Finished Oil Paintings

January was a productive month, all standard subjects that show off the beauty of Tulare County. November and December were good months, and my inventory got depleted. (This is a good thing.)

Sunny Sequoias XXX, oil on wrapped canvas, 6×6″, $60 plus tax
Sunny Sequoias XXXI, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×8″, $100 plus tax
Sunny Sequoias XXXII, oil on wrapped canvas, 6×6″, $60 plus tax
Sunny Sequoias #33, 11×14″, $275 plus tax
Timber Gap with Lupine, 8×8″, $100 plus tax
Orange #137, 6×6″, $60 plus tax
Sawtooth #23, 18×24″, $650 plus tax
Farewell Gap IIXXX, 18×24″, $650 plus tax
Orange #138, 6×6″, $60 plus tax
White Chief, 18×24″, $650 plus tax
Sawtooth XXV, 6×18″, oil on wrapped canvas, $150 plus tax sold

There were actually FIFTEEN MORE, I am not kidding, FIFTEEN! But, they were too wet to scan at the time of this blog post. . . maybe that means they aren’t really finished. 

In case you think I am super-human, remember that the three largest were begun in December. I only FINISHED them in January. 

I need a nap.

Art and Reality

Art and Reality is referring to the fact that I earn my living with art and have to be realistic about things.

The economy has definitely picked up. People are buying larger paintings and more of them. Paintings sold very well for me in December (perhaps I’ll do a blog post showing all the ones that are GONE, after I hear definite totals from the galleries.) 

This means it is time to paint new things and be realistic about old ones that haven’t sold. 

I think I have saturated the market for little fruit paintings, with the exception of pomegranates and of course, oranges! Sequoia trees, Mineral King scenery and oranges are my mainstay. Time for a do-over on paintings which I am the only one who likes. Hard truth, but still better than job hunting. . .

It hurts a little to go from looking good to the stage shown below, but it is temporary.

It’s all part of the business called art.

December Oranges

Did you know that navel oranges are harvested in December? If you are from Tulare County where the world’s best (and most) navel oranges are grown, you probably knew that.

My grandfather and dad were both orange growers. I am an orange painter.

A friend/neighbor called to say that her sister-in-law wanted an oil painting of oranges just like the one in her dad’s house. I asked for a photo of the painting so I would know how to make another one.  Obviously, these people have impeccable taste in artwork. After receiving this photo, I looked through my 963 photos of oil paintings, arranged by subject, and although I recently finished Orange #134, this old painting didn’t show up in my inventory. 

That’s okay. I have plenty of photos to work from. And if I am going to paint an 8×10 oil of oranges, I might as well do a second painting to have ready for the next orange art emergency.

This is how the orange paintings looked on day one of painting in December. (The 8×10 will probably be mailed while it is still a bit wet.)

At the end of the painting day, I put them in boxes to carry into the house and prop up over the wood stove so they will be ready for the second layer. 

(I painted a second and third layer without photographing the process.)

EPILOGUE: Finished and in the mail, right on schedule!

Fruits of My Labor

I had a peach. It didn’t sell. Now it is an orange.

I had some lanterns. I didn’t like painting them and didn’t want to finish. Now they are pomegranates.

Orange #131, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $65 including tax
Five Poms, 6×18″, oil on wrapped canvas, $160 including tax

Welcome to the land of fruits and nuts, where you can enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Three Orange Oil Paintings, Completed!

Whoa. That was a sprint. Three new orange oil paintings in a week’s time, begun and completed.

This is the original orange painting; it is drying in the window because I had to re-sign it so that the frame wouldn’t cover my name.
Top orange completed. The color and clarity are definitely better after the 2nd coat. Good thing.
It was very helpful to have the original painting right there to match the colors.
Two down, one to go.
Compare the bottom painting in this photo to how it looks in the photo above.

It is a privilege to be thought of when local businesses have Art Emergencies; it is a thrill to be able to handle those situations. I’m very happy to be able to help, and particularly happy to help out in ag and especially in citrus.

Lovies,

Your happy orange painter

Oranging Along

It’s my blog, I’m 58 and I can make up words if I want to. Any questions?

Oh. What does “oranging” mean?

It means painting oranges, although I was just painting greens that day. Because this commission job was for 3 oil paintings in 2 weeks, I had to plan the most efficient method of delivering mostly dry paintings. 

Day one: get the first layer down, all the canvas covered, the basic shapes and colors in place and the edges with one coat.

Day two: Perfect the background greens so that on. . .

Day three: sign on the green area after perfecting the orange area. Finally, put a second layer on the edges, which may or may not show. I don’t know what the framer has in mind and won’t get to see the final product. 

This gives the paintings a week to dry. Would have been better to know about this job sooner, both for more time to work and also for summer’s heat, which makes for quicker drying. They might be a little tacky (in the tactile sense of the word, not the quality of the job.) But, a little pressure is sometimes a good catalyst for action.

Working upside down is helpful both for seeing shapes accurately and for a more comfortable hand position. The finished painting is on the bottom, and it is my guide.
The second painting.
And here is #3. Bet you are wondering if there really are 3 plus the original. . .
Yeppers. Three orange oil paintings with the original sitting alongside on Samson’s shelf.

Speaking of Samson, he is pretty tired. He’s been working the night shift lately. 

Three Oranges, To Go, Please

Two weeks to paint three oranges, but really, only one because of a planned 2 days off and because of drying time.

No problem. . . just get outta my way! They don’t have to be truly identical, because each one will end up in a different home.

That sounded weird. If they were all in the same home, they really wouldn’t have to be identical. Never mind.

They will all be presented at the same time, so they need to be close. That way, no one says, “But I like his better!”

This is how it looked over the course of Day One at the easels.
The last step of Day One was painting layer #1 on the edges. When I return to the project in two days, they will be dry enough to put on the next layer. The second day of painting will be when I perfect all the details. 

Two days isn’t some formula; it is because I teach drawing lessons on the second day and have a prescheduled appointment on the third. On day four I can continue.

They most certainly need more work. . .

 

Four Oranges, Please

A yearly customer emailed me to ask for a painting she saw on my website, but she didn’t just want that painting. She wanted four of that painting.

Well, oops. My paintings don’t get reproduced by machines; my paintings get reproduced by a paintbrush in my hand.

But wait! There’s more! She wanted them in two weeks time.

Ahem. I paint in oils. They take awhile to dry (unless it is July or August). This could be a tricky assignment.

First, I found the original painting and got in touch with the gallery showing it to set it aside for me to retrieve. This meant that I had to paint “only” three. That helps.

Second, did I even have blank canvases the right size? Yeppers, I did. 

I know, you are just dying to see what painting she wants.

Tomorrow, I’ll show you what happens next.

Orange is the Color of Tulare County

One might think that this Central California artist’s favorite color is orange. One would be wrong, but one would be forgiven for making that assumption.

Due to her continual paintings of oranges and poppies, this would be a logical guess. But, if one thinks about Central California and what we are known for here in Tulare County, then one would come to an understanding of the apparent excessive use of the color orange.

Here are the latest oil paintings in the continuing saga of this Central California artist’s representation of the best of Tulare County.

1611 poppy 46
Poppy #46, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $60

 

1610 Poppy 45
Poppy #45, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $60

 

1609 Poppy 44
Poppy #44, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $60

 

1608 Oranges 126
Orange #126, 10×10″, oil on wrapped canvas, $175

These paintings are all available through this link: oils

Still Painting While Waiting for the Photo

A painter has got to paint. An artist has to art.

That didn’t work. An artist has to make art. Wait. Does a painter make paint? Nope, a painter makes paintings.

English is weird. I’ll stick to painting. Oil painting. Fruit oil paintings. These keep me busy while I am waiting for the photos for the oil painting commission.

Here are four. You saw the orange 2 days ago. fruit oil paintings

Here are five. I added a pomegranate. IMG_2669

Now there are six. The persimmon is the newest. A little hard to see these all over-exposed in the morning light. IMG_2672

These are still in the early stages. More detail is needed, and the edges will have to be painted, and they need signatures.

IMG_2673
IMG_2674

I have to paint oranges. Otherwise, every painting would begin with the letter P.

IMG_2675

Better add another orange. With that shadow and minus the textured skin, this looks like a peach. Whoa. Another P.

IMG_2676

Come on, photos! I have a house to paint!