Inner Workaholic

There is a bit of tension inside my head as the Inner Slob battles daily with the Inner Workaholic. This week the latter got the upper hand. It is almost 8 p.m. and I am just now ending my workday. I could cheerfully work on into the night, but I will fall over from hunger and it is too dark to mix colors properly anyway.  Have a look:2-new.jpgI love this view of Tunnel Log because of the sunlight and have painted it smaller in the past. The floral is a Gentian, a flower that appears in August up in Mineral King. We are several generations away from the real color here: my photo of the flower, my painting from that photo, this photo of the painting, and who knows what is happening on your ‘puter screen! But oh my goodness, the flower in real life just knocks my socks off with its intense blue violet.2-starts.jpg  You can see my great table-top easels, and I am so very grateful that they didn’t sell back when I tried on eBay because I had a Clutter Attack (another topic for another day).  Yesterday I had these paintings just resting on the easels; a big gust of wind came through the workshop and the vertical one blew onto my head. I might have reddish hair for a few days as a result. Today I secured them a bit better and wore a hat. These are Sequoia Gigantea (not to be confused with Sequoia Sempervirens, or  something like that which refers to the Coastal Redwoods). Growing up, we just referred to them as “the Big Trees”.  Big trees deserve big canvases so these are 18″ x 24″, which is HUGE to me!!

Another new one and some nice news

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Tharp’s Log – 8″ x 10″ – oil on wrapped canvas – $85

(ooh, appears that my prices have increased! Not so, only on a few of these pictures because I ordered the wrong canvas and it is on thicker wood and costs more! Just a little oops)

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Today this sold!

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This one also sold (and to a different person)! 

I don’t want to make too big of a deal out of these sales in case you think I’m some sort of desperate artist who grovels for sales and then goes nutso happy when they happen. However, there is The State Of The Economy to contend with. Although I seem to have an unending list of paintings and work to do, most of the conversations I’ve had with potential customers lately have been only conversations. I come up with ideas and prices and return phone calls in a timely fashion but the responses are consistently along the lines of “We’ve got to wait/put this on hold/think about this”. That’s okay; I will continue to paint like an obsessive enthusiast practicing my craft and honing my skills all the while breeding fabulous ideas in my fertile brain. Then when you all are ready, I’ll be ready too!

Wow, nice weather!

It is June and I’m painting with the doors open and the swamp cooler turned off! Here are the final versions of the new paintings, complete with signatures:img_1264.jpg Never mind. You only get to see one, because I might not have anything to post tomorrow! 

Inching along

Funny how my perspective changes so drastically in one month’s time. While on the wall, it seemed if I didn’t do at least 10 feet a day that I was just barely crawling. That meant that I felt as if I wasn’t making headway on any given day. The problem was the comparison of what needed to be finished to what actual got finished in a day.  Now I am almost completing a painting a day, which feels very fast, but in reality I’m only covering a few square inches! Go figure. . .

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These were all drying on the woodstove last Saturday and now are waiting to be signed.

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 Four of these were waiting for final details and a signature – all done now! The bridge was just a bare outline until this afternoon.

 

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 This one now has lots of detailing in the tree and on the ground as of this afternoon. When it dries, I’ll have another go at it. 

Motel Art

Have you ever heard this term? It is generally not a compliment, as the term “sofa art” is also not a compliment. It implies cheesiness, art made for the purpose of matching furniture. Nothing wrong with having things match, but the usual idea here is that without the furniture, the “art” would really look horrible. Here is an example:

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As I applied various shades of gurple to create layers of trees on the mural, it occurred to me that sections of these trees would make good motel art. A certain green would be the carpet in the room, a more purple color would work for the chair, and the lighter teal could be the bedspread! Things would be relatively clean and matching, but you probably wouldn’t be offered a fluffy bathrobe here.

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Now that the mural is finished and I am losing my Three Rivers vendor (wahhh, Sequoia Gifts & Souvenirs, better get there soon if you want any of those neat things that Scott sells), I find myself actually painting motel art. I am serious! However, these are pieces that can stand on their own, pieces of art celebrating the beauty of Three Rivers and Sequoia National Park. The Sequoia Village Inn http://www.sequoiavillageinn.com/home is NOT your average motel. It is a set of chalets and cottages for rent,  and every last one is very classy and inviting.  I think it is the perfect place to show my oil paintings! (Motel art, schmotel art, so there.)

Overtime

Contrary to common opinion, I actually DO work while in the Land of No Electricity. It was cold and drizzly on Saturday, so here is the result:drying-on-the-stove.jpgThis is a fine old piece of equipment – gives warmth, cooks food, burns every last stick of split wood AND dries the first layer of oil paintings. The oven doesn’t work but I don’t mind because there are many other fun things to do besides baking.