Dabbling, thinking it might be good to finish this before it gets hot again when I’d rather be in the drawing studio with its A/C unit instead of in the painting studio with its swamp cooler. Dabbling, deciding, doodling. . .
Has anything even changed from yesterday?
Get going – drink some coffee or eat some chocolate!
Here’s the problem: I’ve been concentrating so hard and long on the upcoming book, The Cabins of Wilsonia, just drawing like a pencil machine, that I’ve gotten nervous about my painting abilities.
This is a commission, I’ve been paid, and the customer is waiting. Put on your big girl pants and get busy.
Wow. That created a sense of urgency. Stay tuned. . . more will be revealed.
Commissions are good! They mean I get to paint something that has a definite buyer. They are the opposite of speculation painting.
Contractors build “spec houses”. It means they build a house like the Field of Dreams philosophy, in anticipation of a buyer. (“Spec” is short for speculation, not specifications.)
Very few artists admit to “spec paintings”. However, isn’t that what we are doing when we paint what we want and then schlep it around to various web sites, galleries, shows and shops?
This new painting of the Kaweah Post Office will only be schlepped to the post office to be mailed to a really nice lady from New Jersey.
An oil painting begins its life in a rough manner.
When folks in Tulare County, particularly Three Rivers, have guests, we love to show them our sweet little Post Office up North Fork Drive. It is possibly the smallest operating P.O. in the United States, but that factoid depends on whom is being asked.
Anyhoo, we are proud of our cool little Post Office, even though it is technically in Kaweah and not in Three Rivers.
And thank you for being polite about how sloppy my painting looks when it is young.
My amazing friend Barbara grows lavender. She opens her lavender gardens (or is it a farm?) to the public each June when the lavender is at its peak. People can harvest bunches of lavender.
English lavender in bloom
The dates of this event are a little squishy, because the bloom is dependent on the weather.
This year, it is possibly Saturday June 15. This happens here in Three Rivers, and you just sort of have to pay attention to the paper and to people who might know.
Barbara and I like to collaborate on art projects. She had me paint lavenders on saltillo tiles for her garden and to sell during the Hidden Gardens Tour. These sold well, so I have painted more for her Lavender Harvest Event.
In addition, I have finished 2 new paintings based on her beautiful lavender. The hope was to have them printed into blank books to be useful as journals. More will be revealed in the fullness of time. . .
Trail Guy has used the same Cabela’s commuter mug for more years than I can remember while he was Road Guy. A week before he retired, it fell inside one of his big yellow machines. The handle broke. ONE WEEK before he retired! (Reminded me of the old song called “My Grandfather’s Clock”, but in that story, the clock stopped when the old man died. No, I am NOT calling Trail Guy an old man! Stop causing trouble.)
A few weeks ago, our friend Jonah stopped by the house. He wanted to show me some really interesting pieces he carved from firewood, and he raided our woodpile for more. Suddenly, I had a brilliant idea!
“Hey Jonah, can you carve a new handle for Trail Guy’s mug? I’ll paint something for you in exchange!”
“Sure, I can do that and I’d love a painting – surprise me with something!”
What a guy – look at this handle out of manzanita wood, hand carved by the very gifted and hard working Jonah.
Trail Guy said Jonah runs cattle in the area of the Oak Grove Bridge, which happens to be one of my favorite subjects to paint and draw. The day after Jonah delivered the mug, I began this little painting for him. He doesn’t read my blog, so it will be a surprise. (Don’t tell him if you see him, ‘k?)
Because my self-imposed drawing quota for The Cabins of Wilsonia was met for February, I used the last week of the month to knock out a few oil paintings. Two are commissions, and the rest are to sell at the Three Rivers gallery Colors.
Here they are in progress:
Kind of nice to be working in color again. Smells funny, though.
“Loosiosity” is a word coined by my customer/student/friend Sara. Because it is one of those self-defining words, I’m guessing that you can figure it out.
This painting style is the polar opposite of “loosiosity”.
Sara commissioned me to paint a scene for her based on a piece of art she had seen and loved. I had a little photo of that art, but didn’t want to copy it. I changed several things, and painted it in my style, but following Sara’s request for loosiosity.
I THOUGHT I was painting loosely because it was definitely looser than my normal style.
After living with the piece for a few months, Sara told me it wasn’t as she had envisioned. She is very polite, and we are quite honest and straight-forward with one another. It is the sort of relationship I have with all my drawing students.
The way this California artist conducts business is until a commissioning customer is happy with the work, I don’t consider the piece to be finished.
Sara brought it to my studio, and together with our friend Lou, we reworked it. This time we studied the tiny photo and evaluated with differences. We discussed ways to mess it up, add color, soften edges, add texture, and in general, match the piece she had first seen.
Are you wondering why she didn’t just buy that piece she loved? (Great question, glad you asked. ) Because it was SOLD to someone else, of course!
Here is the before, when I originally thought I was finished:
Here it is after Sara and I and our friend Lou finished reworking it:
WOW! The differences barely show in these photos!
We messed up the horizon line, added brighter colors, changed textures and added longer lines (“sticks”?).
Lighting is different everywhere, and IT MATTERS. While we were working in the painting studio on an overcast day, it was tricky to see the correct colors. I finally opened up the doors so we could see it in daylight. Now, she will see it in her home.
I’m curious about what you, The Blog Reader, thinks about all this! I haven’t asked for comments for awhile, but I’d really love to hear your opinions about the process, my way of doing commissioned work, the before and after versions of “Sara’s Redtails”.
When you grow up in the same county as the Sequoia Gigantea, you tend to call these guys “big trees”.
That is sort of a Duh thing, but maybe we are a little duh-ish in Tulare County.
As a graduate of Redwood High School, you’d think I’d call them “Redwoods”. But Noooo, I still call them “Big Trees”. (Grow up, already, California Artist.)
Big Tree III, 6×18″, commissioned oil painting
Sometimes I think I am a fake California artist because I am not painting the beach or palm trees, or eucalyptus trees like those California plein air guys from the early (or was it mid?) 1900s.
Then I think – WAIT A DOGGONE MINUTE! Why am I treating Central California as if it is fly-over country, a place unworthy of mention?
Tulare County has the highest point in the contiguous United States, the largest trees by volume in the world, the oldest oaks in the world (I think that is right), and we feed the world!
Take that, you beach bums. I am a California artist, so there. (Hmmm, a small amount of insecurity, perhaps?)
I know, I know. I’m not painting this year, EXCEPT when I have a commission to do. I think it is funny that on the very first working day of 2013 when I am supposed to have a laser-like focus on The Cabins of Wilsonia, there I am, at the easel!
Some people saw my painting “Big Tree II” at a gallery. They wanted it. They waited. It sold to someone else. They called and asked if I had another like it. I said no, but I could paint them another. They said yes.
So if they want one, I might as well paint two. That way, when one of my galleries calls to say a Sequoia tree painting has sold, I can immediately deliver another. “My galleries” sounds so pretentious, but you know what I mean, right?
It is the same theory as doubling a batch of cookies – IF you can restrain yourself from eating them all, you can put half in the freezer for the next cookie emergency.
I’m sure you all understand “Cookie Emergency”, right?
So, I have two photos of entire Sequoia Trees, and the two previous paintings for reference. If Big Tree II sold, it stands to reason that there was a Big Tree I, right?
Wow, paintings look scruffy at the beginning. But can you see the promise? Can you feel the forward motion? Is the excitement building?
I’ll let you know which one the people choose, and which one goes “in the freezer”. Or, perhaps I’ll offer it for sale on Daily Paintworks.
Now I’m going to draw awhile.
I ended three sentences with “right?” What manner of weird speech pattern is creeping in here?
Yeppers, you can follow the progress on my book at dubya-dubya-dubya-dot-the-cabins-of-wilsonia-dot-com.
I’ve separated out this project from my regular blog for several business reasons, most of which you might find boring. And I NEVER want my blog to be b o r i n g.
So, here we go – a complete year of drawing! Can’t wait. Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE to draw? 😎
The Most Beautiful Fruit Bowl I’ve Ever Seen is completed. It is signed, it is carefully wrapped up and sealed in a box, and I delivered it to an undisclosed location in Exeter. Someone will have an a-may-zing Christmas present. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that!
P.S. This might be one of the most challenging paintings I’ve done. On the other hand, it was very very fun. Now I’m done talking about it.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! It was a commission. I didn’t tell you while I was painting. That is a commission omission.
Why is “commission” spelled with two m’s and “omission” with one?
