Rhyme Time

Or is that Rhyme Thyme? or rime time?

STOP IT.

Because my friend Cheryl Barker does Summer Photo fun on her blog, and I am a monkey-see-monkey-do copyist, I will engage in my own little brand of summer photo fun for your entertainment.

caterpillars wiggling in a web photograph by Jana Botkin
Worm Squirm

Are you kidding me? That is so gross! 

Yeah, I know. They are all over the shrubs in Mineral King this summer.

photograph of buck in Mineral King by Jana Botkin
Stuck Buck

What do you mean “stuck”?

He wasn’t moving. It was cold. Maybe he was scared.

photograph of hiking boot by Jana Botkin
Cute Boot

You’ve got to be kidding!

No, they are cute. I’m not talking about the Franken-foot but the boot. They have pink accents on them.

photograph of a fern burned by frost by Jana Botkin
Fern Burn

What is this about?

It got really cold in June and the ferns got frost-bitten.

photograph by Jana Botkin of Bearskin, on the side of Vandever
Thin Skin

Skin??

That’s “Bear Skin”, a snow patch on the side of Vandever Mt. which is the right half of Farewell Gap.

Where do you come up with this stuff?

On long hikes. Michael (Trail Guy) makes good coffee and my brain kicks into over-drive.

No more caffeine for you, Young Lady!

I’m fifty-two!

What Happened to Those Parents?

Remember the agony, the angst, the moaning and groaning about Put My Parents In The Painting?

I decided it was the best I could make it, so I called The Customer, who drives a big rig all over the country. After lots of phone tag, he left me a message asking me to photograph it with my phone and text it to him. Obviously, he does not know me very well.

No worries – whenever I don’t know how to do something (like kill a Snake or face a dead kitty or operate Trail Guy’s DVD player), I just call S. She knows pertinear everything! She very graciously agreed to handle this task with her great phone and great skill.

The Customer liked the painting! (I think he probably couldn’t see it very well on his magical little phone.) A few more texts came through S, and I decided to preserve the friendship and release her from the misery of being my dispatcher.

I called The Customer and he ANSWERED his phone!! We discussed the painting, and he requested less sky, a higher treeline, and larger rocks in front of the house. He also mentioned a bird house. I scrutinized the photo under my giant lighted magnifying glass and believe the bird house is a figment of someone’s long-distance memory.

oil painting of parents in front of house by Jana Botkin
The parents are in the painting, the corrections and changes have been made, and Pa’s pants have been toned down.

 

And here is the painting. As S said, “You can’t see the Dad’s face!” That’s correct. I cannot. That is why you cannot. If I can’t see it, I can’t paint it.

When The Customer returns to the area to retrieve the painting, this California Artist might be hiding in the back of S’s car.

The Nature Trail, Mineral King

Doesn’t “Nature Trail” sound silly and simple? I’ve pondered it for years and never come up with a better name.

The Nature Trail is about 1 mile long and goes from the upper end of the Cold Springs Campground to the Mineral King Valley.

The trail has a huge variety of things to see – aspen trees, little signs telling about various things along the way, the stream, a variety of flowers, a view of the road, a forested section, a view of Sawtooth, a desert-like area, a view of Timber Gap, and a section that passes through the historic cabins.

The lower end of the Nature Trail in Mineral King, at the upper end of the Cold Springs Campground
Through the aspen trees on the Nature Trail
Wild Geranium on Nature Trail

 

The Nature Trail goes close to the east fork of the Kaweah River, with Indian Paintbrush in abundance.
There are great views of Sawtooth Peak along the Nature Trail.

 

The Nature Trail takes you through a forested section of red firs and lodgepoles, called “tamaracks” by Cowboy Bert.
At the upper end of the Nature Trail is an unobstructed view of Timber Gap and the historical cabins.
Don’t bring your dog on the Nature Trail!

Honesty is the Best Policy

Honesty is very important to me.

I told you about the animal paintings and the Silver City Store. I was excited to learn that 3 of the 4 animal paintings sold immediately.

The help in the store changes from day to day and doesn’t always know what is available and what has sold. It is dark in the store when the generator isn’t running. It is hard to see in the dark. (You may call me “Captain Obvious”.)

Last week I was dismayed/shocked/disappointed/heartsunk (is that a word?) to learn that only the first marmot painting sold.

So, let me show you what is still (sigh) available because that is good news for you! They are not on the website because if they sell in the store and I don’t know it and then they sell online and I go up the hill to retrieve them and they aren’t there and then I won’t have the internet to tell the online customer that there will be a delay because the item is “backordered”, then the customer will be disappointed.

Not disappointing customers is very important to me also.

Marmot II, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30

 

oil painting of black bear
Black Bear, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30
oil painting of buck
Mule Deer Buck, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30
Black Bear II, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30
Golden Mantle Squirrel II, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30
oil painting of squirrel
Golden Mantle Squirrel, oil on wrapped canvas, 4×4″, $30

 

 

As a customer, what are the most important qualities to you in a business?

Online Companies I Use and Like

Notice I didn’t say I love these companies. (We’re supposed to love people and use things.) In spite of holding back emotionally, these are businesses I would be in a world of hurt without, and I cheerfully pass on the links to you, my readers and friends!

Farewell Gap, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×10″, $90
It is difficult to order from online companies when contemplating this scene in the Land of No Electricity or Internet, more commonly known as Mineral King.

Dick Blick is where I get my art supplies. (I beg you, why would any parent name their child Richard when the last name is Blick??) This company is fantastic in their inventory offerings, deals and customer service. Fantastic, I say!

Vistaprint is my new best friend. They are sooo very generous, so very tempting with all their offers of freebies. I’ve been having a blast designing products to sell and to give as promotional items.

I was despondent when Kodak announced their departure. I have tried to be brave. They have promised to send all my 90-something albums to Shutterfly. The albums have not arrived, but the tempting offers from Shutterfly have. Being a weak and gullible Regional Artist From Quaintsville, I succumbed.

(Trumpet fanfare. . .) There is a new book coming to my studio, primarily to be used for showing my work to potential customers. I have creatively and uniquely titled the book “The Drawings of Jana Botkin”. It should appear here:

Click here to view this photo book on another website. Shutterfly, to be precise. (It will cause you to leave my blog, but you can come back.) Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

 Alrighty then. It didn’t work out exactly as I had hoped. . . As I was saying, I am beginning to really like Shutterfly.  I hope they like me back.

Who are your favorite online companies? Let’s share the like (trying to stay consistent here)!

 

Name This Painting. . .

. . . and the chosen titler will receive a token of my appreciation! (That means a prize, but not a huge one.)

Unnamed Barn, formerly known as Tulare County Barn, 10×10″ oil painting on wrapped canvas

You might remember this painting from last year’s show called Images of Home. It was titled “Tulare County Barn”, because the show was about Tulare County images. Duh.

This painting will be entered in the Madera Ag Art Show. Madera is 2 counties away. (They might not even know how to pronounce “Too-Larry” there!)

Titles matter. particularly in a juried (Shall we let this piece in our show?) and judged (Hmmm, that looks like a first place!) show.

The last time I entered the show, you helped me name my pencil drawing of a barn and tractor. Your choices were wonderful, better than what my mind could conceive.

Will you help me choose the new title for this painting? The suggester of the winning title will receive a prize. Haven’t decided what. I should be able to figure that out on my own. . .

THANK YOU, THANK YOU in advance for your help!

Contests need deadlines – how about July 18? That’s a Wednesday. 

Three More Things Artists Don’t Explain

It is now over 6 years since I have been oil painting. These types of questions continue to haunt me. Perhaps if I left Quaintsville and visited some galleries in cities, I’d learn the answers. Or, perhaps I’d get tossed out of those galleries for flipping over their paintings to discover the answers.

 

 

 

The Oak Grove Bridge, 6x6", oil on wrapped canvas, $50

 

1. How to sign a painting.

Try to imagine writing your name legibly and artistically with a wet paintbrush. How about using a paintbrush that leaves blobs of paint or big sudden drips? Or one that runs out of paint in the middle of a letter? This is why my paintings are signed with first initial and last name only. This is why my signature looks like my 5th grade printing. HOW do the big boys and girls get such flowing beautiful signatures???

 

2. How to put hanging hardware on the back of a painting.

Some artist don’t bother. Some use screw-eyes and wire. Screw-eyes are considered tacky, and they scratch the wall. Sawtooth hangers are also considered tacky, and most galleries forbid them. No one actually explains what the best thing is to use or talks about having to wire the backs of their canvases before painting them.

 

3. How to secure painted canvases in a frame.

There are various pieces of hardware for this, but you have to be some sort of a sleuth to discover them. And each works on different types of frames, or don’t work. I know a great artist who just bangs nails into his canvases and frames (on the backsides, of course.) His paintings sell for more than my car is worth.

 Have you ever flipped a painting over in a gallery to discover its secrets? 

Mineral King Marmots

Have you heard of a marmot? They are in the same family as rabbits, or maybe rodents. Maybe rabbits and rodents are cousins. (I didn’t take biology in high school because in the ’70s, you could really coast on nothing.)

 

Marmot I, oil on wrapped canvas, 4x4", sold

The first time I heard of a marmot was when I was backpacking in Kings Canyon in about 1974. They only appeared in very high back country, way above timberline. To see one was a thrill.

In Mineral King, they can be like a plague of locusts. They chew on car parts, and they are legion. (That means “a vast host or multitude”.) People try all sorts of things to protect their vehicles. Very little deters these determined creatures.

A number of years ago, The Retired Road Guy left the hood of his pickup raised so he could see when they were assaulting his rig (that’s what he calls his Toyota). A ranger saw that his hood was up and figured that being Road Guy, he must know how to deter marmots. Ever since, lifted hoods are the norm around Mineral King because people think it keeps the marmots out.

It doesn’t help. It gives them easier access. It only helps you see if they are there. (Sometimes it makes car batteries go bad because it leaves a light on for an extended period.)

 

Marmot II, oil on wrapped canvas, 4x4", $30

There are multiple stories of these guys being transported great distances in people’s engine compartments. No first hand experience, no comment.

This is the best way I’ve seen to keep the rotten varmints out of a car:

 

Peculiar Sight

And this priceless photo is courtesy of Diane Gladieux, a regular reader and commenter on this blog. This is her grandmother  great-grandmother. I don’t know the date. around 1910.

I watched my friend Marilyn pet a grouse once, but this takes the cake!

Trip-trip-tripping along

The triptypch of Washington tulip fields does not have a deadline. Why should a California artist be painting Washington tulip fields? Because sometimes an artist just has to follow her heart.

Other paintings do have deadlines, so these just get fit into the painting schedule as there are opportunities. Specifically, this is when everything else is too wet to work on, or too dang hard. (see Monday’s post. . . sigh)

The top one is almost finished. When I look at it in bright light, I see parts that could be improved.

The middle piece is still needing more definition.

The bottom piece is clearly in its infancy. Oh, sweet baby tulips. . . sigh of happiness. This takes a bit of the sting out of Put-My-Parents-In-The Painting.