Why will I be there when I could be painting at home?
I might bring this trail painting or maybe a stack of Sawtooth paintings.
I have become a (temporary) Sawtooth painting factory.
First, sky and clouds on all three.
Second, Sawtooth on all three.
Third, trees on distant ridges on all three.
Fourth, work on the distant trees that are somewhat distinct.
Fifth, scribble in some layers of green on all three, because it is getting too dark to see, there is green paint on the palette that can be used to add another layer to the canvases, and that’s all I can take today of the repetition of these custom Mineral King oil paintings. 
Next painting session: figure out the confusing rocks in the stream on one painting, and then use it as a guide for the other two. This will be more effective than repeating a rock three times and then realizing it is in the wrong place. Who cares if a rock is in the wrong place? If it makes the stream flow look unbelievable, all three customers might care.
The first painting to sell at IMAGES OF HOME was Sawtooth Near Sunnypoint.
To clarify the title for you: Sunnypoint was the name of a campground in Mineral King, closed by the Forest Service some time before 1978. The Nature Trail runs through it, and this view is how I wished it actually looked. Instead, Black Wolf Falls isn’t fully visible in this exact position, and Sawtooth only shows as a little point. Nonetheless, this is what we remember when we think of those 2 places, along with a full and curving stream. “We”? That would be me, myself, I, and the 4 people who bought this painting.
How can 4 people buy the same painting??
I’m glad you asked. When Person #2 said, “Oh, wow, I would love that but it is sold!”, I replied with, “I can paint it again for you.”
This happened 3 times after the first sale.
This is what is happening now:
The top one is 16×20″; the bottom two are 11×14″.
This is also happening now:
I’ll ‘splain these to you later. Meanwhile, my show IMAGES OF HOME is also happening now at the Courthouse Gallery in Exeter.
The blog series “How I Designed a Logo” is temporarily postponed while I keep you updated about the show, “IMAGES OF HOME” at Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery. We will resume the story tomorrow (unless something show-related happens that cannot wait.)
I am painting as if I have a deadline because I do. One of the customers at Images of Home wanted to take his painting with him rather than wait for the show’s indeterminate ending. This left a blank space on the wall.
Since it was a 12×12″ orange grove scene which sold, I wanted to replace it with something similar. (We didn’t just arbitrarily tack paintings and drawings to the wall, but instead, we grouped them somewhat by subject matter.)
This painting was already started:
I spent an afternoon refining it, doing the forbidden and frowned-upon (by The Art World) drawing with my paintbrush. (That is my preferred method of painting, and clearly, the attendees of the art show agree with me, so take that, Art World!)You can see that I ignored the eucalpytus trees in the background in the photo and substituted my favorite foothills and snow-covered Sierra.
The painting is too wet to scan (Captain Obvious speaking here), so I photographed it, carefully carried it into the somewhat warmer house (we’ve been having very mild weather this week) to get a bit drier, and then will deliver it still somewhat wet to the gallery. Since the gallery isn’t open again until Saturday, the degree of dryness doesn’t matter. I will put a “Wet Paint” sign near it.
The title is “Picking Time”, the size is 10×10″, the price is $150, and the medium is slow-to-dry oil paint.
Because I fully anticipate further sales in the next weeks building up to Christmas, I am working on these other 2 paintings to fill holes on the walls.
First, this one has been troubling me. I keep studying it to figure out how to make it better.
Okay, bye-bye stump. Yes, it tells me where I am on which trail, but it doesn’t enhance the painting. In case you are wondering, I like deer in Mineral King; I dislike them eating my plants in Three Rivers. 
This is better, but I am still not convinced that it is finished. These little adjustments are probably only discernible to me.
Okay, enough of this painting that feels too hard for me. Time to work on something I know how to paint.
When this stage is dry, I will start the detailing that I so dearly love to do. This is the classic Mineral King scene; this time it is titled Mineral King Dusk, because it is dusk in Mineral King. (This is your captain speaking). It is 6×12″, and the price will be $125.
Do you think I should raise my prices? What would Captain Obvious say?
Never mind. Here is an updated flyer about Images of Home; both of the pieces shown have sold. (Sawtooth on the left sold four times, which I already told you, but again, this is your captain speaking).
Remember when I painted a Farewell Gap oil painting and wouldn’t tell you why? I said it had to be the very best painting I had ever done. The Best Version of the Classic Mineral King Scene
The painting was commissioned by the Mineral King Preservation Society and the Mineral King District Association to be a gift for Louise, someone who has been very instrumental in both preserving the history of Mineral King and developing a good relationship between the cabin owners and Sequoia National Park.
She also happens to be one of my dearest friends, someone who coached me through my first murals, got me my first paid public mural, and has been more encouraging than anyone I have ever known. She is also an author, and I had the privilege of editing and publishing two books for her: Trail of Promises and The Visalia Electric Railroad. We work together like a well-oiled machine, one that laughs a lot while producing good results.
Here are some photos of the presentation of the painting.
I love this lady.
P.S. These came via email:
1. What a beautiful post, beautiful painting, and beautiful lady. How is Louise doing? She looks well. – Jon S.
2. Your “Louise gift” in this morning’s post brought tears. what a touching tribute to my very special cousin.
three cheers for a beautiful exhibit! – Bev
The opening reception to my solo show, “Images of Home” at Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery was amazingly well attended. No one was counting, but I think there were at least 100 people, and everyone did NOT come at once. It was most totally excellent!
This is the first thing you see when you step into the entryway.
This is what you see when you step into the gallery.
Here is a comfortable corner for contemplation.
These three pencil drawings of Mineral King look just right on this wall. (How would they look all together on a wall in your home?)
Sold!
These are still available.
This child was too cute to not photograph. (Her mom gave permission).
There were a few opportunities to photograph people in the gallery, but that wasn’t my real mission.
Sold!
Sold!
Sold!
Sold!
Sold twice!
Sold four times!
Yeppers, you read that right. I have to order some canvases, and then get painting. If someone expressed disappointment at having missed out on a painting, I simply said, “I can paint it again for you”. (Do other artists do this??)
I spent a day at the easels. To anyone else, it would probably be boring. There wasn’t anything really photo worthy, but I took 2 at the end of the day so you could see that I made progress.
Here it is in a list:
Are you yawning yet? It really was a wonderful day! Thank you for sticking with me to the end.
As the title states, I am painting as if I have a show coming, because I do. Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery, November and December, specific dates undetermined as of yet.
This one looks finished when viewed from the back of a fast horse. However, there are no horses allowed in the Courthouse Gallery, fast or slow. 
Therefore, I spent another morning on the 12×24″ oil painting, cleverly titled “Yokohl”.
Next, I rephotographed the 12×24″ oil painting with the not very original title of “Looking East II”. (Honestly, finding great titles is a challenge when I paint the same subjects multiple times.) The smoke was not very evident, so I was able to get a photo without a weird orange tint.
Next, I did a tiny bit of adjustments on the 12×24″ oil painting cleverly titled “Alta Alpenglow”. It might actually be “Alta Alpenglow” II or III or even IV, but I chosen not to count this particular view. Maybe instead of numbers, they could be Title Good, Title Better, and Title Best. But then what would I call #4?
But wait! There’s more!
You’ll have to come back tomorrow.
On Thursday night, I woke up a zillion times wondering if it was raining yet. It wasn’t. Mid morning, it rained! Not much, but enough to clear the air. I don’t know the effect on the inferno, but the air stopped having texture. 
I can paint another day with the doors flung open and I feel happy! Let’s get started on Yokohl.
Sky and clouds first.
Hills next, painting back to front.
And creek and ground last. Then I set it in the waning daylight to photograph it. After that, I painted the edges.
It isn’t signed yet because of that waning daylight. In brighter light I will probably find a dozen things to fix. This one doesn’t really call for much drawing with my paint brushes, but I will probably figure out a way to do that. Fence posts, wildflowers, grasses, an alligator in the creek . . .
How much is “so much”? Well, as much as the low light and bad air allows, in order to be ready for. . .
The Courthouse Gallery in Exeter has asked me to do a solo show for November and December! I don’t know the exact dates yet, because they don’t exactly know the dates yet.
When they first asked, I did inventory of available paintings and drawings, because they said they’d like to have both. The inventory was a little loosey-goosey, because I didn’t know if pieces would sell before that time. (This was pre-fire.) Kaweah Arts and the Silver City Store have been closed since shortly after Labor Day, so sales have stopped. Further, I have 9 paintings in the store, and no one is getting in there any time soon. No one is going up the road except fire fighters, and it is treacherous.
This means I need to finish some new paintings in order to fill up the gallery.
Therefore, the painting I thought I would do for my dining room of my favorite subject will need to be finished and for sale. It’s okay; I can paint it again for Big Queen Me-Me.
This one needs to be finished.
I can do that.
See? Just one edge left to paint, let it dry, sign it, photograph it, and move on.
Next!