I went to Mineral King. Literally, this time. It was interesting to see in person what I have been painting, the winter version instead of the summer scenes.
Back to the easels. . . thanks for stopping by this week!
P.S. Last year at this time I was repainting the Mineral King mural and it was HOT out after a very wet winter; this year winter didn’t arrive until March. Weird.
It has been ten years since we had that spectacular poppy season in Three Rivers. I still find them when I walk and in in my yard, but never since have we had them in such abundance.
While I was conducting the private oil painting workshop, I painted two poppy paintings. It is good to be available to the students, but no good to just hover.
I was pleased with them until I saw them in better light in the workshop. Then I saw that they needed another layer or two, and the shapes weren’t quite right. Since I had the colors mixed and another canvas ready to go, I decided to throw in a third poppy.
When they were finished, I realized they still needed reshaping.
When that was finished and dry, I scanned them and realized they still needed another layer on the reshaped edges.
Easy little paintings, no trouble at all, just slam them out, piece of cake, no problem.
Fall down laughing.
FINALLY, they are finished. I think.
. . . the more paintings sell.
One Sawtooth, one Honeymoon Cabin, one White Chief, three of the most popular scene of Farewell Gap with the Crowley cabin, and one of just Farewell Gap minus the Crowley cabin. 6×6″ is the most popular size.
Keep painting, Central California Artist Who Specializes in Mineral King.
Remember the pencil commission of the Michigan barn, drawn from some barely adequate photos? I think the grass and sky took as long as the barn itself. When I finally finished, I scanned it to email to the customer for approval.
He saw right away that the 2 tall doors were lighter than the others. Why didn’t I notice that? Because I was in the weeds! I mean the grass! (. . . don’t get weird on me; I’ve never tried an illegal substance in my entire life and that is the shocking truth)
Here it is with the large doors darkened a tad.
The next step is to do the prep in Photoshop Elements so it can be reproduced. Can you tell the difference?
While I was painting, there were 2 men working on my real studio. I paint in another building, a giant workshop where it doesn’t matter if I drop wet things, and where there is a little heater with a shelf in front of it for drying, along with pegboard for hanging wet paintings and two young cats hiding underneath and behind things.
My studio has been a wonderful little gift. It began its life as a shed where the previous occupant planed wood for his grandfather clocks, which he built in the workshop. He shoved the wood in the front door and out the back door. When our friend Mike remodeled the shed for me in 2001 (I moved in January 1, 2002), he removed the back door and put a window there. The window was on the wall looking out at the workshop, and that isn’t a coveted view by any stretch of the imagination. Besides, I needed a solid wall to hang my art.
But I digress. Why were 2 men, both named Michael, working on my studio?
They were cutifying it!
The dark brown building next door is where I paint (and drop wet things and harbor stray kittens).
I am back to Mineral King, figuratively speaking, not literally. There is finally some snow up there, and I’m happy to be here in the painting studio, painting summer scenes of Mineral King.
First, look who showed up! Piper and his brother arrived on a Friday, and Piper decided to get acquainted with us on Sunday. He spent most of Monday in hiding with his brother, and when I was finished painting, he came out.
My initial goal was to begin 9 paintings, but then 2 more sold, so I increased it to 11. It feels daunting, so the plan is simply to begin each painting. Then when I paint next, I can choose whichever one rings my bell to focus on. Just need to get some momentum started. . .
P.S. I typed this blog post with Piper on my lap. This is good, but where is his brother??
I chose the sizes, paired the canvases with the photos, assigned inventory numbers, titled the pieces, attached the hanging hardware to the backs, and primed the canvases. And thus we conclude a random roundup of the business of art, as defined by me. I wonder how other artists go about their business? On artists blogs, they all sound so professionally successful, discussing plein air outings (oh shut up, that is so hard and I don’t know how and I am a studio artist and if I am outside it will be to hike, walk, prune or pull weeds), or packaging up things to deliver to galleries (galleries, schmalleries – this is Tulare County), or showing off big deal sales to a local hospital or courthouse or university (Hunh? those places spend money on art, big money on originals?? Not in Tulare County), or fancy commissions (I paint wooden geese and or draw barns), or shows in nice places (I do them in Art Centers without plumbing, the local Remorial Building, or in people’s stores or backyards).
HaHa. I live in Tulare County and they don’t.
Oops. Sold two more Mineral King paintings recently so I may need to recalculate! Customers keep depleting my inventory. . . what’s an artist to do except keep painting??
This is Tony’s wooden goose with a coat of primer on it.
He didn’t give me any instructions other than to paint the goose. I found several helpful photos of Canada geese to work from, with visible head, neck, wing tops, wing bottoms, tail and the back.
(What did people do before The Google came along to answer all our questions? They didn’t say yes to as many odd jobs.)
First step: mixing paint. I used my mural paints because this will be outside and because it needed to dry quickly.
Who knew that birds would show up in such numbers in my art business??
My friend’s husband, Tony, asked if I could paint a wooden goose for him. A what, Tony? A goose! He didn’t specify type, so I had to consult The Google for ideas. I told him it will be a Canada Goose (yes, it is Canada Goose, not “Canadian Goose”) and that I hope it will look so realistic that someone might try to shoot it. This could fall into the category of Odd Jobs, and when I show you how it is coming along, that’s how I’ll classify it.
Meanwhile, the birds go on. . .
Meanwhile, I am sorely lacking in quail photos. Those little guys are shy and busy. They show up outside the windows when the light is low, so it takes about a dozen photos to find one that might be paintable.
I haven’t returned to Mineral King yet, either metaphorically or literally. (And unlike many people today, I use the word “literally” to mean literally, actually, for real.)
Instead, I stayed in Birdland, working on chickens and a great blue heron.
Meanwhile, there is a quail wondering when it will receive its additional feathers layers, and 4 6×6″ canvases waiting for their wings. Or are they waiting in the wings. . .?