Tag: oil paintings

The Painting Factory

That would be the workshop where I paint. October may be the busiest month, or perhaps it is November. There are a handful of shows/sales coming up, along with something else big and new. This means it is imperative that I produce as much a possible. Every year I am puzzled as to how I got into this squeeze – it isn’t as if the Fall shows are a surprise! Have a look at all the pieces hanging around in various stages of drying.

There was a small difficulty today – every time I returned to my chair, it was occupied by this creature:

Kaweah Kitty has brilliant green eyes, but she is not willing to pose (or to move!)

oil paintings

Sawtooth. . .

. . . is finished!

More Miles of Canvas

Early Timber Gap, painted on board (Hey painting owner, want a touch-up??)

Timber Gap as painted this summer – yes, I know all the little canvas lines show in the photo.

With these 2 Farewell Gap paintings, I can’t decide which was painted earlier. Guess I finally caught up with myself for awhile in terms of painting ability! (But the cropping in photography could use a bit more practice. . . )

Mineral King oil paintings

After the mural

This may be hard to fathom, but while I was working on the mural, I also knocked out a few paintings. They will appear here one or two at a time for the next few days. The plan was to have them for a show and sale in Lodgepole, but we, The Kaweah Artisans, have not received permission from the National Park Service to proceed with the show. Meanwhile, they will appear here one or two at a time for the next few days.

Got a deal on 10×10″ canvases, which seem to work well with my cropped scenery paintings.

oil paintings Sequoia painting

Cranking them out!

One of the best things that ever happens to working artists is receiving a check in the mail for paintings sold, especially when one has forgotten about said paintings! I sent 6 paintings of beachy things to Lady Spencer in Cayucos, California. Gina is an old friend from Exeter, and her store is full of lovely items from various artists. We’ve talked for years of her selling my art, and it took years for us to find the right plan. (Of course, by dragging it out, each time I visit the Central Coast I had an excuse to see Gina and call it a business trip!) She believes that more than just beachy subjects will have a market; I trust Gina’s instinct and experience. Here is what I am sending her next:

Okay, they are just begun in this photo. The flag will be a gift for someone who has gone above and beyond the call of volunteerism on the mural. The large poppy painting is a commission. (K, are you reading this??)

Getting better by the day!

Cayucos California oil paintings

The Painting Factory continues to produce

I have decided that there are 3 kinds of sky colors applicable to my painting:

Photography blue – can be washed out, greyish blue or fakey overdone blue
Real blue, so frighteningly blue that no one would believe it in a painting
Believable painting blue that most painters just fall back on – default blue!

Blick.com had a great sale on 10×10″ canvases. Since I have enjoyed the 6×6″ squares so much, I decided to try these. There may be a show in Sequoia over Labor Day, and it makes sense to paint subjects that are relevant to that area. These are all from photos that I have used in the past, but the square format adds a challenge and makes them look new.

commission oil paintings oil paintings Sequoia painting

Artist Statement

This is one of the most dreaded, misunderstood and boring aspects of being an artist. We artists, in general, dislike writing about our work. Obviously this doesn’t apply to me! But while I love to write, the artist statement gets me bowed up. I don’t do well with Artspeak, and I hate pretentiousness. This a.m. I read an article in the business/art magazine Art Calendar about writing an artist statement and realized it was time to update mine (yet again!) I’m still not sure if it is supposed to be a personal history, a personal philosophy of art, or an explanation. Regardless, here is my current one:

Art has been my fulltime profession for 17 years. Pencil used to be all I’d consider – it was the best way I knew to get every single detail in excruciating perfection. As my drawing students and customers asked for color, I reluctantly entered the world of colored pencil to record life around me. It didn’t resonate with me the way graphite did (and still does!), so 4 years ago I began to oil paint. As my proficiency increases, I’m able to focus more on light and color, and less on minutia. Although my medium is different, my favorite subjects remain: giant Sequoias, Mineral King, citrus, and Three Rivers. Tulare County is my home and recording its beauty is my goal.

It will probably be rewritten many more times as I learn what this is supposed to be and do. Mostly it is a requirement for gallery entries or group shows. Since I tend to be a maverick (as my college photography teacher told me back in the late ’70s), I can usually avoid this part of an art career. Yea! So, have a look at what is almost finished for the Zonta show (and they invited me WITHOUT asking for an “artist statement”):

artist statement oil paintings Tulare County art Zonta

Recalculating

Ever use a GPS to help you reach a destination? If so, you have experienced what happens each time you choose to go a different route than the Talking Lady instructs. She says “Recalculating, recalculating!” That is exactly what I do with the prioritization of paintings in progress. Have a look at the current list:

Secret unrevealed large and urgent project
6 tangerines for a real estate guy who sells ag property and likes to give art as a thank you to his clients. (This is 6 different paintings, not 1 painting of 6 tangerines!)
14×11″ Sunny Sequoias
2 8×10″ paintings of poppies
4 4×6″ paintings of poppies
8×10″ oranges as still life
Oak Grove Bridge
Clover Creek Bridge
Pumpkin Hollow Bridge

How do I prioritize? If there is a paying customer, it goes high on the list. If there is a deadline, it goes high on the list. If it is tiny and I can work on it at The Art Co-op, it gets painted on Thursdays, in order of priority. The “spec” paintings are arranged in order of the shows coming up and how I am guessing (an educated guess of course!) they will sell at particular places. When one or a group gets finished, you know what I do? I recalculate, of course! 😎