/2 of them already forgotten). Here are 3 more from December (much of what I learned this month isn’t worth sharing publicly).

  1. You can find a doctor online and have him call a prescription into your local drug store! What? I had no idea, and don’t know how to do this, but it is good to know, and I know who to ask for more details.
  2. Green tomato pie is not worth making unless you have no apples; if you insist on making it, 1-1/2 cups of sugar is too much.
  3. Frost-on-the-Pumpkin pie is worth making if you don’t mind 2 sessions in the kitchen and using every bowl you possess.

Here is a mystery for you to contemplate. (This is like my nieces and nephews on Instagram, posting photos that cause nothing but questions. Aren’t I modern?)

I wish you a year of learning in 2019!

Now I will be quiet for a week. Fret not, I’ll be back.

Updates

In the world of computers, “update” is a euphemism for “complication”. (Never mind what “upgrade” means – it is a word made up in the 21st century to confound all sensible people.)

In my world, “update” means recent information on unfinished or unreported business.

  1. The Wildflowers of Mineral King: Common Names will not be published by Christmas. There is no need for such a book in December; there is a need for such a book in July. My publishing date goal is May of 2019
  2. Did you remember that I have another blog called The Cabins of Wilsonia? This is about putting together and publishing the book of that name, and although it has been out since December of 2014, I still have thoughts about it. The book is available here.
  3. Sometimes I look at a painting in my studio and think of a way to make it better. Here is White Chief III, before and after:
  4. A friend sent me a photo of this sketch I did in 1985.  Thank you, Pam!
  5. Another friend sent me this illustration that really explains things well. Thank you, Deanne!
  6. If you want to commission me to draw or paint something in time for Christmas, I can do it if it is small and if you provide good photos (or choose something I have good photos and good solid information about).
  7. I thought a painting of a Sequoia was finished and then decided the base of the tree looked like a puffball mushroom. Here is before and after:

    Sunny Sequoias #34, 6×6″, SOLD

    The colors are more realistic in the do-over, not because of how it was painted, but because of how it was edited on the computer.
  8. #5 might apply to an email exchange I had with someone about some folks (unknown to me) who wanted the Christmas cards I drew and had printed in 1993. They changed their minds because it was too expensive (and I didn’t even charge them for the use of the design nor did they have to pay for the original drawing). This is the design – isn’t it quaint?

Christmas in Exeter, 1993

And that’s all for today, folks! Consider yourself updated, hopefully in an uncomplicated and entertaining manner.

P.S. Today’s oil painting at Anne Lang’s Emporium 

South Fork of the Kaweah, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×8″, $100

 

A Walk in Three Rivers (or Forgive Us our Trespasses)

Trail Guy and I go for walks from our house in Three Rivers. I’d say its just what old people do, but we’ve been doing this for 20 years, and we still go steep places that may or may not be considered trespassing.

Here is how things looked yesterday afternoon.

The decorations on the Dinely Bridge might be considered a Peculiar Sight, but we are used to them and look for them.

The star gets placed and lit by Southern Calif. Edison each December. It might be considered a Peculiar Sight to a newcomer. (I consider the dark spots in the sky to be a peculiar and annoying sight; it might be time for a new camera.)

Some retired guys wear short pants almost all year around. At least this retired guy has nice legs. . .

Sycamores along the river below have more color this year than in a long time.

Edison is releasing water instead of sending it down to the power plant. I don’t know why.

The clean air is such a relief after the rains, which we are so very grateful for.

Then we walked home, and our mulberry tree was just lit up with yellow. This is a fruitless mulberry, the type that gets hacked back to knobs by most folks. Not us – we need the shade and love the yellow (never mind what it has done to the grass beneath or is doing the ferns by the front porch).

Tucker and Scout were happy we returned. We have to sneak off so they don’t notice and follow us.

Scout is always ready for action (which is why she is slightly blurry in this photo.)

Yellow eyes, yellow leaves, 2 black cats.

P.S. Today’s Anne Lang Emporium featured oil painting 

Navel, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $60

Six Things I Learned in November

It used to be pretty here in the fall.

November felt rough and busy, and I wondered if I learned anything. Some of these things may have been acquired in October, a more educationally productive month. Perhaps the continued filthy air has muddled my thoughts. It certainly messes with my attitude. Sigh.

But let not your heart be troubled; learning continues. . .

  1. Barkthins – these are scary good dark chocolate treats that come in 6 flavors. Supposed to be 9 servings per bag. Fall down laughing. Barkthins available on Amazon
  2. Tomatoes – Some plants just don’t make fruit in the heat. We planted 4 tomato plants in the spring and harvested about 6 tomatoes during the summer. The bugs and birds got the other 6. Then, when the heat subsided, the tomato plants went nutso. They now contain about 3-4 dozen tomatoes and are taking up twice the space. Guess I’ll have to learn what to do with green tomatoes next month, because we will have to pick them before it freezes. Wish I could remember the variety so I don’t do this again next year.
  3. New words: Chatoyant and druzy are 2 words (adjectives) that I learned from my friend Elizabeth, who makes jewelry using beautiful stones. “Chatoyancy” refers to an undulating luminescence, and druzy refers to a stone that is covered by crystals. (I don’t feel equipped to use these words in sentences yet, but I like the sound.) Cruft: a noun that means a. Anything old or of inferior quality; b. Redundant, old or improperly written code, especially that which accumulates over time; clutter.
  4. Hand-lettering is a real thing. I volunteered to do some verses on signs for a church event, and holy guacamole, I could not believe how slow and difficult it was to do a good job. This is more about design and drawing than about typography. Turns out that these were practice for the Perfect Gift Boutique! (Need any signs hand-written? Ask me, but please give me more than 2 days to do 17 signs.)
  5. Family weddings are the best thing ever. I already knew this, but it was reinforced when we had one in November. Here is my favorite candid photo, not of the bride, but oh so beautiful.
  6. Clean Happens is the name of an all purpose cleaner that comes in a spray bottle made by Better Life. I like to keep things very simple, and try to only use 2 cleaning products: ammonia and bleach. Trouble is, those 2 can’t be mixed, so I have to really pay attention. Clean Happens is supposed to do the trick of both those other things. I don’t know what it is made of. I don’t know how well it works yet. November is too busy for messing around with mops and rags – shows to put on, weddings to attend, signs to letter, paintings to complete. Clean Happens is available on Amazon

If you order these 2 products on Amazon by using these links, I will receive a few pennies. That’s called “affiliate marketing”, something I learned about and told you about back in June’s Things I Learned post.

P.S. Today’s oil painting at Anne Lang’s Emporium (YOU’D BETTER DROP WHATEVER PLANS YOU HAVE FOR LUNCH TODAY AND GO HAVE A TURKEY MELT!! – last chance ever)

Timber Gap with Lupine, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×8″, $100

A Sore Subject

A drawing student of mine recounted a conversation she had with an elderly artist from here in Tulare County. She told him she was taking oil painting lessons from someone in the area, and the old artist said, “That’s not creative – that’s just copying”.

Ow. That struck a nerve with me. What is or is not “CREATIVE”?

To be clear, it was not the words of my student that caused me to say, “Ow”. It is the subject matter that causes me insecurity and doubt. My drawing student is a lovely person; by reporting this interchange, she opened up an opportunity to discuss it and examine why it is a difficult topic.

I draw from photos, almost 100% my own, and way more often than I like, I have to combine photos to CREATE the scene I’m looking for.

I also teach people to draw, by COPYING photos.

How else can they learn to see?

How can you be CREATIVE with graphite if you don’t know how to see proportions, understand values, drive a pencil in a manner that it is an extension of your hand?

How can you be CREATIVE with oil paint if you don’t know how to see proportions, understand values, mix colors, or drive a paintbrush in a manner that is an extension of your hand?

How is it not CREATIVE to take a color photo (or several) and make a picture look beautiful and interesting in black and white and shades of gray?

Sorry, Elderly Artist. I think you are nice and usually a friendly man, you mean well, and you paint prolifically. Your work may be CREATIVE, but personally speaking (which is the only way I can speak),  I think your work is just weird.

So there.

Working from a photo isn’t creative? Working on a canvas of different proportions than the photo isn’t creative? Figuring out the arrangement, filling in the gaps, figuring out a new background–not creative? And turning this ugly beginning into something attractive isn’t creative?? It might not even work out to be worth the effort. . . an artistic adventure. . .

P.S. This topic is reminiscent of the ongoing conflict between studio artists and those who paint plein air. I imagine there is a similar situation between those who read music and those who play by ear. IT IS ALL VALID, PEOPLE, ALL OF IT!

Better to Laugh Than to Cry

Recently, Trail Guy was in my studio and took the 2018 calendar off the wall so we could do some planning. The 2019 was hanging behind it and fell on the floor. He said, “Hey, you have a typo in your calendar!”
How can that be?? I used a template from the printer for the calendar part, and my part is all drawings except for the cover and the months on the back.

If you ordered a calendar from me, look at June: the printer’s template had the WRONG YEAR for June!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

But this is a 2019 calendar!

I contacted them and they will be replacing my order. When it arrives I’ll have to send new calendars to everyone who ordered by mail (65 are sold of the 100) plus try to remember who bought them in person so I can replace them.

If you bought one from me in person, please let me know so I can replace it. (I have records of all who ordered from the website.)

They sent me a proof before the reprinting. Another oops:

It wasn’t just the year that was wrong; it was the entire page! (Look in the corners. . . this is a 2019 calendar, folks!)

My head might be a little misshapen from banging it on the wall, but it is okay for you to laugh. I thought my walking partner was going to fall down laughing when I told her. Remember, my very wise dad said, “It’s better to laugh than to cry”.
I’ve worked in 2 different print shops in my varied “careers” (they were really just jobs, not careers), and I remember how when a job started to go bad, sometimes there was just no hope. This is a good printer that gives great service, and I want to help them get it right for me so that I can get it right for you.
Let’s find a bright side, shall we? I will be helping to keep the local Post Office in business.
I need to see something soothing right about now. . .