8 Recent Happenings

Today there are many topics to address, so we will have a long list.

  1. I went away with my sisters and our Mom for a family funeral. Supposed to be a sad time, but it was surprisingly fun. 

    Me and four of the most important women in my life feeling happy to be together
  2. Tomorrow and Sunday is the South Valley ARTists’ Studio Tour. Will I see you there? You can buy tickets the day of the event at the places listed on their website.
  3. I hope the studio tour has more attendance than First Saturday Three Rivers. There were 4 people covering for me at my studio while I was with my chicky-babes (see #1) and 11 visitors.  ELEVEN?? Bless you, those eleven who came out in the rain. I hope you enjoyed your wildflower freebie!
  4. What a week of learning! I actually designed a website for my friend who manages vacation rentals here in Three Rivers. She got tired of waiting for the guy who said he’d do it for her, and I jumped in with both feet but perhaps only half my brain. We will do a lot of polishing, but the site is ready to be seen. Sequoiavacationrentals.NET It was thrilling to be able to help her, to have some experience, to have all sorts of photos to supplement hers, to FIGURE THIS OUT!! It was hard. I did it anyway.
  5. Why am I designing a site for someone and paying someone else to design a site for me? Because mine is very very complicated. There is much work ahead for me. Good thing I practiced on my friend.
  6. It was so beautiful in Three Rivers this week that instead of working in the studio (drawings to be done for the 2019 calendar and a few more paintings, including a Sawtooth commission), I pulled weeds. It was a nice break from figuring out how to build a website.

    Lots and lots of weeds.
  7. Piper is doing well. There may be kittens soon; I hope the little guy adjusts and is polite.
  8. Trail Guy took a day trip to Mineral King. The road has a gnarly slide across it above the ranger station.

See why I had to make a list?? And, in case you were wondering, I am not superstitious about today’s day and date combination.

Nice Day on the Farm

I didn't want to leave home in the morning, but we grownups have to face things.
I didn’t want to leave home in the morning, but we grownups have to face things.
Look how beautiful it is around the barn!
Pretty nice place to work. Don’t these folks have gophers and deer??
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This is the same view that I painted from real life and from photos in April 2015.
spring
April 2015

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This is all I saw of the baby animals. There were lambs but it took several people running around to catch them and I had to work instead of cavort with lambs.
This is all I saw of the baby animals. There were lambs but it took several people running around to catch them; I was not cavorting with lambs that day.
These folks are heading off to catch a lamb.
These folks are heading off to catch a lamb.
Wow, eh?
Wow, eh?
Oh yeah. I was working. Look at that merchandise with the afternoon sunlight!
Look at that merchandise with the afternoon sunlight!
And look at the light show in the afternoon light!
And look at the light show in the afternoon light!

Thus we conclude the boutiques, bazaars and shows for 2016. 

Isn’t “thus” a stuffy word? I don’t think it gets used much in conversation.

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Hidden in the Leaves

hidden announce

Hidden in the Leaves is the title of a show sponsored by the Arts Alliance of Three Rivers. At last count there were 17 Three Rivers artists participating. The show hangs in the dining room of Sierra Subs, along the highway in Three Rivers just before you see the Shell gas sign. (Easier to spot than an address!)

Here’s a link to a little thing about it: Fresno Bee Events Page

First Saturday Three Rivers: Its opening reception is Saturday, November 7 and I will be there, set up in the courtyard, showing, and selling from 11:00 until 2:30 . (That’s tomorrow if you are reading this on Friday, November 6.)

Three of my oil paintings are in the show, and one is two are already sold!

Stop by, say hi, order a FABULOUS lunch, sit near the river, look at the paintings, introduce yourself to me, browse through my stuff, hang loose and be cool. Or, buy something. Just have a good time!

Redbud Festival 2014 in Photos

Redbud Festival in Three Rivers was on a new weekend and in a new location. It was walking distance from home for me!

Bye-bye, studio, I have to work somewhere else today.

Does your commute look like this? It is WONDERFUL to walk to work.

Most exhibitors parked at the Presbyterian Church. Me? I took this shortcut across the field. It was a trail, but got turned into a bit of a road when the neighborhood got a new water system.

It brings me to the backside of the Memorial Building, where there is a dude on the roof, and the cars match the fire hydrants.

Vendors were setting up their pop-up canopies in the parking lot. I was very thankful to have an indoor space, because it got hot out there on the asphalt later in the day.

See? lots of hot pavement.

BJ is from Tulare and he has BEE-YOO-TI-FUL rustic furniture and very cool yard ornaments. I was briefly tempted to get some quail, and then decided it is dumb to put metal quail in a yard full of live quail. I try to not be dumb whenever possible. It’s dumb to be dumb. Don’t be dumb. Dumb dumb dumb.

There. Have I wrecked the word “dumb”?

Perhaps it would be good to continue this tomorrow.

Redbud Festival Returns

I wanted to say “Redbud Returns” for alliteration, but didn’t want to confuse you any more than already.

What? You confused?

Maybe not you specifically. The general population has confusion about the Redbud Festival in Three Rivers. Let’s tackle this as a FAQ session.

1. Will the redbud be in bloom? Nope. It blooms in March.

2. Why is it called the Redbud Festival? Because that’s the way it is. It was established in the 1970s, and maybe they held it in March. I don’t remember.

3. Why isn’t it at Ardfarkle’s anymore? Because Ardfarkle’s doesn’t exist anymore.

4. But I liked Ardfarkle’s better. Do you have a question for me?

5. Why is it at the Memorial Building this year? Because that’s the way it is. The Memorial Building is a lovely location, a non-dusty place with both indoor and outdoor booth spaces.

6. Did you say the Rosebud Festival? Nope. It’s the Redbud Festival.

7. When is it this year? So glad you asked. Here is the official poster, beautifully created for you by the talented Karen Kimball.

Preparing for The Redbud Festival

The Redbud Festival is an annual (except when it isn’t) event in Three Rivers, held in May. It will be on Saturday and Sunday next. I’ll give you the specifics in tomorrow’s blog post.

Meanwhile, back at the workshop:

Oops. I’m sorry. I went for a walk. Here, look at the paintings in progress:

I already showed you this, right? But I just noticed that I transposed 2 numbers in a friend’s phone number on my chalkboard!

Cool fence, eh? The yellow stuff is some sort of fungus. It matches the fiddleneck. Oh wait, I’m distracted again.

You’ve already seen this too?

Okay, let’s go for a walk.

Wait, I keep showing you photos of this scene. Sorry. Guess I’m just really distracted today. Lots of work to do to prepare for Redbud Festival.

First Saturday December

It only rained a little bit, off and on, no umbrellas required. The rain didn’t deter Linda, Maggie, Beth, Gail, Ron, Judy, Jeannie, Bonnie, Sara, Gary, Vanessa, Tom, Becky, Sonya or Rachelle!

(I was just practicing my memory skills.)

I saw this on my way over to the studio this morning. A grey day really shows off the yellow leaves (and the orange cone in the distance!)

inside Jana Botkin's studio

Art, flowers, cookies, music – people enjoyed visiting my studio (or maybe they were just being polite).

Guest/friend/customer Judy thought the remaining leaves on the flowering pear tree would be a good subject for photography. She was right – thank you, Judy!

flowering pear leaves photo by Jana Botkin

flowering pear leaves photo by Jana Botkin

First Saturday Three Rivers December 1

First Saturday Three Rivers for December is coming quickly – December 1, to be exact. My studio will be open. Go to Anne Lang’s Emporium for a map. Come see me between 11 and 5. It might be raining. I have a roof and a little heater. It will be fine!

Jana Botkin's studios

You can ask me stuff about my art and buy Christmas gifts. I don’t accept credit cards but I do accept cash and (good) checks. There is an ATM in town at the Bank of the Sierra.

Did I forget anything?? Email me or comment if you want to know more!

First Saturday, Again?

If you are over 50, you probably are experiencing the rush of time. I don’t mean “rush” as in thrill, but rush as in hurry, fast, speedy-gonzalez. Didn’t I just particpate in First Saturday about 2 months ago? Nope, it was in May. Or was it in February?

See? I sound like an old person, which over 50 used to be.

In addition to the change in how time passes, there are always those questioning conversations, plus the ever-shifting definition of “old age”.

But that’s not why I am blogging today. (See? all those conversational diversions also go with middle-age!)

First Saturday Three Rivers is happening in two days, on November 3, 2012 and MY STUDIO WILL BE OPEN.

Sorry for shouting. I get a little carried away sometimes with the enthusiasm of actually having folks come to my place of normally solitary and silent work.

You’ll have to go to Anne Lang’s Emporium to get a map to find me. I’m not posting directions or my address on the World Wide Web for all those weirdo spammers to see!

The theme is Oak. Or is it Oak Leaves? Maybe it is Oak Trees.

If you come, you’ll have the best selection of my new blank journals with my paintings on the cover ($14 inc. tax) or my first ever calendar with paintings for each month of 2013 ($15 inc. tax, special deal for you only this Saturday.)

Lone Oak oil painting by Jana Botkin

Lone Oak, oil on wrapped canvas, 12×16″, $250

First Saturday, Three Rivers, September First

First Saturday Three Rivers has been happening for 3 years now. On the first Saturday of the month, merchants and artists in Three Rivers do something special. They have sales, open houses, new products, refreshments, or anything out of their normal procedures for the day.

9 oil paintings of fruit by Jana Botkin
These 9 fruits are each 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $40 each, and available at Colors, An Art Gallery

It gives you a reason to come up the hill. I’ve heard it is fun. There is something about most of the first Saturdays that just won’t fit into my life, usually involving Mineral King. Occasionally I do open my studio or join the folks at Colors, but not in September. I’m sorry. I hope you visit Three Rivers anyway and have a bang-up great time.

On September 1 (Happy B’day, S & MKW & RT!) Colors will have 2 new paintings from me. Not really new, but old paintings that I retouched because I paint better now (an admission of growth rather than a statement of false humility about the past or braggadocio about the present). They are the paintings of Sequoia trees, hanging above the oranges:

oil paintings drying on the wall by Jana Botkin
The 2 8×10 paintings of Sequoia trees (AKA Redwood trees, like my high school) will be available on September 1 at Colors, $90 each, unless someone buys them before then. Might that be you?

If you are interested, you will enjoy seeing them in person much more than in this crummy little photo.