Hay, A Barn!

Big Fat THANK YOU to all of you who did my thinking for me to title this piece for the Madera Ag Art show! Here is the complete list. The winner is in red (and the title of this post). The runners-up are in teal. They (Sharon, Don and Sam) will receive a token of appreciation for their witty work.

barn oil painting by Jana Botkin
Unnamed Barn, formerly known as Tulare County Barn, 10×10″ oil painting on wrapped canvas

Choosing was very very hard. I am clearly drawn to things that make me laugh or at least smile. After thinking more about it, I decided that focusing on the barn alone wasn’t true to the image. It is 1/3 barn and 2/3 hay. (If it is wheat, I don’t want to know!)

The submitted names are elegant, gracious, sensitive, picturesque, poetic, appropriate, and dignified. My sense of humor is dumb, unexpected, plebian, and lacking in refinement. The chosen title acknowledged the field and the barn, was dumb and made me smile.

Now, I hope the jurors of the Ag Art Show feel the same!

 

 

Vintage Homestead 

Vintage Charm  

Seasoned Valley Barn

Tools of the Ag Trade

A Loyal Companion to CA Ag

The Farmers’ Loyal Companion

Shadows of the Past

The Grey Ghost

Standing Tall

Forget Me Not

Look At Me 

Structured Field

Grassy Barn

Serenity

Rustic setting

Rustic Patina

Rustic Serenity 

Grandpa’s Office

Original Jump House

Reliving Farm Memories

A Voice from the Past

Ripe with Harvest

Where’s the Beef?

Acreage 

Seasoned Farmstead

Zoological Storehouse

Historical future

Green Waves

Hay, A Barn!

Rustic and Ripe

New Crop, Old Storage

Times gone by

Waiting for Harvest

Field of Dreams

Field of Promise

Testimony of Time

Weathered Barn in Summer

Country Memory Maker

Casa de Bovine

Vanishing Breed

Barn Sweet Barn 

 Pure Country 

Green Peace

Aged Rest

Quite Contemplation

Verdance

Rust Renewed

Spring Harbor

Spring Study

Barn Memories

Do you agree or disagree with my first choice and the runners-up? Talk to me!!

Name That Barn

barn oil painting by Jana Botkin
Unnamed Barn, formerly known as Tulare County Barn, 10×10″ oil painting on wrapped canvas

 

The names have poured in (38 at the time of this writing). I will accept more today, but starting tomorrow I will have to squinch my eyes shut, put my hands over my ears, and loudly recite, “LALALALALALA”.

Then, I will pick one. Or a group of names. Or make up a new one from bits and pieces. Or narrow it down to the top three and put it out for a vote.

Then I will enter the Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts in Madera, informally known as the Ag Art Show. This is an online process with yet another user name and password. The poor old geezers back in the day when this barn was built just had to slog along with pencil and paper and the U.S. Postal Service. Those old guys probably only got to have passwords when they were kids, out playing games in barns like this one!

 

 

Honesty is the Best Policy

Honesty is very important to me.

I told you about the animal paintings and the Silver City Store. I was excited to learn that 3 of the 4 animal paintings sold immediately.

The help in the store changes from day to day and doesn’t always know what is available and what has sold. It is dark in the store when the generator isn’t running. It is hard to see in the dark. (You may call me “Captain Obvious”.)

Last week I was dismayed/shocked/disappointed/heartsunk (is that a word?) to learn that only the first marmot painting sold.

So, let me show you what is still (sigh) available because that is good news for you! They are not on the website because if they sell in the store and I don’t know it and then they sell online and I go up the hill to retrieve them and they aren’t there and then I won’t have the internet to tell the online customer that there will be a delay because the item is “backordered”, then the customer will be disappointed.

Not disappointing customers is very important to me also.

Marmot II, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30

 

oil painting of black bear
Black Bear, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30
oil painting of buck
Mule Deer Buck, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30
Black Bear II, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30
Golden Mantle Squirrel II, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30
oil painting of squirrel
Golden Mantle Squirrel, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30

 

 

As a customer, what are the most important qualities to you in a business?

Online Companies I Use and Like

Notice I didn’t say I love these companies. (We’re supposed to love people and use things.) In spite of holding back emotionally, these are businesses I would be in a world of hurt without, and I cheerfully pass on the links to you, my readers and friends!

Farewell Gap, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×10″, $90
It is difficult to order from online companies when contemplating this scene in the Land of No Electricity or Internet, more commonly known as Mineral King.

Dick Blick is where I get my art supplies. (I beg you, why would any parent name their child Richard when the last name is Blick??) This company is fantastic in their inventory offerings, deals and customer service. Fantastic, I say!

Vistaprint is my new best friend. They are sooo very generous, so very tempting with all their offers of freebies. I’ve been having a blast designing products to sell and to give as promotional items.

I was despondent when Kodak announced their departure. I have tried to be brave. They have promised to send all my 90-something albums to Shutterfly. The albums have not arrived, but the tempting offers from Shutterfly have. Being a weak and gullible Regional Artist From Quaintsville, I succumbed.

(Trumpet fanfare. . .) There is a new book coming to my studio, primarily to be used for showing my work to potential customers. I have creatively and uniquely titled the book “The Drawings of Jana Botkin”. It should appear here:

Click here to view this photo book on another website. Shutterfly, to be precise. (It will cause you to leave my blog, but you can come back.) Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

 Alrighty then. It didn’t work out exactly as I had hoped. . . As I was saying, I am beginning to really like Shutterfly.  I hope they like me back.

Who are your favorite online companies? Let’s share the like (trying to stay consistent here)!

 

Name This Painting. . .

. . . and the chosen titler will receive a token of my appreciation! (That means a prize, but not a huge one.)

Unnamed Barn, formerly known as Tulare County Barn, 10×10″ oil painting on wrapped canvas

You might remember this painting from last year’s show called Images of Home. It was titled “Tulare County Barn”, because the show was about Tulare County images. Duh.

This painting will be entered in the Madera Ag Art Show. Madera is 2 counties away. (They might not even know how to pronounce “Too-Larry” there!)

Titles matter. particularly in a juried (Shall we let this piece in our show?) and judged (Hmmm, that looks like a first place!) show.

The last time I entered the show, you helped me name my pencil drawing of a barn and tractor. Your choices were wonderful, better than what my mind could conceive.

Will you help me choose the new title for this painting? The suggester of the winning title will receive a prize. Haven’t decided what. I should be able to figure that out on my own. . .

THANK YOU, THANK YOU in advance for your help!

Contests need deadlines – how about July 18? That’s a Wednesday. 

Three More Things Artists Don’t Explain

It is now over 6 years since I have been oil painting. These types of questions continue to haunt me. Perhaps if I left Quaintsville and visited some galleries in cities, I’d learn the answers. Or, perhaps I’d get tossed out of those galleries for flipping over their paintings to discover the answers.

 

 

 

The Oak Grove Bridge, 6x6", oil on wrapped canvas, $50

 

1. How to sign a painting.

Try to imagine writing your name legibly and artistically with a wet paintbrush. How about using a paintbrush that leaves blobs of paint or big sudden drips? Or one that runs out of paint in the middle of a letter? This is why my paintings are signed with first initial and last name only. This is why my signature looks like my 5th grade printing. HOW do the big boys and girls get such flowing beautiful signatures???

 

2. How to put hanging hardware on the back of a painting.

Some artist don’t bother. Some use screw-eyes and wire. Screw-eyes are considered tacky, and they scratch the wall. Sawtooth hangers are also considered tacky, and most galleries forbid them. No one actually explains what the best thing is to use or talks about having to wire the backs of their canvases before painting them.

 

3. How to secure painted canvases in a frame.

There are various pieces of hardware for this, but you have to be some sort of a sleuth to discover them. And each works on different types of frames, or don’t work. I know a great artist who just bangs nails into his canvases and frames (on the backsides, of course.) His paintings sell for more than my car is worth.

 Have you ever flipped a painting over in a gallery to discover its secrets? 

Trip-trip-tripping along

The triptypch of Washington tulip fields does not have a deadline. Why should a California artist be painting Washington tulip fields? Because sometimes an artist just has to follow her heart.

Other paintings do have deadlines, so these just get fit into the painting schedule as there are opportunities. Specifically, this is when everything else is too wet to work on, or too dang hard. (see Monday’s post. . . sigh)

The top one is almost finished. When I look at it in bright light, I see parts that could be improved.

The middle piece is still needing more definition.

The bottom piece is clearly in its infancy. Oh, sweet baby tulips. . . sigh of happiness. This takes a bit of the sting out of Put-My-Parents-In-The Painting.

Are Competitions Worth It?

Some artists enter competitions on a regular basis. If you read their resumes, you see the awards they have won. If you are a gallery owner, this might matter to you.

 

If you are Joe Bag-of-Doughnuts (or Bag-of-Bagels or Box-of-Oranges or Sack-of-Tacos – don’t mean to discriminate here) who says, “I don’t know much about art but I know what I like”, then a list like that probably doesn’t mean much.

Jane Box-of-Oranges and Joe Six-pack tend to be my best customers. These are regular people living here in Quaintsville, Tulare County, who just like art they can relate to. The galleries around here are usually non-profit, and not patronized by folks who are aware of or impressed by art competitions.

As a business owner whose product is art, I have to carefully consider the costs of these types of events. If there is a competition that fits my style of work and the $$ aren’t upside down (entry fees, shipping, driving compared to winning and selling), it seems like a reasonable risk to take. The Celebrate Agriculture With The Arts annual show/competition/sale in Madera has been good to me in the past.

It is both juried (“Shall we let this painting in?”) and judged (“Give that one a First Place!”). The arrangement is not by medium but by subject matter. They have categories that I find fabulous for creative entries. It has been 4 years since I last entered, and maybe some day I’ll tell you about the last time. Meanwhile, you can see 4 paintings in progress for Celebrate Agriculture With The Arts, or as I, Jana Box-of-Oranges call it, “the ag art show”.

Do art competitions influence you to buy art from the winners?

Across The Fruited Plain

Is the Central Valley of California technically “the fruited plain”? Not exactly sure. It has been called “the land of fruit and nuts”. Take that anyway you would like. As the California artist daughter of a farmer, I take it in a literal sense.

 

The business of art requires thought and planning. If a place with a changing clientele sells a particular subject on a consistent basis, it is common sense to paint more of the same.

Here is a peek into the painting workshop. It’s kinda fruity in there.

The smalls are for Colors in Three Rivers. I’ll tell you about the larger painting of the persimmon tomorrow.

Do you think it is weird to paint the same stuff over and over again?


One More Place You Can See and Buy My Art

That is a shamelessly self-promotional title! However, it is also promoting the Silver City Resort, so perhaps “self-promotional” is a bit of an exaggeration.

(happy birthday, Deanne!)

Silver City Store

A few weeks ago I posted a list of places that carry my work. Immediately afterward, I took paintings to the Silver City Resort for the summer. (6 years ago right after printing 1000 business cards, I launched my website, so this is normal behavior for me.)

The Silver City Store is located 4 miles below Mineral King. It has a little restaurant and rental cabins. It also has been a good place to meet a future spouse for a great number of its employees. (worked for me)

Currently, they are carrying a number of little regional oil paintings that aren’t very expensive and will fit into travelers’ suitcases. Here are 4 new ones, all oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, available at the Silver City Resort. They are animals commonly seen in Mineral King. I’ve photographed these animals zillions of times and only came up with a small handful of paintable photos. Here are some of the best:

oil painting of buck

Mule Deer Buck

oil painting of black bear

Black Bear – sold

(They are all called this, whether they are brown, blonde, black or cinnamon colored.)

oil painting of marmot

Yellow Bellied Marmot – sold

(These are the dudes that chew on radiator hoses, belts, brake lines, etc.)

oil painting of squirrel

Golden Mantle Squirrel – sold

These little guys have a stripe (barely visible on his back) but are distinguishable from a chipmunk because the stripe isn’t on their heads.

If you would like to buy one of these the buck, he is $30, and maybe I can retrieve him before he sells. Alternatively, I can paint you another one, even of a different size.  

Now THAT was shameless self-promotion!

Which is your favorite?