You May Slow Your Horse Down Now

For awhile, I’ve been advising you to view my Sequoia mural from the back of a fast horse, preferably at a distance. I’m beginning to think that it might be okay to slow your horse down now, but distance is still an advantage for best viewing.

Getting better with each session. This is the result of 15 hours up and down a ladder. You’d think I’d be quite fit by now. Have another think. . .

The ridges aren’t quite as visible in this photo.

I have a few decisions to make about this project. . . add a human? Will she be the right height? Will the ridges and my inexperience painting humans make her look like a freak? What shall I do in the hard to figure out spaces behind the big trees? How will I put light on the ground behind the trees without it looking as if there is snow? How will I be sure that the traces of snow at the bases of the trees do look like snow? Does there even need to be snow?

That’s sort of overwhelming. I think I’ll just turn away from the mural and see the view behind me.

The Slow Sequoia Mural

Slowly inching along, climbing up and down the ladder, walking to the end of the driveway and back, studying, scrutinizing, evaluating, analyzing. I have to live with this mural, not just drive past it occasionally, so it needs to be really well done. Besides, it will be advertising for murals during the Studio Tour.

One ladder for climbing, the other for use as a platform for paints. The progress is incremental. Can you see it from photo to photo? I’m looking forward to being able to paint while standing on the ground. It is so much easier to back up and see how things look when no climbing is involved.

Wow, those ridges sure do show up. I don’t think they are quite as noticeable in person as they are in the photos.

Pretty neat-o from a distance, but there sure are lots of murals at this place. Looks sort of billboardy, or maybe a bit overdone, perhaps? Nah. Besides, it is MY house, I’m FIFTY-FOUR YEARS OLD, and I’ll have as many murals as I want. I can quit any time, you know. It’s not like I’m covering EVERY space. Besides, I can always paint them out.

There is still the garage door, which consists of mismatched panels. I told the repair guy that I didn’t care whether or not the panels matched because I planned to paint a mural. That was before Trail Guy suggested a Sequoia mural on the other door.

Never trust an artist with a blank wall.

Upcoming and Not Upcoming Murals

Last fall I got a call to visit a place in Visalia and discuss a mural. I was very eager to do this mural because I know and like the business and because the subject was citrus. The ideas were flowing, so I did a couple of sketches and gave them several bids.

(FYI, I generally bid a mural based on size, the same way I price my drawings and paintings. The reason for multiple bids is so they could have me paint it all at once or do it in three sessions, whatever fit best into their budget.)

In December there was a hard freeze. It did big fat damage to the citrus crop and the trees and the farmers and the industry and the business who planned to hire me.

Bummer. No citrus mural for this artist this year.

What’s a California artist to do?

Paint Sequoia trees, that’s what.

I think this will look pretty fantastic on my garages.

Too many areas here for you to know just which one I mean. This door:

Yes, it is all ridgey metal, but I can do this. No sign that says “Parker Group” and sorry, no Brianna either. I’m fairly comfortable with citrus, Mineral King scenery and redwood trees, but little people are beyond my skill at this time.

No time frame, but it would be good to have it finished before the Studio Tour, March 21-23. Of course, if we get lots and lots of rain I won’t be able to paint the mural. That would actually be a better outcome than continued drought with a mural.

But why did I spend all that time and paint turning it dark brown if I planned to paint a mural there?

I didn’t plan it. I planned to have dark brown doors so they wouldn’t show up. Trail Guy suggested the mural, suggested the subject and chose the photo.

Can’t say no to Trail Guy!

Your Opinion Sought

Greetings, oh Gentle and Faithful Blog Readers.

Last year I printed a calendar of paintings.

This year I have only been working on The Cabins of Wilsonia drawings and a few commissioned paintings. I don’t have any new paintings for a calendar.

On my computer there are 21,500 photographs. With the help of my husband’s honest and strong opinions, I have chosen 12 of those photos.

Now, I seek your opinion.

Shall I turn these into a calendar? Or are there enough calendars out there in the world? You all know me as a pencil artist, a painter, and a portrayer of the beauty of Tulare County. But, will anyone care enough to buy a calendar from me of photos of Tulare County?

It includes Sequoia, Mineral King (duh), and Three Rivers. Yes, I occasionally go to Visalia or Exeter, but please forgive me for not including either of those locations.

Thank you for reading, for considering this question and for responding!

LATE BREAKING NEWS – Great positive response from you all! The calendars will probably be between $20-25 and that will include shipping. They will have staples for the center instead of the spiral thing. The paper might be stronger than last year. They will have squares for writing. The folded size will be 8-1/2 x 11 (like copier paper). And Mary Jo, I will look through my photos and see if there is something that fits your very good suggestion. Katie, I’m with you – would love to do a year of nothing but fall photos. . . might be a bit too odd for normal people. (We’re special, don’t you know?)

What is Inspiration?

Two blogs I read regularly addressed the subject of inspiration, and I realized that I am confused between inspiration and motivation. 

Today I will tackle inspiration. People often ask artists what inspires them, and it is good to have an answer at the ready. (That’s a weird way to say it!)

Time for a dictionary. (Don’t you love dictionaries? online and on computer and big heavy paper ones? And do you remember how annoying it was to be told to “look it up” when you asked how to spell words? How can I do that if I don’t know how to spell it? It forced us to dig around and accidentally discover new words, which was the primitive version of surfing the web.)

Inspiration: mental stimulation to do something creative (this is my condensed version of the long dictionary definition.)

I am inspired by beauty. The right light makes almost anything beautiful. Color, shape, textures, subjects I love – everything nice is so much more beautiful when it has the right light. It makes me want to draw and paint.

Here are two examples, just what you’d expect a California artist to use!

This Sequoia tree has nice light. There is no question that it is a beautiful object. I could paint this. I might have already done so!

The light on these two Sequoias below is more than so-so – it is inspirational to me.

I want to paint and draw these. Why do I find these inspirational? Taste is an individual matter, or as my Dad was fond of saying , “Degustibus non est disputandem”.

Isn’t Latin fun?

 

Get Busy

A friend gave me a sign for my studio that says something about getting busy. I’m very obedient and have been busy. Although I thought I had enough paintings for the upcoming Fall Shows and that I’d be drawing ahead for the Cabins of Wilsonia, I’m still painting for the busier selling season.

oil paintings of Three Rivers by Jana botkin

It is wise to keep paintings of Sequoia trees and of the Kaweah Post Office always on hand because I am a California artist from Three Rivers, which is right below Sequoia National Park. Part of being a Regionalist from Quainstville is always having oil paintings of my quaint surroundings available for those who appreciate such simple and beautiful subjects.

oil paintings of Three Rivers

River paintings are also fairly popular with my fellow citizens of Quaintsville. We love our little area with its familiar landmarks. When you are a California artist who lives in a place called “Three Rivers” (that actually has 5 forks of the Kaweah River), how can you not paint river scenes?

Sequoia Mural Madness continued

With the doors open, I painted one half at a time. I was surprised to see the overly bright green in the light – it wasn’t nearly that florescent inside the workshop (aka painting studio). As I added the next layer, I toned down the colors to look more normal.

Now there is something to see whether the doors are opened or closed, and Three Rivers has another mural of Sequoias!

You Know You’re A California Artist When. . . Part 3

It was getting a bit long yesterday so here is the rest of my pencil version of California artist.

5. . . . the houses you draw often have palm trees.

6. . . . sometimes you draw poppies.

7. . . and you keep drawing oranges because everyone likes them.

5×7 reproduction with color added, $10, email me to buy  (not on website)

8. . . . you wade through dirt clods in your friend’s vineyard to get good photos of grapes for drawing.

Sweet and Seedless, colored pencil, matted and framed, 12×15″, $150

Fruit on the Vine, reproduction of pencil with colored pencil accents, 11×14″, $20

9. . . . you draw lots and lots of Giant Sequoias and call them “big trees” but think of them as Redwoods because you went to Redwood High School

Redwood & Dogwood, 14×11″, pencil, matted and framed, $400

Walk in the Park

Today that animal I am married to is turning 59. We did a stroll in The Park. Anything feels like a stroll after attempting Monarch Lake on the old “trail” last week. We stayed in the foothills, and almost wished for shorts and were annoyed by the face flies. Hard to believe it is January. (Are you praying for rain? You need to be!!) Anyway, I talk too much, so have a look at some nice photos. These fall under the broad category of Sources of Inspiration, which also means things I might want to paint someday. Oh, and if Mr. Google is paying attention, this is the blog of a California Artist who paints Sequoia National Park, Tulare County and Three Rivers.

P.S. I am an animal too, if banana slug counts as an animal.

Indoor Mural, Day 3

But Wait! There’s More! At the bottom of the staircase mural of Giant Sequoias is an open area with 6 doors leading off of it. Now, each of those 6 doors has its own identity!

Behind Door #1 is the library. Over Door #1 is dogwood, carolinus florida, or, as it is known in Three Rivers, “Karl Opitz’s tree”.

Door #2 leads into the workout room; feel happy and inspired to sweat by viewing these Bigelow Sneezeweeds.

Door #3 is a closet, and those blurry blue-ish flowers are bush lupine.

Door #4 leads to the Crew’s Quarters, and it is graced by Redbud.

Door #5 leads to the Captain’s Quarters, a room for crafts with California poppies providing inspiration.

Door #6 is the under-the-stairs closet and those are (happy sigh, love these little ones) Baby Blue Eyes.