The mind of one artist, part 2

D told me how to get to the Presidio from the Dr.’s office, so I set out in that direction. It wasn’t far, and I got to pass Diane Feinstein’s house, although I wasn’t sure which one it is. They were all rather posh and impressive to this country girl! When I reached the Presidio,  there were multiple sign posts directing me here and there; the only place I recognized was the Golden Gate Bridge, so that is where I headed. The trails looked like this:

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After a couple of miles, the signs went away, and I just started aiming in the direction of the bridge. I came to this view and was seriously sidetracked for a moment or 6:

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Then, I remembered that I had been at the beach in October and no matter how strong the pull is to the beach (and it is strong, oh so very strong) the bridge had to take precedence. I pressed on in the direction of the bridge and was finally rewarded with this view:

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To be continued. . .

 

The mind of one artist

That one artist would be me, but you probably knew that. Here is a story. My dear friend, whom I shall call D, needed a driver to bring her home from some surgery in San Francisco. We have been friends since I was in 3rd grade and she was in 1st and don’t get much time together, so when she mentioned her need, I was all over it! We took my car (hers seems to have a permanent disability of no rearview mirror, and although it doesn’t bother her, I’m not having any part of that!) and went the day ahead of time. (She brought one of those talking lady gizmos that tells you where to go – it was fun, and my speedometer isn’t as far off as I thought!) We had a crab dinner on Fisherman’s Wharf and enjoyed a saxophone player beneath a giant Christmas tree at Pier 39.  The next day, I delivered her at 8 a.m. to the place of surgery which had a parking garage. (Parking is a Big Deal in the city!) Here is the view from the garage:

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The nice people in the dr.’s office offered me movies to watch while I waited and said that D should be ready to go by 1:00. Watch movies? Are you nuts?? I’m in San Francisco, for Pete’s Sake! (who is Pete, anyway?) San Francisco is incredibly beautiful, full of architectural and historical and semi-natural wonders, and you think I’m going to spend it sitting inside a doctor’s office? Obviously these folks don’t know me. I had my walking shoes on and my Garmin Forerunner on my wrist, so instead of staying in the relative safety of the known, I elected to go exploring. (I’m sure you are so very surprised by my adventuresome spirit, right?)  This story could go on for several entries. . . I think I’ll just continue it in another posting!

Storm coming again?

There is a particularly unique quality to the light and color when a storm is on its way. This is how Alta Peak looked this morning:

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Here is the full view down my driveway:

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Exeter Flower Company

This is a wonderful store in Exeter, the source for all your original oil paintings of oranges! It is at the northwest corner of Pine and E, just a few doors south of “my” mural. An artist needs a place to sell work, and without places like Exeter Flower Company, I’d have stacks of paintings with no homes. I delivered 5 new orange paintings there Thursday night – one is already sold, so you better hustle!

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Christmas at the Gallery

This is a fun annual event at the Courthouse Gallery in Exeter with a “live art auction, catered hors d’oeuvres and fine wines”! It will be Saturday, December 12 from 5-9 p.m. and the entry is a $30 donation. It can be dressy or not – the last time we went, my husband wore his good Wranglers and wasn’t the only one who interpreted “dressy” in that manner. The Courthouse Gallery is 125 S. B Street, and I’m guessing there will be tickets at the door. Fund-raising functions aren’t in the habit of turning people away, so no need to be a “party crasher”! The live auction has small pieces of art created by the artists who have shown at the gallery through the 10 years it has been open.  Here is my piece:

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It isn’t as big as the one done for the White House because they neglected to send me a blank this year . . . those guys! 😎

That Bridge again

Same bridge, different view. The light wasn’t much to write home about, but isn’t this a neat angle?  Bummer about the line running across the top horizontally – rather than Photoshop it out, I will paint it out, should I decide to paint from this view.

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Seeing Double Again

But wait! There’s more. . . this view was a huge hit in the vertical. Rather than immediately duplicate it, I decided to try it in the horizontal for a bit of variety.

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North Fork of the Kaweah River – sold

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North Fork of the Kaweah River II – sold

Seeing Double

Lots of the big boys back in the day (how’s that for cliches?) painted the same scenes over and over. This gives me the freedom to also paint the same scenes over and over! (If everyone else was jumping off a bridge, would you do it too? Maybe, if it were the Big Boys!)

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This is how they looked hanging together at The Art Co-op. The customer saw the first one, loved it, but the size didn’t suit her. So, I offered to repaint it smaller, which did suit her. While I was repainting it, I purposely worked from the photograph and did not have the original painting near by. It was so interesting to examine them together and see the changes!

First Saturday, December

The Featured Artist this month at The Art Co-op is George Smith. He is a very accomplished potter, always producing both functional and beautiful pieces.  Back in 1987, I participated in my very first Redbud Festival in Three Rivers. George had the neighboring booth, and was so kind and encouraging to me.  I was as green as grass, and he actually traded me a lamp for a drawing. Since that time, I have almost shamelessly begged him for the drawing back so I can redraw it for him.  He hasn’t agreed to let me shred the first drawing, so we have no deal.  (The lamp is still in use, along with its matching companion lamp, and he hasn’t asked to smash it in return for a new one!)

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Random Wednesday

1. Oranges sell, therefore  I paint lots of oranges. Besides, I like them! This probably needs one more session on the easel.

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2. Remember this? This is another layer on the background. Much detail remains to be done in the background; it is more important to have this done very very carefully than it is to have it done soon!

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 3. The annual Christmas Open House in Exeter is Thursday, December 4. All (most?) of the businesses will be open late, serving treats and full of good cheer. The time might be from 5-8, or perhaps earlier- later. (thanks – that was informative!)  This year I will be with Cousin Sally at Exeter Flower Company. You may remember that last year I was with Cousin Chris at The Downtown Gallery. Maybe I will float between the two, depending on who has the best treats! Sally has many orange paintings for sale, along with an avocado, a persimmon, a pomegranate, a lemon, and something else that I have forgotten. There are other paintings too, but this is all I can think of right now.

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