A pencil drawing commission customer made a decision about which view to have me draw of her cabin!
A or B?
B!
What appears to be a slight difference between the 2 views matters to the customer. I am here to make the customer happy. She knows her cabin; I do not.
So many pencil drawing commissions are awaiting decisions. I’ve sent sketches and more sketches. Can’t start drawing until I know what the customer/commissioner wants!
Sketches, called “thumbnails” or “thumbnail sketches” were required in most of the assignments in art classes, both in high school and college (I went to 4 different colleges – a full-fledged Transfer Student) More often than not, I had one good idea, and the rest of the sketches were just a waste of time, mindlessly fulfilling the assignment. The reason for the sketches was never clearly articulated – just do it because the teacher said to do it. (As a Questioner, I despise that sort of “teaching”.)
Now that I am a professional artist, I know that customers need to see things sketched out because photos don’t do the trick. People also like choices, but not too many.
Too bad the “teachers” didn’t teach us how to guide a customer to a decision. My cynical mind says this is because those “teachers” never had any customers. They only had teachers, giving them time-filling assignments.
COME ON, PEOPLE, DECIDE, PLEASE? Please? pleeeeeeese? I really want to start drawing!
There is more to my life than selling oil paintings of Tulare County scenery.
I spend a lot of time in Mineral King in the summer. It is a great source of inspiration, because it is the most beautiful place in Tulare County. (Go ahead and argue with me – present your case! I’m ALWAYS on the lookout for beautiful places in Tulare County!)
The last time I went to Mineral King, I photographed the official name of my favorite bridge. The sign is wrong, I just KNOW it. It is THE OAK GROVE BRIDGE, because that’s what Trail Guy told me about 30 years ago. So there.
Sometimes being in Mineral King is about hanging out with neighbors on their very inviting front porches.
Sometimes it is about discovering favorite flowers in new locations. Your nose often leads you to this leopard lily before you spot it.
Here’s a weird puffy mushroom or toadstool. Whatever it is, it is large. (And yes, I washed my hands after touching it. Thanks for your concern.)
Trail Guy went off trail to look at the “Three Falls Below The Gate”. Nice photo, Trail Guy!
We went off trail together to look at more damage from the flood on July 2.
Always more to see, more to discover, more to inspire in Mineral King.
Selling makes me happy because it validates my worth as a business person. As brash as it sounds to say in words, I am a business person and my product is art and art related services (painting murals, teaching people to draw and occasionally to oil paint, putting together books, cards and reproduction prints of my works for for resale and retail).
I used to have more trouble facing this, but the book Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin really helped me see the truth about earning money.
With Tulare County being the third least educated and the thirteenth poorest county, I often question the wisdom of choosing art as a business here.
However, this is my home, and I love to make art. It is a huge challenge to find, portray and then SELL the beautiful parts of Tulare County.
So, let’s all have a YIPPEE moment as we look at the most recently sold oil paintings of Tulare County!
“Oil Paintings, Completed!” with an exclamation point, because it feels like an accomplishment to have a finished piece. (Currently I have about 6 pencil commissions, all on hold while people ponder their options.)
Backcountry Lake, 10×10″, oil on wrapped canvas, $150
Mountain California Quail, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $60
You can click on the price to take you to the page where they are available for sale. Or you can use the Contact button under “About The Artist” in the menu above to buy them. Or you can simply enjoy them here on your screen.
(Happy Birthday, Melissa!)
Anyone remember the Little River Band? Does the song “Long Way There” do anything for you? I loved it in 1978, and I still do.
Many people think of “Long and Winding Road” when it comes to driving to Mineral King. That is probably a more accurate theme song, but I used up that title on a pencil drawing many years ago.
So “Long Way There” is the title of this series of paintings. The first time I painted the Mineral King Road, it looked like this:
I liked it a lot. A friend liked it too and commissioned me to repaint it in a much larger size than I was used to. It just flew out of my paintbrushes, and it may have been the first time I really felt as if I was painting, instead of struggling with paint.
When helping her move a few weeks ago, it surprised me to see that I still like the painting. That doesn’t always happen.
Because I was feeling so confident about this scene, I painted it again, just to have in inventory.
It didn’t sell. It didn’t sell. It didn’t sell.
So, I studied it carefully to see if I could figure out how to make it better. The usual things – brighter colors, more detail, higher contrast, cleaner edges – all seemed necessary.
Long Way There, 12×16″, oil on wrapped canvas, $250
I love the blue with the orange. (Yeppers, I’m a color junkie.)
Remember these wildflower oil painting beginnings? First, I drew them with my paintbrush.
Stage two was to get the first layer of color down.
The real fun was putting in the detail.
It isn’t often that I get to paint with these colors, and it just makes my heart sing.
Lalalalalalala! LALALALALA!
Excuse me. Got a little carried away with that purplish-pink.
Now I just know you are singing too!
Top to bottom: Jeffrey Shooting Star, Leopard Lily, Foxglove. Yes, I know foxgloves are not native flowers around here, but they certainly go wild!
These are commissioned oil paintings of wildflowers. When they are dry, I’ll sign them, then scan them, then probably wrap and deliver. (It’s a wrap – another wildflower song in the can!)