Tag: Three Rivers

Committing Commissions

This is not a commission. It is a do-over. I painted this when I was new to oil painting, and recently I figured out how to do it better. I painted right over the top, so I didn’t have to figure out any shapes or placement. (Three Rivers is gorgeous in the spring. I know I keep saying that. But, really, the unemployment is terribly high, the air is nasty in the fall, and we are all fat, so don’t move here, ‘kay?)

This sequoia oil painting has better detail than the previous view. Why am I painting a sequoia in the snow when it is spring? Because CS wants it! And this California artist accepts commissions in oil. Pencil too.

It’s Pretty Here

Three Rivers, Tulare County, central California, is GORGEOUS in the spring. Here are 4000 words worth of photos:

Looks as if Michael is leading horses to water.

He didn’t have to make them drink.

This is just an average morning, out on an average walk, on an average spring day.

My yard only looks like this for about 12 seconds a year. Good thing I had my camera!

(Don’t move here – the unemployment is awful, the air is nasty in the fall, and we are all fat.)

Three Rivers Tulare county

Three Rivers Studio Tour Ten Wrap-up, part 3

Watching out the window through the rain, waiting for visitors to pull into the driveway.

SUNDAY ON THE TOUR

1. It was overcast with rain imminent. I waited inside by the fire with my knitting for the first hour. Finally moved out to the studio and listened for the sound of cars and car doors while putting color in reproduction prints of Crescent Meadow.

2. Kaweah Kitty stayed in the house by the fire.

3. I told EVERYONE to watch their step. I don’t think saying those words would have prevented yesterday’s mishap. Sort of reminds me of how people say “Be careful!” AFTER you trip. Ummm, thanks?

4. Rosa, the successor of Ruby, came by with her human.

5. Mostly people came in groups, this time a few families including some children, and there were no Bobs.

6. It rained all day. It was cold. I stayed by the fire in between arrivals of guests.

7. There were 29 visitors including 1 returnee from yesterday, 1 locally known artist and 1 musician from a nationally known band (whose wife told him he needed to get a job before he bought a painting!)

Hoping the musician finds work so this painting will find its home.

Three Rivers Three Rivers Studio Tour

Three Rivers Studio Tour Ten Wrap-up, part 2

Zeke’s only appearance of the day was when the sign was uncovered in the morning.

SATURDAY SPECIFICS

1. It was sunny and clear and not hot and very beautiful

2. There were 81 visitors (not counting the sheriff, fire and ambulance crews)

3. People were mostly in groups, only a few women by themselves, more men than yesterday but proportionately about the same. (3 were Bobs)

4. Many commissions to paint later

5. Kaweah Kitty remained very popular.

6. Learned 3 new words – luthier, autodidactic, aberration (which I already knew but did not know it also pertains to distortions under the magnifying glass)

7. Six of my drawing students came by! (Linda, Maggie, Wendy, Anne, Sara, Cathy) Perhaps there were some future drawing students also. . .

8. A lady fell (see #2). Learned later that she broke her hip. Until then, she was enjoying herself. Major Bummer.

9. The final visitor of the day walked up the driveway with her boot heels clicking on the asphalt. From inside the studio I thought the sound was one of my cats barfing.

Some therapeutic knitting and comforting chocolate consumption took place on Saturday evening. These photos are to help me remember the beautiful parts of the day.

The ever-popular and always present Kaweah Kitty thoroughly enjoyed the visitors.

Three Rivers Three Rivers Studio Tour

Three Rivers Studio Tour Ten. . .

. . . begins today! You can get tickets at the Three Rivers Historical Museum. The Tour runs today, Saturday, and Sunday from 10-5. My studio is one of 22. (Actually it is probably #13, but since I am not superstitious, this does not upset me.)

The flag is from First Saturday. There will be a different type of marker at the base of my driveway for Studio Tour. The weeds will be taller too.

The blooms got knocked off the tree by the snow. The snow got knocked off the tree by Michael. Hopefully Michael won’t get knocked off by anything or anyone.

If you are lucky, there will be a welcoming committee.

Three Rivers Three Rivers Studio Tour

Behind the Scenes of the Sequoia Mural

The customer asked for a mural, explained the nature of her business, and I said, “A mural of a trail would be just right!” (Sequoia Outdoor Sports will be renting camping and backpacking gear to visitors to Sequoia National Park.)

I brought several photos and paintings of trail scenes with me to meet the owner (John) and the manager (Carolyn) and see the wall.

John loved this painting.

Mosquito Lake Trail, 16×20″, oil on wrapped canvas, $350

John asked if I could substitute Sequoia trees for the red firs. I said yes, but. Yes, but there are no Sequoia trees at that elevation or in Mineral King. John said it wouldn’t matter to his customers, who will primarily be Europeans who come to see the Big Trees.

John is the customer. He is right!

Today a man stopped by to ask if I was tagging his building. He was joking. He is the leaseholder of the building. Then he said, “Is that the trail to White Chief and Mosquito Lakes?” Ummm, yes, sort of. In spite of the fact that I changed the background to be more congruent with a place that would have Sequoia trees, he knew the trail!

Three Rivers locals will recognize the incongruity but they will be polite. If John is happy and his customers are happy, then I am happy.

Mineral King oil paintings mural Sequoia National park Sequoia painting Three Rivers

Sequoia Mural Completed

(Happy Birthday, Younger Sister!)

Here is Three Rivers’ latest mural on the building that is to soon house Sequoia Outdoor Sports. Right now I am thinking YIPPEE SKIPPEE! I usually really like my murals when I see the photos at the end of the day. If not, I go back and paint some more. If I can’t find anything else to do, then I decide that the mural is finished.

As of 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 15, 2012, this Sequoia mural is completed.

I know, close the car door. Better yet, move the car! (Is it immature to like your car even when it is a ’96 Accord with many miles, scratches and a few rattles?)

On Monday, I will show you the oil painting from which this Sequoia mural was painted. Sort of. It inspired this mural. I will study the photos of it over the (hopefully rainy) weekend and decide if anything can be improved. It isn’t as if I can get into my Accord and leave the scene – Nope, I live in this town. and I want this to be the best possible. (Don’t worry, I felt the same about the Exeter murals even though I’ve never lived there.)

Exeter murals mural Sequoia painting Three Rivers

Sequoia Mural

(I wanted to call this Big Trees, Little Mural, but the word Sequoia is more likely to be found by Mr. Google. Is Mr. Google the new version of “the Man”??)

This white panel is about 6 feet wide and 7 feet high and it is READY to be painted!

This is the entire gonna-be-a-business, called Sequoia Outdoor Sports in Three Rivers. (Not my car – I drive Honda Accords. Now on #4 (since 1981) Love ’em!)

Here is the whole building, including the Yoga studio on the right side. (I know, shut the car door!)

Here it is with the Chevron station so you really know where it is in Three Rivers! And look at that fabulous tree – it dropped lots of nice little twigs that were just perfect for stirring paint.

First I taped the edges so it will have a nice white frame. Then I drew it. Pretty sketchy drawing!

Back to front coincides with top to bottom. What am I painting? It is based on an oil painting that the owner of Sequoia Outdoor Sports really liked. He asked that I substitute Sequoia trees for the red firs. That threw me into a mess of confusion because there are no redwoods in Mineral King. But, I’m not painting Mineral King, I’m painting an illusion, a summary, a feeling, a sense of being on a trail in Sequoia National Park.

End of the day – staring to look okay, but still best viewed from the back of a fast horse. I will refrain from showing you the closer view. Tomorrow the detail will take place and THEN I will show it to you, along with the oil painting that inspired it.

mural Sequoia National park Sequoia painting Three Rivers

Three Rivers Studio Tour Ten

Of all the 22 studios on the tour, mine is the smallest and the most rustic. That’s okay – it IS called “Cabinart”. (And please excuse the First Saturday flag – this post is about the Studio Tour.)

Tickets are on sale for $15/person and available at The Art Co-op in Three Rivers and Arts Visalia Gallery in Visalia. They are also available online at Three Rivers Art Studio Tour

After March 4 the price increases to $20 per ticket.

March 23-24-25 will be a beautiful weekend to drive around Three Rivers and visit 22 artists studios. You can do it at your own pace and pick your own route. You can even spend the night, or two nights. Soak up some spring time green and wildflowers in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Meet many California artists, remember why you live in Tulare County (or perhaps why you don’t), enjoy a rural weekend, slow things down a bit.

Three Rivers Three Rivers Studio Tour

Exploring Lake Kaweah, Part two

On Chris LoCurto’s blog today is a post by me! Chris’s blog is about “leadership, finances and the occasional random thought”, which is where I fit in as a guest poster. Visit, leave a comment if you’re so inclined, and browse through his past year of really interesting posts!

Here is the second half of yesterday’s post about the excursion on foot in the bottom of Lake Kaweah. I worked pretty hard at finding things of interest down there – hope you enjoy them!

I was glad we had this road to walk on because those cockleburs are horrible.

That’s a bald eagle!

There is the dam and the spillway and the tower in the distance. This is a large lake, especially if you are in a canoe or on foot.

It is cloudy in Three Rivers and further up canyon . . . is it snowing? We sure do need some.

We walked back up along this split off section of the Kaweah River. I think it is remarkable that these willows survive when a good portion of their lives is spent fully submerged.