I Went to Oregon

This is the fourth summer in a row that I have gone to Oregon. This state is pertinear perfect in the summer. The folks here complain when it gets into the 90s, but to a Central Californian, this is mellow summer weather.

There were so many paintable scenes, but never a place to even pull over to take photos. Some day perhaps I’ll not be in a hurry and take side roads and legions of pictures.

I was a passenger much of the time and shot a few scenes through the car windows. Not awesome photos, but paintable. However, I probably don’t have a customer base for these subjects.

There was much hanging around.

What is in this rose bush? Yikes, how will we retrieve it?

I learned a bit about Legos. Holy guacamole, the Lego company does brilliant marketing and has endless ideas about creating new products. When I was a kid, Legos were simply little blocks that hooked together.

The lack of sales tax tempted me beyond reason to stock up on a few items, and gas is sure more reasonable in this state.

Later, I’ll show you why I came to Oregon (besides visiting family.)

Custom Art Job—A Map

The owners of a ranch used a hand drawn map to show visitors (for various reasons) how to find the right pastures, and they decided that a pretty map would better serve their purposes. They brought the hand drawn map along with a county map showing property lines and buildings.

Think, think, think. How do I do this? I started by tracing the country map and transferring it to a large sheet of drawing paper. Then we went over it together to determine property lines, fence lines, troughs, internal roads, gates, and to list what else would be helpful to add.

When all those things were figured out, the lanes were named, the pastures were numbered, and all the gates and water troughs were located, I walked the property a second time for a sense of what belonged in the margins to prettify the map.

When all the drawings were in place, I scanned it in 2 parts, because OF COURSE it was too big for my flatbed scanner. Then hours and hours using Photoshop began. (I seriously underbid this job. . . so what’s new?) When it seemed finished, I emailed the owners to see how it would print for them, since they often need to hand one to a visitor. (Duh. That’s why they had me do this job.)

The owners thought it was great, but needed to make a few corrections and changes

We decided that the heron looked weird, the word “faucet” on the legend needed to be replaced with “trough”, a fence line was missing, the map and words needed to be darker without changing the drawings, and, get this, I drew the wrong horse at the bottom left corner.

What?? Seen one, seen ‘em all (and I think most yellow flowers and most babies look alike too.)

So with coaching from these horse experts, I turned Mr. White Nose into Hopper, a black horse (yes, I can tell the difference in horse colors, just not features).

There were many layers of tissue paper, sketches to figure out what might fit where, copies to correct, piles and piles of papers when the job was finished.

Here is the final map of the Bar-O Ranch. Really challenging job, very satisfying results, lots of new experience in problem solving and design that I probably won’t get another chance to use. However, if you know of anyone who wants a pretty map, I’m the one to call.

New Notecards Coming Soon

Notecards have been a mainstay of my art business since 1987 (maybe you weren’t born yet). There used to be many stores throughout Tulare County that sold these steadily, and I spent copious amounts of time packaging cards, sometimes with the help of my parents or my friend Gnat.

The packages had two each of five designs and retailed for $5.00. It was possible to make a profit because I worked at a print shop and received a discount, but had to order large quantities to make this work. “Large” means 1000 or more of each design, instead of the 100 or so I now order. Since this was before email, most of polite society used cards. (Impolite society didn’t send thank you notes.)

Now notecards can be ordered online, and if I wait for a discount sale from the company who prints the cards, I can make a small profit selling four cards (all same design in a package) for $10.

Have you picked yourself back up off the floor? Okey dokey, let’s see the new designs coming soon. These were chosen to please my higher selling stores’ customers, many of whom are visitors to the area in the summer. The pencil drawings aren’t new; the paintings were completed recently (within the last year).

Kaweah River
Generals Highway
General Sherman Tree
Lake Kaweah
Sawtooth #65 (such an elegant title!)

These are all scenes drawn or painted from my* photos, sometimes embellished and made up from several photos and my memory, all specific to eastern Tulare County: Three Rivers, Sequoia National Park, and Mineral King.

The notecards will be available at Kaweah Arts in Three Rivers and on this page of my website.

*Except Lake Kaweah, generously supplied by my friend Rachel.

Two Weeks Ago in Mineral King

I’ve been gone. These pictures were taken two weeks ago. The snow was still plentiful on Farewell Gap, and the water was high.

Someone left his boots in the parking lot. They were gone the next day. Glad they were retrieved.

The light was very beautiful.

I saw the tiniest wildflowers and it was a reminder to keep a dime in my pocket to photograph these little ones so that you can understand the size (also in case I do a second edition of Mineral King Wildflowers.)

The wildflowers were decent along the Nature Trail, if you kept your eyes open, always a good policy when walking a trail (or a city sidewalk, or a rural road, or your hallway or. . .) These are both violets. (I just work here.)

This is a different sort of currant, but I forget the name.

Forget me nots are the most wonderful blue, a color that is hard to find in domestic flowers.

Mineral King, I won’t forget you. I’ll be back soon!

Two Starts, One Finish, One Start-to-Finish

Translation of the title: I started two new paintings, finished one painting, and completed one in a single painting session (called alla prima in ArtSpeak, which means you layer wet upon wet).

With a sequoia painting in the queue but not wanting to waste paint in non-sequoia colors on the palette, I chose to begin another little beach painting. Why not? I have the boards, and the colors were just waiting to be used. (Fret not—this will look good eventually. I made it really small here so you wouldn’t get scared. I’m thoughtful that way.)

A sequoia gigantea painting sold and needed to be replaced quickly at Kaweah Arts, because this is Sequoia Selling Season here in Three Rivers.

Another painting hasn’t garnered proper appreciation, so rather than just wait indefinitely for the right customer, I will turn it into something else. What else might that be? The Honeymoon Cabin in Mineral King, the little museum of the Mineral King Preservation Society.

Finally, here is our alla prima painting, another speedy piece of work because one sold and needs to be replaced quickly at the Silver City Store.

The paintings were all painted during a not-too-hot day when the swamp cooler was adequate, while knowing very hot weather was coming, perfect for quick drying. Paintings need to be dry before getting scanned (duh), and they need to be scanned (or photographed at the very least) before delivered to stores and galleries. This is particularly important when one paints the same scenes over and over and over. . .

A Little Painting Session

Recently, I had to leave Three Rivers at 10 a.m. This presented two choices: A. waste time until 10, or B. paint for an hour or two before leaving. Being the responsible mature adult that I am (oh hush, you!), I wisely chose B. Creating Tulare County-based paintings is what I do; wasting time is normally not what I do (or want to admit to doing here on the world wide web.)

After viewing this on my screen while it was still wet, I decided it needed some leaves.

It looks better in this photo because the previous photo was taken at the end of the day. Morning light makes better photography conditions in the painting workshop.

That’s better. When it is dry, I’ll scan it and maybe remember to show you.

There was paint left on my palette and time left on the clock. It is prudent to always have a 6×18” sequoia painting ready for Kaweah Arts to sell to the thousands of visitors who pass through our town on their way to see Sequoia National Park’s sequoia trees AKA redwoods AKA the Big Trees. (These are sequoia gigantea, not to be confused with sequoia sempervirens, which are coastal redwoods.)

Yeppers, I worked from a black and white photo and began the painting upside down. I can fake these trees, so I can certainly guess how this snowy scene might look in summertime.

I started this one differently than usual. I “drew” it on the canvas rather than completely covering the canvas with thin sloppy paint.

It’s a little sloppy, but this was as far as it got when my internal chronometer said to make like a tree and leaf. Or was that to make like a cowpie and hit the trail. . . such colorful images and language from that internal chronometer.

Growing an Oak Tree (in Oil Paint)

Let’s review. I really liked this painting, but no one was willing to give me green pieces of paper with dead presidents’ faces on it in exchange. So, after going through some photos and thinking about my current inventory, I decided to grow a big oak tree on the canvas.

Jackson required some attention. He had a lot to say, but he wasn’t commenting on the painting.

Am I finished? Or shall I add some leaves?

More will be revealed in the fullness of time.

Drastic Do-over in the Painting Workshop

A friend of mine sells agriculture real estate. When I used to waste time on LinkedIn*, occasionally I’d see a photo of his and ask to paint from it. That’s where I got this painting, Springville Ranch.

Apparently, no one else shared my interest in this subject or my happiness with the colors.

Bye-bye, Springville Ranch.

This got worked on flat on a table because the easels were all occupied with other wet paintings. Large ones.

This painting session was to cover the old paint and get the shapes mostly drawn in. When this layer dries, I’ll mix more accurate colors and DRAW WITH MY PAINTBRUSH (because that’s how I like to paint, you ArtSnobs, so there.)

The painting will go to Kaweah Arts, where Nancy steadily sells my paintings that pertain to Three Rivers and Sequoia.

*A few years ago, I quit LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. I read a few blogs and am getting to know people from all over the country that way, and have even had a few sales from it, which is more than I can say for those social media sites. Much more enjoyable, and less time wasted. I tried and quit Facebook in a three-week time span in 2012.

Fridays are about Mineral King*

Classic Mineral King, sold

I have some new friends, acquaintances really, because we haven’t met in real life, but we are learning to know each other. They are bloggers like me, but with much bigger audiences, so I feel honored that they show up here from time to time. They don’t know about Mineral King so here is a little introductory information.

Heading to Eagle Lake, 16×20”, $650

Mineral King is an area of Sequoia National Park, accessible by a gnarly dead-end road. It is the most beautiful part of Sequoia and only open seasonally—Memorial Day through the end of October, weather depending. There is a community of private cabins, and I am fortunate enough to have married in 39 years ago.

Sawtooth #65, 24×30”, $2000

Cabin communities are a real treasure, with their own unique culture. Because I have lived most of my life at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, I have had the privilege of spending time in four different cabin communities in the mountains. My business is called Cabin Art because when I started, I lived in a cabin and I drew people’s cabins. I have published two books of of pencil drawings on two different cabin communities—one sold out a long time ago and the other still available.

Honeymoon Cabin, sold

Because Mineral King is such a beloved place, I write about it frequently during cabin season. I try to incorporate some art**, because this blog is supposed to be about my business. Frankly speaking, people are more interested in cabin life, the trails, wildflowers, the road, and Mineral King in general than in my art.

Sawtooth #66, 12×24, $650

*I won’t be writing about Mineral King every Friday at the beginning of this summer because I have a handful of situations that will prevent me from going quite as often as normal.

**Yes, this time a lot of art. I came here to earn a living.

P.S. I’ve included links to the first four “chapters” (posts) that I wrote about cabin life back in 2023. If you want more, you can follow the prompts at the bottom of each “chapter” (in quotes because it is more like a picture book than a chapter book) that will lead you to the next posts. There are twenty-two.

More Tasks in the Painting Workshop

When a painting doesn’t sell, I study it to discern what can be improved.

This painting has been with me for awhile, so I gave it some thought and then made a few subtle changes.

I don’t expect you to be able to discern what I did to it, but maybe after it is dry and scanned, I’ll show you the before and after scans.

This painting has also been with me for awhile. It took about 4 years to complete because of not having a clear vision of what it ought to be. The photos meant something to me, but just didn’t translate into a nice scene. While I thought it was finished, it hasn’t rung anyone else’s bell

More thought, more study, and some useful input from Trail Guy resulted in this version.

Again, I don’t expect you to be able to discern what has been improved, but now I am hopeful that the right customer will come along.

Next week I’ll show you a more drastic do-over as we contemplate those finishing tasks in the painting workshop.