Orange You Glad!

I am, because I got an order for 12 paintings of oranges. There are a couple of realtors who specialize in ag property. Whenever they sell an orange grove, the buyer receives one of my paintings. Isn’t that just the best idea? Thank you, Diana, for thinking of it and suggesting it to Matt, and thank you, Matt, for agreeing with Diana! Oranges are just the most fitting symbol for central California, and this California artist from Tulare County is the daughter, granddaughter, niece and grand-niece of many orange growers.

.

Images of Home, Continued

Here is a continuing peek at the new paintings in the Tulare Historical Museum. Of course they look better in “real”, but for Cousin Maggie and other long distance friends, this is the fulfillment of my promise to show the paintings.

Tulare County Barn, 10×10″, oil on wrapped canvas, $125

When I was a kid, I assumed this was the shape of all barns. At age 16, I visited Oregon, Idaho and Washington, and was AMAZED to see the different architectural styles of barns. Didn’t take much to impress an Ivanhoe orange grower’s daughter, who grew up to be a California artist in Tulare County. (Hey  Mr. Google, are you paying attention?)

North Fork Drive, 10×8″, oil on wrapped canvas, $90

Regardless of the time of year, this is such a scenic little part of this Three Rivers road. The people who own this building probably refer to it as their “barn”!

Images of Home

From 5:30 – 7 p.m. tonight is the opening reception for “Images of Home”, a solo show of my oil paintings. Sixty of them. Many have not been shown yet. Are you even half as excited as I am? Never mind, don’t answer that.

I am a California artist, but instead of representing the entire state, I focus on Tulare County. It is my great hope that in viewing my artwork, you will see that we are more than bad air, high unemployment and other nasty things. We have Mt. Whitney, sequoia gigantea, poppies, oranges, Mineral King and the Kaweah Post Office. That’s here in our county! (And, our air has been quite clear for awhile, thanks for asking.)

Hope to see you at the reception – I’ll be the one with the giant silly grin.

This image is on the postcard for the show. So is the address – 444 W. Tulare Ave. in Tulare, California.

A California Artist

Call me “Butter” – I’m on a roll! Here is more information about being a California artist. (Are you tired of this subject yet??)

Michael and I took a walk a few days ago. It was a gorgeous spring day, although it was still technically winter. Here are some photos to show you what inspires me, as an artist in California, forsooth, a California artist!! 😎

We may be the “Golden State”, but in March, California is very very green.

We have more oak trees in Three Rivers than I can seem to learn. And the Kaweah River is a continual source of inspiration.

Look! The California state flower, right in my territory, just waiting for me to capture it on film and later paint it. I AM A CALIFORNIA ARTIST!

Okay, I will try to give this a rest. Thank you for your understanding, support, and agreement. (Are you listening, Google??)

California Artist, just once more

This is Mineral King, Sequoia National Park, in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is in Tulare County, California. I paint this. I paint this frequently. In fact, this might be my most popular subject to paint. That makes me a California artist, right?

This is a Sequoia Gigantea, AKA redwood. They grow in Sequoia National Park. I paint these trees. Frequently. Sequoias grow exclusively in California. I paint these trees and have lived in California my entire life. That must mean I am a California artist! (Plus, I graduated from Redwood High School and our newspaper was called the Gigantea. In addition I have an art degree from College of the Sequoias!) Are we convinced yet that I am a California artist?

California Artist, continued

Just in case there might be any doubt, I thought I’d continue to prove my case that I am indeed a California artist. I am an artist, I live in California, and this is my regular subject matter:

We grow oranges in California, particularly in Tulare County. I paint oranges, oh yes!

And, I’ve been drawing oranges for years and years!

The Sierra Nevada mountain range is in California. I paint this, hence, I am a California artist. Much of it happens to be in Tulare County, and that also makes me a Tulare County artist.

See? The Sierra Nevada has been the subject matter of this California artist for years! Why did I think I could only use that title if I drew Yosemite??

The California Poppy is one of my favorite subjects – doesn’t this qualify me as a California artist? They grow in my own yard, for Pete’s sake! (Who is this Pete, anyway? Is he a Californian?)

A poppy in pencil isn’t any less a poppy, is it? It is still the California state flower, and I drew it. Therefore, I am a California artist!

Do I believe it yet? Maybe. Maybe I have to do one more entry to convince myself (and Google!)

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”):

img_2966.JPG