The view of a family cabin from the Mineral King bridge with Farewell Gap in the back and the stream in the front is the most popular scene that I paint of Mineral King. Sales have been brisk, and I am trying to get some inventory ready to go. So, instead of just hanging out in Mineral King, I did some work.
First, I started painting without the easel. It is annoying to set up, and I just wanted things to be easy.
Then I changed my mind. It seemed possible to set up both paintings side-by-side on the easel, which would make it worthwhile to hassle with the easel.
Yeppers, this works.
After awhile, the paintings felt too hard. I was looking at about 6 different photos, getting confused about which one to follow for which part on which canvas. Which which which. Time for a break. I walked to the bridge and sketched the various ripples, rocks, and willows, which all showed because the willows weren’t leafed out yet.
Finally, I set it up to dry so that I could get it home without incident.
I’d rather not work while in Mineral King, but if I cannot hike, I might as well be productive. And it is pretty handy to go see the real scene instead of relying on photographs.
2 Comments
You do realize that because you did some legitimate work at the cabin, you can write off the trip as “business expense,” right?!
Both paintings look beautiful! Did you drop them off at Silver City on your way down?
Thank you, Sharon! They were wet and incomplete in that they needed to: be signed, have the edges painted, dry, get scanned, and be varnished. So, no.
I could have “written off” the trip, but I didn’t drive my car up, and that’s all that gets “written off”.
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