. . . is finished!
Nice place to escape the heat
Mineral King Morning, 11×14″, oil on wrapped canvas, $175
Which end is up?
There are several commissioned paintings that need to be done before the mural begins. This is not one of them – it is a commission, but the commissioner said, “No Hurry”. (music to my ears!) He has a great 16×20″ photo of Sawtooth with Mineral Peak behind it and has been wanting a painting. His vision is a panorama shaped painting on wrapped canvas. I looked up available sizes, and he chose 18×36″. I cropped his photo using brown craft paper and began to outline the shapes in a gray-blue color.
Next, I turned both pieces upside down, changed to a reddish brown, and corrected the shapes. Sounds crazy, but it works! Why? When it is right side up my brain tells my eye “You know what Sawtooth looks like; just draw it!” When it is upside down, my eye says “A little longer here, a little wider there, this is in line with that, that is to the right of this. . .” while my brain says, “Hunh?”
All at one time!
Yep, a paintbrush in each hand, in my teeth and one per foot. . . of course I am joking! But all of these paintings are wet and in progress and won’t be ready in time for Redbud Festival. Orders can be taken for commissions. . . 😎
The bridge is slowly advancing – the changes are probably too small to notice yet. The one on the right is in its very first stages – a single layer of paint just indicating where things will be and the general color.
This was one of the first scenes I tackled 4 years ago – wow, it is ever so much easier this time!
On top is the beginning of a commissioned painting of Mineral King in winter. The lower painting has been “mulling” for a long time but now the part above the bridge is finished as are about half the stones in the bridge.
The top painting should look familiar – I have painted it numerous times, but this time it will be a wedding gift. (Giving my art as a gift is a careful decision – does the recipient like my art? Have I chosen the right subject? ) The other 2 paintings are also Mineral King, also repeats. If a subject is great (and if it sells) I repaint it as often as I want. Why not? Can’t think of an good answer, so I’ll keep repeating myself!
Painting small
After spending a fair amount of time just spinning around, making lists, losing the lists, running errands, and visiting with people instead of moving to the next errand, I finally found my way into the painting workshop. I remember this – it is fun to paint with oil paints! 16×20″ isn’t all that big any more, and 8×10″ is really really miniature! Here are some pieces in progress or nearly finished:
This 16 x 20 is Vandever (the right half of Farewell Gap) as seen from the trail to Franklin Lakes and Farewell Gap. There are 2 layers on the sky and mts. and only one on everything else.
The 11 x 14″ is aspens on the Nature Trail heading into the Mineral King Valley from Cold Springs Campground. It might be finished but needs a signature. The oranges will be sold through The Downtown Gallery in Exeter; it only has 2 layers and needs a third with much more detail. Citrus sells well in that town. . . hmmm, wonder why?
These only have the bottom layers. There are more oranges for The Downtown Gallery, and Crescent Meadow is for Sequoia Gifts and Souvenirs. Pictures of Sequoia National Park and sequoia gigantea (the redwood trees) sell well in that lovely little Three Rivers shop. (Deanne, I let the shelves show a bit so you could snoop – not much has changed except that the mural paints aren’t yet put back on the top shelves.)