“A co-operative society, business, or enterprise”. Yep, that is what we are! 6 artists and artisans from Tulare County, joining together to show and sell our work at 41707 Sierra Drive. We will have a grand opening on Friday, August 7. No time to report more because I have to paint like a maniac to fill my little space there! See how cute this is?
Growth, part two (Cards & Commissions)
I used to draw pictures that fit nicely into sets of notecards, which then sold very well both retail and wholesale. I still do a few cards, but the market just isn’t as big. In fact, it is microscopic. Tell me, how many cards, thank yous and little notes do you send a year? How many do you receive? Hmmmm, really have to think about that one. Cards do sell, but not very many anymore. (Despite the handiness of communicating via computer, the truth is, no one ever cherished an email, so there.)
In addition, I drew cabins and homes on a commission basis. (still do!) That was the sum total of my abilities in the early years, and it kept me quite busy.
Growth, part one
Ever read the book Who Moved My Cheese? If I remember it correctly, it is about the necessity of changing and keeping up. Way way way back when I first started selling art, I drew a picture of the Kaweah Post Office. It was not very good, but I was too dumb to know the difference between good and not good and too excited to calm down and study it and repair the not-so-good parts. Instead, I had 100 reproductions made and began selling them. If you have one of those and would like to trade it for a better version, please let me know – it will be FREE. This offer is good for the first 9 8 people who respond and PHYSICALLY HAND ME THE OLD PRINT!! Of course, if you’d like to just buy one, you may do so here: https://www.cabinart.net/reproductions_new.shtml There are only 2 remaining prints of the Post Office, so the offer is now officially expired.
Happy Birthday to Cory
Today my nephew is 23 years old. He attended my wedding in Mineral King when he was only a few months old, so I can keep track of his age without too much trouble. In August he will be marrying the lovely Samantha (at a winery in Salem, Oregon, not in Mineral King)! By the way, he is a very fine graphic artist who is job hunting – any leads, anyone??
Just walking?
In case you were wondering, hiking is not “just walking”. Yes, in theory you are doing the same motion of putting one foot in front of the other. However, you are doing it on a steep slope, often with weight on your back and at altitude! I walk between 30 and 40 miles a week, and sometimes hiking still makes me sore. (hate to think how I’d feel if I didn’t walk so much!) So, here are some photos of some of last week’s excursions for you to enjoy.
This is the Nature Trail, which Phoebe thinks is boring, probably because it is the closest to “just walking” of any trail in Mineral King. I like it because of the variety of flowers and trees – these aspens are possibly my favorite part of the trail.
Marmots are an integral part of the MK experience. In May and June they gnaw on car parts; by July they have calmed down; in August they hardly appear at all!
We fill Phoebe’s head with all sorts of information that is a little boring at age 15 but we all hope it will be appreciated in a few years. (She uses my daypack because of the Dork Factor associated with fanny packs.) She and Michael have climbed this rock outcropping of Empire a couple of times. (I wait below, because just as hiking is not just walking, climbing is not just hiking!)
Crystal Lakes are probably the least visited of all the lakes out of MK. The lower Crystal is one of 4 lakes with a dam, built by the Mt. Whitney Power Company in 1911. Getting there is an accomplishment – there are 3 very steep pulls in the 5.5 miles to the lake! Of course we had to complicate things by climbing to the ridge above the lake so that we could possibly climb down to Monarch Lake, also with a dam.
There was too much snow on the north side of that ridge, so we climbed around seeking a route down, then enjoyed the view of upper Monarch Lake and headed back down to Crystal instead of making the loop. The snow doesn’t show in this photo, but it was there, blocking our route of choice.
Here are 2 views of the trail on the way back down to MK.
On another day, we saw a pair of fawns and their mother. We waited a 1/2 hour for them to get comfortable with our presence across the canyon and I took a number of mediocre photos. Here is the best, but only 1 fawn shows (sort of).
After it seemed as if we had hiked a zillion miles, we came to this sign that said we had 4 more to go! According to my Garmin Forerunner, it was fairly close to the truth. That is Timber Gap in the background.
Some books call this a tiger lily; some call it a leopard lily. Because of its spots, I tend to think the latter name is more appropriate. Regardless of the name, you can smell it before you see it!
On Vacation
If we are around the same age, you might remember when going on vacation meant stopping the newspaper and having the post office hold one’s mail. Yesterday I returned from a week in Mineral King to 2 full answering machines, real mail at home, real mail in my P.O. Box AND a pile of email! Aren’t we supposed to be feeling the effects of technology simplifying our lives?
It was a working vacation, as you can see by all these little canvases drying on the back of the cabin. More came later, but this is all you get to see for now. Something new is coming, and as usual, more will be revealed!
Yokohl Valley. . .
. . . is a beautiful place, particularly in the spring. To see it represented in art form, visit the show “Views of Yokohl Valley” at Arts Visalia. It is open through July 31, hours Wednesday – Saturday, noon – 5:30, 214 E. Oak Avenue in Visalia. The phone is 559-739-0905.
Behind Rocky Hill – oil on wrapped canvas – 12 x 16″ – $200
Inn Art. . .
. . . sounds so much more sophisticated than Motel Art, don’t you think? This painting was made specifically for the entry way of the cabin named Dogwood at the Sequoia Village Inn. The walls are painted a wonderful color that I cannot think of a name for. . .perhaps it should be called Sunny Sequoia, because it looks perfect with this painting, Sunny Sequoias VIII. PERFECT!
Seeking the perfect view. . .
. . . of the Kaweah River. I have been photographing the river faithfully for several years, and am still waiting for the perfect view to emerge. What is your favorite scene involving the river(s) of Three Rivers? Meanwhile, here are two in progress that have 2 very interesting boulders (same view, different direction)
God Bless America!
