Month: June 2015

Hiking in Mineral King

While I was painting diligently at home in Three Rivers, Trail Guy, who is retired, was hiking in Mineral King. He now has possession of the little camera that I used to carry around, so he documents his hikes for me to share with you. Or maybe he does it simply to share with me? Whatevs. Here are some photos from a couple of forays in the earlier spring months.

Trail Guy met a couple of guys from Germany. If he told me their names, I forgot. How about Gunther and Rolf? This was on the way up toward Farewell Gap.

Isn’t it cold and gray here? Brrrr.

It is actually a great time of year to see stuff when all the growth is low and the bears are out.

Hi, Bear.

Pussy Paws! (and some sunshine)

Marmot!

Evidence of human habitation, back in the mining era of Mineral King

A splendiforous view from the Timber Gap trail. Trail Guy has a couple of loop hikes that he repeats several times over the course of a summer. This one is the Empire loop.

And this is the view I used on my first big mural in Exeter, called “Mineral King: In Our Backyard” (named by Trail Guy, of course!)

Related Links:

Mineral King: In Our Backyard

Empire Hike

Painting Mineral King

Sometimes, instead of going to Mineral King, I stay home and paint it.

Sounds stupid, but it is my business. My mission is to represent, portray and show off the beauty of Tulare County.

As a studio painter, it helps me to be in the studio.

If I painted plein air, I’d be at work instead of on leisure time while in Mineral King. Forget that noise!

mineral King paintings

This is 3 paintings in progress, working from 2 photos. (The photos are the ones with the completed tall trees.)

This is on a 4×4″ board with a very smooth surface. The smooth surface gives me the option of putting in a ton of detail. It will look sweet sitting on a little easel.

Here are the 2 6×6″ oil paintings that should dry quickly since summer seems to have arrived. The one on the left doesn’t look anemic in real life.

Apparently I got confused as to which photo I was using. When scene is this familiar, sometimes I forget to look at the reference and just go.

And when I see these as photos, I think they still need more work. Interesting, because I spent HOURS on these. HOURS, I tell you! (And those were hours I could have been relaxing or hiking in Mineral King out of the heat – anyone appreciate my dedication to work here?)

Troubled Artist Over Bridge

This is the first version of the Buckeye Bridge. It was hard to paint – combining several photos to get the best of each, dealing with water, trying to get all those browns and greens, grays and a little blue to look like something beautiful. . .

first buckeye bridge

It looks better now. I added a tree, strengthened the contrasts, put more light upstream from the bridge, more detail in the rocks and brighter colors on the water.

017 Buckeye Bridge

Now here’s a weird thing: normally my paintings look best when scanned. The one at the bottom is the newer version, but this is how it appeared when I photographed it in the sunlight.

buckeye bridge

Confused and conflicted – I thought scanning was superior. Now do I need to go back and rephoto all my unsold paintings?? Or, do I go get the painting from the studio and try to see which version is the most accurate.

Troubled artist over bridge. . . that’s me.

Plein Air Painting

In reference to plein air painting, a friend who is a watercolorist emailed me and said, “I thought as a oil painter you would be into it.”

That is a common assumption about oil painters.

(My friend is more artistically adventuresome than I am. She goes out in an atmosphere where sometimes the watercolors evaporate before they are fully blended!)

When I took a studio painting class, specifically called “photo-realism for studio painters”, the teacher asked how many of us wanted just studio painting and how many wanted the photo-realism aspect. Very few were in my camp, and he told the class that it is just a matter of tricks that anyone can master. (He never did address nor explain or demonstrate those so called “tricks”.) Then he set up still life arrangements and made plans for us to go out plein air painting. I signed up to specifically learn to be a photo-realist studio painter, so after half a semester, I dropped the class.

Sigh.

So, here is the progression of my own weak attempts at plein air painting. It is a Three Rivers scene, which you probably figured out all by yourself.

Block it in from photos while in the studio

Set up on location and make a few stabs at improving it. More was revealed in real life than from the photos – that was helpful.

plein air painting

Finish it up in the studio.

The finished piece is spoken for, but the “buyer” doesn’t want it yet. Hmmm, any other offers? Until money exchanges hands, it is simply conversation.

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehn, Goodbye

One of the categories of paintings is Do-overs. This usually means that I look at a painting that hasn’t sold and try to figure out what it is lacking. The usual answer is that it needs brighter colors and more contrast. Sometimes the answer is to add more detail and precision.

Sometimes the answer is to simply say “So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, goodbye.”

Say “Bye-bye” to these 2 wildflower paintings:

So what if I LOVE Explorer’s Gentian? Apparently, I am alone in this. Ditto the Leopard Lily. Yes, I could find a place to hang them in my house, but I am choosing a different path for these canvases.

Say what?

More will be revealed (and hidden) in the fullness of time (and the application of oil paint.)

More Opening Weekend in Mineral King

Mineral King was overcast, cold, rainy and foggy on opening weekend this year. Guess it makes sense to get March in May since we had May in March.

mineral king fog

What’s a Central California artist to do? How about read, knit and discuss colors? I said blue, Michael said purple, and neighbor Annie said purplish blue. (Discussing the yarn color with a purple glasses case thrown in for comparison.)

How about a some bird watching out the window? Down the hill we have California quail and scrub jays; up the hill we have Mountain Quail and stellar jays.

Is the sun starting to break out? Let’s go see!

Mineral King in fog

mineral king

Reminds me of a couple of paintings! Mineral King is definitely a major source of inspiration behind my art.

Well, oops. There seems to now be a tree missing from this scene.

Farewell Gap XVII

Farewell Gap XVII, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×10″, $100

1513 Honeymoon XX

Honeymoon Cabin XX, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×8″, $90

Relevant Links

Cabinart landscape oil painting

Tulare County Beauty

As a Central California artist in Tulare County, it is my mission, goal and duty to portray the beauty of this place I live.

Yesterday I showed you oil paintings as examples of the various subjects I paint that fall into a category I call “Because People Like It”.

However, I didn’t show you my latest paintings in several of those categories.

Let’s try this again:

Sequoia (this painting is still in progress – I wasn’t kidding when I said “latest”.)
Mineral King: (top painting – 6×6″, bottom painting 8×8″)
Citrus
Poppies
Three Rivers

Most of these paintings are available through this page of my website. Excuse me for sounding sellsy. (It is a part of the way I earn my living.)

Painting Subjects That Sell in Tulare County

If you want to earn your living as an artist, it is important to paint things that people want to buy. I think of these subjects as Because People Like It. In Tulare County, there are some stand-outs, and I try to keep them on hand in various sizes.

Sequoia – the Big Trees, park attractions like Tunnel Log, Moro Rock, Crescent Meadow and Tharp’s Log
Mineral King – Farewell Gap, the Honeymoon Cabin, the Crowley Cabin, and Sawtooth. There are some other Mineral King subjects that sell occasionally and I add them in for variety – Timber Gap, a foot bridge or two, trails, Vandever, views around the valley.
Citrus – oranges off or on the tree, orange blossoms, and the occasional lemon or tangerine/clementine/mandarin
Poppies – in fields, by themselves, in groups, against a blue sky, against a green background, lots and lots of California’s state flower.
Three Rivers – the Kaweah Post Office, the river (any fork will do), views of Kaweah Lake, views of Alta Peak with Moro Rock, and the Oak Grove Bridge (this might be due to my biased view of this Tulare County Treasure).

Sold Sunflowers

Remember I talked about painting things just because I love them? That is a different category than painting something because it sells.

Sometimes, the things I paint for myself sell quickly. This is a mixed blessing – WAIT! I wanted that one! Oh. That’s right. I paint to sell things. It beats getting a job.

A friend/customer stopped by one afternoon and fell in love with the sunflowers.

This is how they looked at the time of her visit:

sunflower oil paintings

Together we evaluated them. We agreed that the yellow one is brilliant, and that the orange one doesn’t quite have the pizzazz.

It didn’t matter to my friend because she wants to buy them both. I told her I’d study up on the orange one – probably just needs more color and contrast, the usual things. (Other common things that are lacking are sharp and fuzzy edges or needing more detail – it isn’t all color and contrast).

Her husband called me to say he wants to buy them for her for their anniversary. I delivered the yellow one wrapped, and when the orange one is dry, it will join its brother.

First, let’s get that hanger problem fixed. The mini green sunflower belongs at the bottom edge of the painting, not on the side. Since I paint these 6×6″ oils while holding them in my hand and rotating them around and around, sometimes they get sideways. I reattached the hanger, painted out and repainted my signature.

Done yet? After a few more layers of a brighter yellow, I think I will stop now.

Okay, now I think this one is worthy of joining the yellow sunflower!

IMG_0949_2

Sunflower Paintings

Today, let’s review sunflower oil paintings.

sunflower paintings in progress

I am painting them because they look happy. The category is Because I Want To.