This time I listened to Steven Wariner (always), Emmy Lou Harris (again), Vince Gill, Michael Martin Murphy (the album that has the Sons of the San Joaquin singing backup on one song), George Strait, and Clint Black. That was the Fastest Day Painting Ever.
This is the middle fork of the Kaweah River in Three Rivers, about 1/2 mile from my house/studio/three cats. The reference photos were taken from a favorite place for trespassing.
Recently while stuck inside on a very rainy day at the cabin, Trail Guy had to replace the batteries in the radio. That erased the saved stations, and as he was resetting them, he found two classic rock and one classic country station. We entertained ourselves for an evening by hopping around among the three stations, and I was shocked, “SHOCKED”, I say, to realize how many voices, introductions, and songs I not only recognized, but could sing (poorly) to.
I forgot how much I used to (and apparently still do) love country music. I don’t like the really old stuff and don’t know the new stuff, but the tunes from the ’70s and ’80s float my boat.
When we got home, I dug out a stack of my old CDs*, put them in my stereo (yeah, it is probably “old” too), and started painting while singing (poorly). Doesn’t this seem like an appropriate painting for country music? Here is the progression:
This is from a photo on top of Rocky Hill. At this time of writing, it is untitled.
*Steve Wariner (my absolute forever favorite), Emmy Lou Harris, Suzy Bogguss, Collin Raye, and Skip Ewing. (Only Steve Wariner showed up when Trail Guy and I were playing “Name That Tune”).
And you might be wondering about this: In the category of country, Trail Guy usually guessed Hank Williams Sr. or Johnny Cash, but he excelled at the rock station, whereas I thought most of those songs sounded alike with repetitious screaming guitars and scratchy yelling voices. (They didn’t play Toto or Little River Band, but they did play one Kansas—I love those tight harmonies.)
Recently I told an old friend that I have no commissions. He said, “I have one for you”. Many years ago he bought a couple of Mineral King paintings from me. One was when I was very new to painting, and according to Friend, I was reluctant to accept his hard-earned dollars for it. He wanted me to paint the two again, so he could see the difference.
After he sent me a photo of the two paintings on his Mineral King wall, I asked if he wanted one or both, and what sizes. He chose one, a 6×6″, and it is the newer of the two paintings. However, it is still before I kept good records of completed work. (I started oil painting on March 8, 2006. Yes, I remember the date.)
This is his photo:
I looked through my files of completed oil paintings, and holy guacamole, look how many paintings of this scene I have in my records!
This is the first one, probably from 2006 or 2007, when I was still painting on boards rather than wasting canvas.
This is from 2010.
2013
2014
I found two photos to help me get this right.
Ugh. It’s hot and the swamp cooler is roaring, and I want lunch. There is no deadline, so I will paint slowly with many corrective layers.
Done.
Now, we return to our regular broadcast, a series called “Cabin Life”.
If you have been reading my blog for the past 2 months, you have noticed that I haven’t been doing much in the way of artwork. Something just went silent, not “artist’s block” because I never run out of ideas. What was it? Two things: spring was so beautiful that all I wanted to do was work in the yard, and sales have dropped significantly so I didn’t want to keep building up inventory. (Too much stuff stresses me out, whether it is possessions, noise, items on a calendar, or people at a gathering; please forgive me for referring to people as “stuff”.)
After working on the Yokohl Oak painting, I worked a bit more on the big painting that I was hoping to someday hang in my dining area. It was just sitting quietly on the easel next to the oak tree, patiently waiting for some attention. The heat wasn’t too bad, I had an interesting podcast to listen to, and I had just killed a mosquito. (There is always one.) Why not keep painting?
It felt a little bit too hard, but my experience tells me that putting brush to canvas is the best way to overcome the feeling of inadequacy. So I dabbed a bit at those upper marks to turn them into oranges.
I couldn’t find a paintbrush that would cooperate. All the little ones did that annoying thing of gathering lots of paint but not releasing it. So, I moved into less detailed areas, just defining dark and light clumps, and actually counting the trees that appear in the front to match them with the trees in the photo. This is not because I need to be a Xerox machine; it is because in order to understand how things look, I need to actually LOOK at them. (or at a clear photo)
Getting better, but still lots of work ahead.
I am not in a hurry. This is for me, and I can take as long as I want and be as detailed as I desire. (“It’s my painting and I’ll draw if I want to, draw if I want to, draw if. . . “)
Someday this painting of the areas of Tulare County that I find so beautiful will be completed, Lord willing, and my vision don’t expire. (How many clichés can I butcher here?)
If you came here for Mineral King news and are disappointed, you can check the Mineral King website to see if anything new has been posted.
One day we had no internet. This also meant no cell service (because we don’t have cell service at our house the cell phone works off the wifi) and no landline. So no podcasts, just concentrating on the current painting in silence.
I remembered my stereo and popped in a CD when I got tired of my loop-di-loop thoughts. Just sat and drew with my paintbrush and listened to music while painting this classic Tulare County scene for the Long Way Off show.
After I took a plein air (on location) painting workshop, I tried to incorporate some new techniques into my normal studio method of painting. I didn’t like the results, and apparently, no one else did either, because those paintings didn’t sell.
This one in particular was troubling, because I thought the subject matter would overcome any difficulties.
After goofing off for weeks, I decided to warm up to painting by improving this little loser.
When it is dry, I will scan it so we can all scratch our heads in bewilderment about how I could have ever thought the painting might sell in its earlier state.
Guess I was blinded by love for the subject matter of Tulare County’s best features.
P.S. I didn’t mess with the orchards or wind machines because they look fine.
If you are getting this post in your email, go to the internet and type in jana botkin dot net (type it in computer style, not the way it is written here).
Sales have been slow. I am not defining “spring”, precisely, and it isn’t over yet. However, I am not producing very much: just editing and formatting 2 different books, teaching drawing lessons, communicating occasionally with the folks on 2 different pairs of murals, and wondering if there will be any reason to paint towards selling at the Silver City Store this coming summer.
Lest you think I am bored, your Central California artist is never bored. I am yardening, meeting up with an old friend from high school, cleaning out closets and rooms at church, yardening some more, reading, knitting, walking with my neighbor, and yardening (in case you were wondering.)
My blog seems to be back to normal, so if you are receiving my posts via email and can’t see the photographs, tap here to go to the blog on the internet.
The large oil painting commission has taken quite a bit of thought and time. It feels very important to make it the best I possibly can. This is difficult for a non-perfectionist, whose main drive is to complete projects rather than do things perfectly. However, as a grownup, I am capable of overcoming my natural bent when it is the right thing to do.
I photographed the painting while it was upside down on the easel.
Then I flipped and cropped the photo, enlarged it to fill my computer screen, and studied it.
This is a weird phenomenon, one observed and used by my drawing students and me. Things often look fine until you see a photograph on a phone, camera, or computer screen. Suddenly the flaws appear.
The result of my study session is a red oval around each part that didn’t look quite right.
Then I mixed up the right colors and began making minuscule corrections. My plan was to photograph the corrections for you, but all wet paint was shiny and looked terrible in the photos. So, never mind that plan.
I lifted it off the easel to sign it and saw that the bottom looked terrible.
Then I looked out the painting workshop door and felt happy in spite of the little hitch in my git-along.
Here it is on the easel, ready for the official photograph. In spite of looking tiny in this setting, it is way too big for my scanner.
Wait! You haven’t seen the edges yet!
Finally, paint the bottom of the canvas, and the painting is finished. (Still wet)
I think you need to see it in person to truly appreciate this commissioned oil painting of my current favorite scene of Tulare County to paint for the very patient and accommodating Mr. Customer.
My blog seems to be back to normal, so if you are receiving my posts via email and can’t see the photographs, tap here to go to the blog on the internet.
I am slowly working on the commissioned oil painting, and wandering around the yard while waiting to hear about two mural projects (each with two murals) and wondering about several subjects.
Sometimes while thinking about the painting, I amble around the yard.
I am wondering if the host of my website will sort out the evil robot situation, if I will be able to make the oil commission match Mr. Customer’s vision, when I will hear about those upcoming murals, when I might be able to start, and why the deer haven’t eaten all these irises and roses.
For awhile I had a link in these emails of my daily blog post to take you to the site on the internet so you could see the photos. Now there is some tomfoolery happening with my blog, so I am not putting the link in until it gets sorted out. If you would like to see the pictures, go to jana botkin dot net (written this way to confound the evil robots who are messing things up.)
Mr. Customer and I had a texted conversation about his commissioned oil painting.
Me: Is this starting to look like what you are wanting?
Mr. Customer: It is!
Me (knowing that he is a very encouraging and positive person and needing to verify things a bit further): I have made the mountains as perfect as I know how but I am faking the hills in front of them. The only place the mountains looked that clear and perfect and visible was from Rocky Hill, but from there the hills were just one solid ridge. Hence, fakery.
Mr. Customer: Pretty darn close
Me: I aim for believability. No one memorizes the actual configuration of the hills, and most people only know a few specific peaks. But even those look different from every viewpoint. So as long as you are happy, then I am happy too.
Mr. Customer: I will be happy. Just so you know.
Yippee skippee! I am happy too!