List of unrelated thoughts with one semi-related piece of art

  1. I see only one movie in a theater a year. It has to do with the time, the distance, and my pickiness high level of discernment.
  2. This year’s movie was The Help. I would gladly see it again. It is the best movie I’ve seen in longer than I can remember!
  3. The theater was at a mall, and there weren’t many parking spaces. I find that puzzling in this county, in this economy.
  4. 90% of the cars in the mall’s parking lot were newer than mine. That also puzzles me in this county, in this economy.
  5. My new custom orthotics feel good, and I KNOW this stupid plantar fasciitis will be healed soon. Maybe I should sign up for a walking 1/2 marathon so I have a training goal.
  6. Ellen,  the Best Knitter I know, saw my wrist/thumb splint and said, “I have De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis too”. She is left handed with an affected right hand. I’m right handed with an affected left hand. Hmmmm. . .
  7. Such a wild and reckless life I lead – injured from walking and knitting. Good thing I am not a sky diver or skeet shooter!
  8. Three people have asked me about portrait commissions. Portraits are even harder to me than murals. Perhaps that is why I sit at the computer instead of returning those phone calls.
  9. There is a 2″ watermelon in my garden. Grow, baby, grow!
  10. I have begun a Huge HUGE new project. So far it has involved 9 nights away from home, and it is currently covering my dining table in the house and the work table in the studio. In the fullness of time, more will be revealed.  Meanwhile, my lips are sealed.

Arbitrary Alliterations, part 2

Kaweah Kitty

(fearless feline)

Friend’s Fruits

Food Fiend

(Killer Kitty)

Wrecked Wrist

(Spica Splint)

Gopher Getter

(Precious Perkins)

Arbitrary Alliterations

With thanks to The Pioneer Woman for the idea. . .

Critter Catcher

Possible Painting

Cottage Collage

Cute Cabin

Sad Shack

Stunning Sequoia

(Possible Painting!)

General Grant (Gigantea!)

Bridge Brotherhood

Orange Orange

Knitting Knut

11 Reasons to Buy Art

Buckeye Bridge,  16×12″, oil on wrapped canvas, $250

Tulare County is poor. We have high unemployment, even in better times. We aren’t very educated, and people buy inexpensive posters and cheap prints for their homes and offices. But not everyone. . . I have been earning my living with art, a full-time occupation, a business with art as my product since 1993. How?? By God’s grace, for sure. By not giving up. By building my skill and my reputation as a reliable business person who works well with customers, has fair (read “cheap”) prices and meets deadlines.

My good friend and I have been discussing art, business, and all variations of same.We know it is a luxury rather than a necessity. We know it continues to sell, people continue to buy it, even in a place like Tulare County, even in crummy times.

Why do people buy art? I thought of eleven reasons.

  1. It reminds us of good times.
  2. It reminds us of good places.
  3. It transports us back to those good places.
  4. It keeps our walls from being bare and boring.
  5. It brings color to otherwise dull decor.
  6. It absorbs sound. (Don’t believe me? Take all your stuff off the walls and listen to your room!)
  7. The flowers don’t wilt.
  8. The fruit doesn’t rot.
  9. It can be any season we want it to be.
  10. It can show you a scene the way you remember it, without all the junk that shows in photos.
  11. It is easy to rearrange the look of a room by rearranging the pictures – they move more easily than furniture!

Have you bought art? Care to share why?

Summer fun – 13 things I live by

Thank you to Cheryl Barker of Cheryl’s R&R blog for this idea. Today in the interest of summer fun, here is a list for you about me, the only subject in which I am really an expert.

  1. If it isn’t chocolate, it isn’t worth the calories. (Milk chocolate is for children, and chocolate is never white.)
  2. The more stuff you own, the more stuff breaks. (and gets lost)
  3. In decorating, choose what you love rather than what is in style.
  4. In clothing, choose what looks great on you and what you look great in rather than what is in style.
  5. Life is too short to dry dishes, iron jeans, or paint nails.
  6. I’d rather drive a used Honda Accord than a new anything else. (‘cept maybe an Acura!)
  7. ditto for Mac
  8. Spend less than you earn.
  9. Never pass up an opportunity to travel.
  10. Always bring knitting.
  11. Have your colors “done”, and use them.
  12. It is better to be really good at one thing than mediocre at many. (That is why I used pencil as my only medium for years.)
  13. Never stop searching for the perfect denim skirt. (Where are you, O Perfect Denim Skirt? One day you will be mine!)

Now it is your turn! What are some of your personal maxims? Hint: If you comment here on the blog instead of emailing me, everyone else will get to learn from you too.

Random Wednesday

  1. After much discussion, the title “One With The Rod” has been changed. It is now “One With The Stream”.  While playing horseshoes our friend Mort says, “I’m one with the pit”. I took the saying to my studio, but felt more at one with the pencil than with the paper. Since a fishing pole is an arm extension, I thought it was fitting that my husband would feel one with his fishing rod. Not so! He is “One With The Stream”.
  2. This is how Zeke looked through my steering wheel as we waited for his vaccination turn at the pet clinic on Saturday. He was happy to sit on my lap and get combed while we waited, but it took some persuasion to get him to climb up after I opened the cat carrier. This little upsetting situation had to be repeated 2 more times. We were not having fun.
  3. The 8 Hidden Gardens paintings have been delivered to the gardener extraordinaire for first pick before they all go public. ‘sides, I didn’t photograph them all yet, and 2 aren’t even signed! Here is one:
  4. On a recent walk, a dogwood in bloom had blossoms with 5 petals and 6 petals. I think that is peculiar. Does anyone out there know anything about this behavior??

Morning walk in Three Rivers

Kind of handy to be able to combine exercise with gathering inspiration for new work, wouldn’t you say? Here are some of my usual scenes and thoughts (although I’ve been told my thoughts are rather unusual, and occasionally downright weird.)

The beautiful wooden garage doors, the arched gate and the odd coincidence of star jasmine blooming next to a star always catches my attention –  one day I will see how to turn it into a painting or drawing.

Pink Lady Banks roses in the sunshine! We had yellow on our shed at our old house – it might be all that keeps the shed from collapsing. We have white in the herb garden. They grow super fast. Just telling you that in case you have a shed that is about to collapse.

Did you know that new grape leaves have brownish-red in them? Apparently some do. If I painted it this way, it would look as if I am trying to force in a color that isn’t really there. Other artists can get away with stuff like that. I am known for authenticity (or just being literal).

This one little piece of river brings to mind the beach. I miss the ocean. When I lived there, I missed the mountains. It would be WONDERFUL to find a place to sell my work on the coast. I have a place, but the work isn’t selling very well. I hate that. Time for happier thoughts.

I  just love the red and white with the blue car in the background. Roses have been spectacular this year. Tomorrow’s post – roses!

There are many many more flowers in bloom besides roses. These were particularly stunning today.

Mr. Burns used to be a regular on this walking route. He had binoculars and knew all the birds. All of them. He died last week and now his gate is closed. Sniff.

Mid-May and the sycamores are only now leafing out!

Brian and Cheryl planted a new Japanese maple. Their old one seen in the background has caused great admiration, many photos and a little envy in me. Maybe I should just get the name of the variety and try NOT TO KILL ANOTHER ONE!!

The welcoming committee. And thus, we conclude our morning walk in Three Rivers. Am I inspired? More will be revealed. Back to the easel. p.s. This is a California artist’s thoughts. Just sayin’. . .

Odd jobs, odd artist

Some days are completely full of random tasks. Wednesday was just such a day – there was a long list of unrelated items that needed completing, and it rained. (random, see?) One of the list items was to paint a sign that says Pet Clinic.  I spent a ridiculous amount of time messing around with typestyles, looking for little images of cats and dogs, realizing that I have a ton of cat photos from which to work. trying to design something, deciding it wasn’t really worth all the time because it is just a favor, and finally just doing this:

That is little Butch on the left and Dancer the Jack Russell terrier on the right. There wasn’t enough paint to coat the entire background, and I just couldn’t figure out what I was trying to do. It’s sort of obvious.

Then I did a few more errands, kept running into friends and then a friend/customer that I’d been trying to connect with. Ended up delivering 8 paintings to her house, so that worked out well. But, when I got home, I looked down and discovered this: