Closing in on it!
Mineral King Bridge Painting, 3rd Layer
Branches and leaves on the cottonwoods, a pine in the right foreground, and some branches added to the red firs back by the cabins.
Sounds like a lesson in native trees of Mineral King. Might be, if I knew what sort of pine that is. Bet it isn’t a pine but is another red fir.
There is more to be done. There is always more to be done.
Sounds like a life lesson.
(Hey Mr. Google, this post is about a Mineral King oil painting, a commissioned oil painting, and I am a California Artist. Just sayin’.)
Mineral King Bridge Painting, 2nd Layer
Getting better all the time (wasn’t that a song by Chicago?)! Certainly isn’t a Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Long Way There is certainly correct for the road, and Long and Winding Road is even better. Wait – it was called Getting Stronger Every Day by Chicago!!
Clearly I digress. This is about visual art, not auditory art. Here, have a look at the painting after round 2:
It will take at least one more layer to get the colors, textures and shapes right, and then I can start the leaves on the cottonwoods. (Those are the trees on the left).
Mineral King Bridge In Paint
We all know that procrastination is not a virtue. However, I’d like to present a few benefits to procrastination:
1. Sometimes the problem fixes itself.
2. Sometimes new knowledge or skill is acquired so the difficulty diminishes.
3. Sometimes the problem becomes a moot point.
4. Sometimes someone else takes care of it.
I’ve been contemplating an oil painting of the Mineral King bridge for several weeks. In the meantime, I’ve made progress on my Huge (yet unrevealed) Project, finished a pencil commission, assembled a new spinning card rack, finished some other pencil drawings, prepared for the upcoming student art show, decided on and ordered covers for my display screens, completed the application for the next Studio Tour, and many other things that might bore you right off this page.
Finally, I’ve run out of excuses. The real reason for procrastination in this case is a little embarrassing: when I’ve gone several weeks without painting, I get a little fearful that I won’t be able to remember how to paint.
Then, when I begin a new painting, my fears appear to be confirmed. Sigh.
p.s. Don’t worry, CL, it WILL get better. They always do!
Not Out of the Woods
A friend saw a painting in a book of a deer that she just flipped over. (Not literally, thanks for your concern for her back health.) She showed it to me and asked if I could copy it for her living room wall. I could, but I won’t. There are copyright laws, and I am observant because I want others to show me the same courtesy. I love this friend. I love her a lot. She is nothing but sweetness, light, help and encouragement to me. Oh, and fun, too! Tons of fun! And wise, oh my goodness. I want to please her, but what to do, think, think, think. . .
I know! I have a great photo of a deer. Really great! I can paint that deer, and match the style of the painting in the book! Nothing wrong with imitating another style, trying out new ways of paintings, experimenting a little. No matter how hard I try, I can never truly duplicate that person’s style, whoever he or she is.
The style of the painting in the book is COMPLETELY UNLIKE anything I have ever attempted. It is loose and thickly layered and possibly completed in one time (ala prima) It is only in browns (or it that umber or sepia?) I cannot show you the photo from the book because of copyright laws. So, here is my first pass over the canvas.
I hope this hasn’t caused you to scream and smash your head on your computer or desk. I know it looks as if someone needs to put this deer out of his misery. I will, I will – next pass over the canvas, I promise!
Land of Fruit and Nuts
Ever heard California referred to that way? My Customer-Friend/Friend-Customer has chosen the top seven fruits and nuts, the kind that are produced for food, to be painted by me for the purpose of meaningful kitchen decor.
Here, alphabetized for your remembering ease, are the top seven: Almond, apricot, fig, lemon, navel orange, valencia orange, walnut. More of these are produced in California than anywhere else in the world. (Care to verify that, Mr. Customer-Friend/Friend-Customer? I KNOW you are reading this!)
After I painted the almonds, I ate them. I am not, nor will I ever be, Lord willing, a starving artist!
These are still drying after which they will be retouched, signed, and dry again. Then they will be varnished and dry again. THEN they will be shipped.
Too Much
Ever heard of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis? Wish I hadn’t. It means I did too much of something. A right-hander did too much with her left hand. Now my left thumb is in a weird splint that removes the opposable function of my thumb.
It is temporary. I said, ‘IT IS TEMPORARY!” This second shout is in case the splint is muffling the ears on my thumb and it hasn’t yet heard that it needs to heal quickly.
Perhaps having 2 opposable thumbs is really over rated.
A Customer-Friend (or is that Friend-Customer?) asked for seven 2″ square paintings. He knows a lot about a lot of things, and likes his art to have significance. Because of this admirable quality, he researched the 7 top fruits and nuts produced in California and chose them to decorate his kitchen. (I know some really interesting people, by the way.)
My normal way of holding the mini-canvases on my left-hand is currently unavailable. (My normal way of doing many things is currently unavailable but for purposes of the blog I’ll just stick to the subject of painting.)
There are many little items in the workshop where I paint because I share the space with my Always-Prepared husband. These little clothes-pin-like items worked perfectly, but alas and alack – a lack of enough of them drove me to improvise.
I don’t know what these pipe thingies are but they fit just perfectly into the back of the canvases and my 4 non-splinted fingers wrap around them just fine. As an added bonus, they are free standing.
An added benefit of the little clothes-pin-like items is that I can pinch them onto the edge of a cardboard box flap. (American ingenuity at work on a Chinese box)
The paintings are not finished – they need to dry, get retouched and signed, dry again, get varnished, dry yet again and get shipped.
Odd Jobs
My friend Nadi has just finished painting a window. You can see her fabulous work here: Blue Window 4
I have just begun painting one. Literally, not figuratively. (The subject is California poppies, because, as you know, I am a California artist.) I started it on the wrong side, because messing up is often my modus operandi, a little Latin lingo for you. I will scrape it off with a razor, flip the window around, and begin again. Practice, practice, practice. Of course I have warned my customer not to scratch her window because if she does, the paint will go away!
NEWS FLASH! – The customer and I looked at the window in the place where it is to be hung. It looks better with the paint on the back side of the glass than on the front, so no razor-blade scraping will be necessary! Isn’t that great!! Sure surprised me. . .
Peeps? Yep, Peeps.
This may be one of the more unusual items I have ever painted! It is a commission, and there is a story of how it came about. My dental hygienist (yes, I am friends with my hygienist!) asked me to stop by her house to see a potential new painting project. She had fabulous tulips in bloom out front and I admired (and photographed) them. Later, I found some STUNNING oil paintings of tulips while zipping around the World Wide Web. STUNNING. I sent the link to the DH, and she saw that the artist also painted Peeps. Hunh? I didn’t even notice those on the site! DH asked me if I could paint Peeps for her. Umm, sure. I bought a package of yellow, my very first Peep purchase in my entire life! I’ve never eaten one either – my mom was mean, but I am 51 years old and only have 1 filling, so her meanness paid off. This may even have contributed to my friendship with my DH. As a model patient, she just admired me so much that we became friends? Nah, she is a very cool person, and we just like each other. Anyway, I digress. Here are the Peeps:
And, by the way, Happy Birthday, “Mean” Mom! 😎 (And thanks for the great teeth!)
Commissions
#12 in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays”
Commissions are one of the most necessary pieces of the art career patchwork quilt. Not every artist is willing to draw or paint to a customer’s specifications. Some believe it is too commercial or compromising. Of course it is commercial – this is how I earn my living! Compromising can mean the acceptance of standards that are lower than is desirable, but I believe the artist still has control over the piece and doesn’t have to make work that discredits a professional reputation.
The process begins as do all custom undertakings – with a conversation. Clear communication is essential for happy customers. I listen to the potential client explain his idea or vision. I listen to his description of the subject and recommend the medium based on my experience.
If the customer wants a picture of his house, I almost always advise pencil because such a high level of detail can be achieved. If the subject is scenery and color is the reason for the request, oil is the obvious choice. In portraiture, I recommend pencil because it provides the best chance to capture a likeness. Portraiture is tricky – I can get all the features in place and accidentally draw the guy’s cousin! If it is a view of someone from the back, oil paint works well to capture the stance and the light.
To become familiar with the subject and avoid copyright problems, I take my own photos. The customer often provides snapshots or emails digital photos to me. Occasionally I have been known to say that I need to visit the place and see it with my own eyes. No one has actually offered air fare to Cape Cod, Montana or even South Africa, but it hasn’t been for lack of effort on my part!
After taking the photos, I narrow the selection down to two or three choices. If the customer has asked for a collage, I provide several sketches. Occasionally the customer will say the magic words, “You’re the professional” which means I get to choose the design I like best.
Some customers enjoy seeing the piece in progress; others prefer to just see the finished work. This is another area that should be discussed and decided at the beginning of the project.
Deadlines are also very important to establish. I’ve been asked to do things on impossibly short notice and also on possibly short notice. Either way, I am honest and don’t promise things that I can’t deliver. Unfortunately there is a terrible reputation for flakiness in my profession, so I make it a point to finish on time or earlier.
Accepting commissions is a way to establish collectors and credibility. The artist has been selected for the job because of a consistent style and a reputation for reliability. Best of all, commissions are rewarding because there is an eager customer waiting at the end of the project.
