Whoa. That was a sprint. Three new orange oil paintings in a week’s time, begun and completed.
It is a privilege to be thought of when local businesses have Art Emergencies; it is a thrill to be able to handle those situations. I’m very happy to be able to help, and particularly happy to help out in ag and especially in citrus.
Lovies,
Your happy orange painter
It’s my blog, I’m 58 and I can make up words if I want to. Any questions?
Oh. What does “oranging” mean?
It means painting oranges, although I was just painting greens that day. Because this commission job was for 3 oil paintings in 2 weeks, I had to plan the most efficient method of delivering mostly dry paintings.
Day one: get the first layer down, all the canvas covered, the basic shapes and colors in place and the edges with one coat.
Day two: Perfect the background greens so that on. . .
Day three: sign on the green area after perfecting the orange area. Finally, put a second layer on the edges, which may or may not show. I don’t know what the framer has in mind and won’t get to see the final product.
This gives the paintings a week to dry. Would have been better to know about this job sooner, both for more time to work and also for summer’s heat, which makes for quicker drying. They might be a little tacky (in the tactile sense of the word, not the quality of the job.) But, a little pressure is sometimes a good catalyst for action.
Speaking of Samson, he is pretty tired. He’s been working the night shift lately.
These paintings sold through the Silver City Store* over the summer. Most were 6×6″; a few were 8×8″, 8×10″, and 10×10″. (It is probable that I was slightly careless in my record keeping, because all of these are square – where is that 8×10″??)
It is possible I could have sold more, if I had stayed home and painted instead of being out on the trails, chasing down wildflower names.
Choices and consequences.
*4 miles below the Mineral King valley
This is an annual backyard boutique in Visalia. I participated last year and was very impressed by the quality, variety, organization and attendance. If you like shopping, looking at handmade items, hanging around nice people, then this event is for you!
My 2018 calendar will be printed soon. The price will be $15 unless you order and pay for one BEFORE Nov. 1. This can be done from this page on my website: Calendar 
What’s the deal? $12.
Is it worth it to save $3? Only you can answer that question!
Two weeks to paint three oranges, but really, only one because of a planned 2 days off and because of drying time.
No problem. . . just get outta my way! They don’t have to be truly identical, because each one will end up in a different home.
That sounded weird. If they were all in the same home, they really wouldn’t have to be identical. Never mind.
They will all be presented at the same time, so they need to be close. That way, no one says, “But I like his better!”
This is how it looked over the course of Day One at the easels.
The last step of Day One was painting layer #1 on the edges. When I return to the project in two days, they will be dry enough to put on the next layer. The second day of painting will be when I perfect all the details.
Two days isn’t some formula; it is because I teach drawing lessons on the second day and have a prescheduled appointment on the third. On day four I can continue.
They most certainly need more work. . .
A yearly customer emailed me to ask for a painting she saw on my website, but she didn’t just want that painting. She wanted four of that painting.
Well, oops. My paintings don’t get reproduced by machines; my paintings get reproduced by a paintbrush in my hand.
But wait! There’s more! She wanted them in two weeks time.
Ahem. I paint in oils. They take awhile to dry (unless it is July or August). This could be a tricky assignment.
First, I found the original painting and got in touch with the gallery showing it to set it aside for me to retrieve. This meant that I had to paint “only” three. That helps.
Second, did I even have blank canvases the right size? Yeppers, I did.
I know, you are just dying to see what painting she wants.
Tomorrow, I’ll show you what happens next.
Samson didn’t think it was such a great summer. Don’t worry, Little Buddy. We’re home now for a long long time.
The pencil drawing commission might be finished. I often run things by my drawing students, telling them to be as “mean” to me as I am to them. It gives them an opportunity to practice the skills of looking very critically, and articulating clearly if they see any weak areas of a drawing.
Here it is the first time. It was originally drawn to be printed in The Cabins of Wilsonia.
And here it is in its second iteration:
I am more confident that the roof angles are closer to reality this time, and I think it has tighter detail. I’m guessing that the shocking difference in darkness is due to the computer preparations required for printing in the book. It wasn’t that dark in person because my pencils aren’t that dark. It almost looks like ink to me! (Nope, not participating in Inktober.)
Drawing architecture in pencil is my favorite thing. Since this drawing is gone, I get to redraw it. Second chances, opportunities to improve, do-overs–all good things.
This is how it looks after about three short sessions with my pencils. Cabin closing, oil painting, teaching drawing lessons, taking inventory and planning for shows, editing, book design, blogging, these things all cut into time to do my favorite thing. But, pencil drawings don’t take up a lot of room, there is no palette to secure or brushes to clean. (More reasons why pencil drawing is my favorite thing.)
Would you believe these roofs all belong to the same structure? This cabin in Wilsonia contains some of the most interesting architectural oddities and details of any of the cabins. I hope to see it up close and personal next summer!
