Tag: California poppies

Three California Poppy Oil Paintings

It has been ten years since we had that spectacular poppy season in Three Rivers. I still find them when I walk and in in my yard, but never since have we had them in such abundance.

While I was conducting the private oil painting workshop, I painted two poppy paintings. It is good to be available to the students, but no good to just hover.

I was pleased with them until I saw them in better light in the workshop. Then I saw that they needed another layer or two, and the shapes weren’t quite right. Since I had the colors mixed and another canvas ready to go, I decided to throw in a third poppy.

When they were finished, I realized they still needed reshaping.

When that was finished and dry, I scanned them and realized they still needed another layer on the reshaped edges.

Easy little paintings, no trouble at all, just slam them out, piece of cake, no problem.

Fall down laughing.

FINALLY, they are finished. I think.

Poppy #51, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×8″, $100 plus tax

Poppy #52, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×8″, $100 plus tax

Poppy #53, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×8″, $100 plus tax

Oil Painting Workshop Day 2

On Day 2 of the oil painting workshop, we didn’t spend too much time mixing colors. Everyone took her palette home, covered in plastic wrap, and stored it in the freezer until the 2nd class. We dove right into painting, beginning with recoating the green, but this time we added details to resemble grasses and foliage.

Ahem. Is that the Royal “We”? Well, I did help. . . that’s why they pay me the Big Bucks.

At lunch time, no one wanted to stop. I took a photo of each painting in progress. Some had progressed to the poppy, recoating the oranges and tightening and adding detail. This first one looks finished to me, but the edges need paint and the painting needs a signature.

At the end of our session, no one was completely finished, but I only teach 2 sessions, not 3. (I’m supposed to be “off” in December, so there.) Anyone can work at home on her own; will they or won’t they?

All these lovely California poppies in oil paint by four of my advanced students from drawing lessons – YEA, ~~drawing~~ painting students!!

California poppies drawing lessons oil paintings

House Oil Painting Commission

commissioned oil painting

I figured out that I could paint from looking at the photos on my computer screen. It is a little annoying that I have to keep waking it up, but I can deal with some annoyance.

As I worked on this, several parts were not visible. So, I stepped out my door.

Would you look at that! Poppies on the hillside, poppy paintings drying on the steps. Poppies everywhere.

It’s pretty handy to just look out the door at the configuration and colors of the hillside I am painting. There have been California poppies on this ridge since late February, so it doesn’t matter where I put them in the painting. They keep showing up (popping up?) in new patches up there.

Painting from back to front is the normal method for oil. That means the furthest thing first – the sky; the hills come next. That paper has a sketch of the various hill details that I made while standing outside. I leaned two jar lids against it on the easel so it would stay put while I used it for reference.

Halfway through the day, the mail came and there was my long-awaited photo! Stay tuned, because more will be revealed in the fullness of time.

Tomorrow, I’ll show you more of the beauty of Three Rivers in the spring.

California poppies commission oil painting Three Rivers Three rivers oil paintings

Painting While I Am Waiting

While I am waiting for photographs from which to paint a commission of a house, I have to paint something.

Redbud Festival is coming, May 7-8, so I need paintings to sell. Small paintings, bright paintings: these sell well.

Sounds like fruit and poppies to me.

This is 6×6″ and went fairly quickly. Now, a little citrus art. Orange oil paintings are always popular.

That first poppy was fun. I’ll do another.

poppy oil painting

If 2 poppies are good, 3 poppies will be great!

An orange oil painting, 3 poppy oil paintings, but no photos yet. Stay tuned. . .

California poppies citrus art oil paintings

More Poppy Peeping

This poppy peeping trip was up North Fork Drive out of Three Rivers. It was with one friend in a Mustang convertible that her Mom bought on her 88th Christmas. (No, my friend isn’t 88 – it was her Mom who was 88). It was a great top-down day, and sometimes I just stood on the seat to get the right photos. Handy set up.

There were poppies, (early) redbud, lupine, the North Fork of the Kaweah, sycamores, oaks, and cows. Lovely time, truly enjoyable companionship, beautiful drive.

California poppies poppies Three Rivers

Finishing the murals

Did you think I was going to leave you hanging as to how the Tanzania mural looked?

Customer called to say the cape buffalo needed about 1/2 hour of work. I was relieved to hear from him, because my final day working on them was without his expertise. I’ve never seen those animals, except in photos (and there was that one stuffed head staring at the back of my head while I painted).

So, I headed back down the hill one beautiful spring morning.

morning drive

He has a good eye and was very helpful.

Before:

After:

Yes, the differences are subtle, but my goal is customer satisfaction.

Then, Customer looked at me and said, “You left something out of the other mural.”

I said, “Shoot. I was hoping you would forget.”

He just tapped the side of his head. Then he waited for me to tell him what he wanted, so I smiled and said, “Buzzards!”

Using masking tape torn into little pieces, I stuck some buzzards shapes up in the sky. We scooted them around and discussed relative sizes and shapes. Then, I painted them.

As usual, Customer was right:

This photo of the finished Tanzania mural isn’t the best because the morning sun comes through the window and overexposes the one side. However, this photo beats the one with the scaffolding in front, and the slightly wonky buffalo.

Can you pick out the buzzards in the Missouri mural? Tiny, but they add the right finishing touch. This mural keeps amazing me, because the photo was so meh.

On the way home, I couldn’t just blow past Dry Creek Drive, knowing it was just filthy with poppies and lupine.

California poppies mural poppies

Poppy Peeping

When the poppies are out, there is no time to be wasted! Get out and see them, now!

2008 was a spectacular poppy year for all the foothills in Central California, and it was a source of great inspiration to this Central California artist.

2016 is looking almost as good.

A few friends and I took a drive up Dry Creek Road for some poppy peeping on February 26. Have a look:

Who can resist a ride in an open-top red Jeep toward the siren pull of those golden hills? Not these bandana-headed chicks! (“You look like you oughta be somebody’s wife somewhere”. . . a little Meryl Haggard, in case you were wondering)

California poppies poppies

Four Little Poppies

“Four Little Poppies” sounds like the title of a book I loved as a kid called “Five Little Peppers (and How They Grew). It’s sort of a given that a California artist would paint California poppies.

This little 4×4” oil painting of poppies needed something more, so I added blue.

poppy oil painting

It wasn’t enough, so I added 3 more paintings.

4 poppy oil paintings

Did you know that California is called “The Golden State” because of the poppies on the hillsides? That might be a myth. The hills turn golden in the summer when the grasses dry up from the abundance of sunshine (and lack of water.), so perhaps that is the reason for the descriptive title.

California poppies oil paintings poppies

What Else Would You Expect a California Artist to Paint?

As a Central California artist, there are certain subjects that dominate my painting life.

If you have read this blog for any amount of time, I bet you can guess.

If you are new to this blog, welcome! You don’t have to guess because I am about to show you.

These two 11x 14″ paintings, citrus (or oranges, if you prefer) and poppies (or poppies and lupine) are drying on the wall in my painting workshop. I think the poppies painting wants more foliage. I could ask it, but instead, I’ll ask you. My chances of hearing something useful are better coming from you.

The commenting process on this blog is annoying. I think if you comment, it will tell you it didn’t go through. This is because it lands in a spam folder and then I have to “moderate” the comment.

Anyone want to try?

Thanks!

California Artist California poppies citrus art oil paintings orange painting oranges poppies

2008 Wasn’t All Bad

You know how everyone refers to 2008 as the year that the economy went south? (How insulting to our Southern friends that “going south” is a euphemism for going bad – it means going downward, oh Gentle Southern Reader.)

In Three Rivers, California, 2008 was the Year The Poppies Were Incredibly Abundant and Shockingly Beautiful.

Great Poppy Year, 16×20″, oil on wrapped canvas, $375, available here

A new show, Sierra Wonders, opens today at Arts Visalia, 214 East Oak Street in Visalia, California. It features the art and writing in the book Sierra Wonders. That means this painting and one other of mine.

Join me at the reception, Friday, March 7, 6-8 p.m. 214 East Oak Street, Visalia, California. I might even bring Trail Guy with me, maybe my Mom too! Feels really important. It is important to me and to all the artists in Sierra Wonders.

California Artist California poppies oil paintings Sierra Wonders Three rivers oil paintings upcoming event