A Tree Grows in the Studio

The photo taken with the iPhone looks yellowish.
Pippin slept behind me while I painted. He is the sweetest of the 3 cats; Tucker is skittish and Jackson is intense, focused on whatever he wants (usually food).
Lots and lots of branches.
The rocks and grasses were a nice break from all those branches.

At the end of a painting day, the light in the studio photographs bluish. 

I just work here.

 

Mildly Interesting

Happy Birthday, Trail Guy!

Trail Guy and I drove down to Lake Kaweah (The Lake) to take a walk one morning in December before the rain turned it into a quagmire. At one point as we bumbled along, Trail Guy said to me, “Isn’t this exciting?” I responded, “No, but it is mildly interesting”.

The day was overcast and the colors were dull.
In spite of being the last day of Autumn, the sycamores were holding their color in the various drainages that lead down to The Lake.
Cockleburs are abundant and obnoxious. They are native to many places in the US but I didn’t care enough to find out which areas.
Cockleburs love socks. (Yes, I did knit those – thank you for your interest!)
I always notice blue things. There are many blue caps to various beverage containers.
I only photographed these and left many others undocumented.
It’s pretty trashy in the lake bottom. I never remember to bring a sack; maybe it is because it feels hopeless and because it will be too heavy to drag around.
Trail Guy likes to go poking around in the boulder clusters; he says he thinks he might find a body there. I think most bodies found in Tulare County are in orange groves.
There were no bodies, only a pair of abandoned socks. I didn’t inspect them for cockleburs but I wonder if that is why they got left behind.
I found a treasure!

Valley Oak Tree

Valley Oak trees are part of life in Central California. Growing up, we saw them out in the middle of a cotton field, or centered in city streets that suddenly veered around one in an otherwise straight road. Now that I am a grown-up, I realize that these oak trees are special. They are the largest American oak, and the Latin name is quercus lobata.

No speakie Latin. Lobata sounds like “lobotomy”, which brings to mind One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Never mind.

After I mostly/sort of/might have finished the oil painting “Tulare County’s Best”, I taped my 2019 calendar to the top of the easel and began working on the oak tree again.

My pencil drawing of the oak up Yokohl Drive was Miss March 2019, not Miss February. Didn’t matter – the drawing is more helpful than the photo in untangling all the knotted up branches that are the signature of a quercus lobata.

Sure starts out dreadful but it is sort of fun to slap paint around without the pressure of Get It Right The First Time.

Don’t be scared. With enough layers and time, this will turn out. I just listened to a podcast where the interviewee said that time can make up for lack of skill. This means that no matter how weak my painting skills might be, if I paint slowly enough, I will get it right.

Tulare County’s Best

Mountains and citrus are two things that make Tulare County special. Having grown up in an orange grove (don’t worry, we lived in a house, and thank you for your concern) with an almost daily view of the mountains, this scene is one of my favorite things about living here. The combination is a regular source of inspiration for my art; although I don’t paint it very much, I want to. (It isn’t all that popular in Mineral King. . . fancy that!)

We* went looking for the same view in order to see the detail more clearly. Although we didn’t find the same exact viewpoint, the day was clear and I got enough information to complete the painting. 

Well, oops. Moro Rock was in the wrong place. It didn’t actually show in my original reference photo, so I just made it up. The lower one is the correct placement.

We’ve had snow in the high country, so I changed that most distant ridge to a snowy situation.

I think it is finished now. Time will tell. I might just keep getting ideas about how to improve it. I might not want to finish it. I might want to hang it in our dining area. 

Figuring out how to photograph these large paintings is a challenge.

*Trail Guy and I, not the royal “we” or a mouse in my pocket.

Chasing a View

This painting is still on the easel, waiting for more visual information so I can properly detail the distant hills and mountains.

Trail Guy and I went driving around, looking for the spot where the original photo was taken. We couldn’t figure it out, but found several that were close.

Castle Rocks appeared quite clearly, and although they aren’t in my painting, they could be.
There’s Alta Peak with the same next level of hills as in the photo.
Here’s Alta Peak with the same 2 next levels.
Never mind. I want to paint this as a new one.
And this wants to be painted too.

Although we didn’t find the same view (I was elevated above the grove – where was this??), I now have some helpful details and a whole bunch of new photos from which to work.

8 Things I Learned in December

I spent many hours during December just sitting in my chair by the wood stove and the window. Tucker and Jackson kept me company.

December was a month of random life lessons and thoughts.

  1. Open studio events aren’t for me. Although I enjoyed visiting with each person who came, and the sales were decent, my studio is just too small, and I’d rather be doing other things than sitting inside, listening for cars so I can go help people find their way up the steps to my little shed. 
  2. Christmas decorating no longer interests me; in pondering my indifference and reluctance to participate, a pattern emerged. It isn’t just Christmas; I am satisfied with how our house looks and would rather put my energy into other things than fitting in some seasonal tchotchkes. Good to know it isn’t just Scroogism.
  3. It is very important to pay attention to all notes and messages from a customer before gleefully announcing that something is finished. Maybe I can call this the Remember Hockett Rule. (This post tells all.)
  4. I rarely go to Starbucks – neither Three Rivers nor Exeter have them, and when I am in Visalia, my list is too long and my time too short. But these are interesting: (clickable link that will open in a new tab): Starbucks hacks that can save you money
  5. Eyelashes are a big deal; 2 different friends told me about getting fake eyelashes, and suddenly I began noticing them everywhere. Someone even invited a “lash technician” to BNI, my business networking group – that’s a real job title? (Hint: mascara is easier and costs way less.)
    A random photo of Jackson to break up too much text.
  6. Note to self: ALWAYS check the dates carefully before scheduling a post. Note to subscribers: When I first scheduled this post, I used 2019 instead of 2020 – ugh, confusing to the subscribers. I’m sorry.
  7. Christmas can be as hasslesome or as simple as you want it to be. Very little is truly mandatory, and “No, thank you” is a complete sentence. Once all those shows and events were finished, my holidays became simple, with time to crack walnuts, paint a mural, help friends, read a stack of books, write letters (yep, I often write personal letters in response to some of those Christmas newsletters), visit with neighbors, and just enjoy what passes for winter in Central California.
  8. Adulthood feels stronger in the S’s. There is a new confidence when dealing with difficulties and customer “service”. Recently, I’ve encountered big mistakes both with the DMV and our phone company. Instead of accepting the default first answers (summarized as “Too bad, Chump, just deal with it”), I calmly pushed through the layers and levels until the bureaucrats did the right thing. Yippee-skippee for adulthood!

Pencil Reminiscing, Part Two

Because I already had 2 of these scenes drawn and the first set of Tulare County Landmarks notecards sold well, the natural second choice was Mineral King. (Big surprise, eh?)

This was the first time I drew my favorite bridge, and it is from a viewpoint that is now overgrown and no longer so clear.

I worked from my own photos with the exception of the old Mineral King Store; by the time my family went to Mineral King, it was gone.

Stay tuned – there are many more notecards to show you!

Neighborhood Beautification Project, Part 4

Day Three was a little bit cold in the shade, but cold is better than hot, especially when it comes to painting a mural. Direct sun dries out the palette and the brush, even while it is trying to do its job on a wall. 

I had a mental list of what the mural needed. The lower half wasn’t detailed.

But first, why is that rock floating in the water? That is unacceptable.
Better.
But wait – why is this middle part unfinished? The lower 1/3 will have to wait.

Finally, I began working on my day’s assignment of detailing the lower 1/3. Then, I rediscovered that the oak tree was too high to reach. Fortunately, Trail Guy stopped by to see if I needed anything, so I requested the stepping stool from my studio.

Trail Guy brought the stepping stool so I could reach the oak tree.
Then I walked home for lunch. (Is it still called lunch when it is 2 p.m.?) The air and the light were so perfect that I stopped for a photo at a neighbor’s place.
The bottom third got detailed, after I stopped finding unfinished parts all over.

It got colder in the shade, and suddenly I felt ready to go home. Because there is no deadline, no commute, and no check waiting at the end, I can return to this mural any time I have a better idea.

The light was a little low and a little flat for a good final photo. The morning light is better, but it casts too many shadows. So, the next overcast day, I’ll return in the morning for a more accurate picture.

Mural completed, building dressed up, Three Rivers neighborhood beautification project finished.

Merry Christmas, Alta Acres!

This is my final post of 2019. I’ll be back on January 6, 2020. Happy New Year, Blog Readers!

Neighborhood Beautification Project, Part 3

Because Day 1 of the neighborhood beautification project was packed so full of mural goodness, I split it into 2 posts. So Part 3 is actually only Day 2.

I started the day’s work with both adding and subtracting detail on the upper hills. I’m not fully satisfied yet but it can wait until the mid and lower parts are further along.
Because I am not working on scaffolding or ladders, it is easy to keep backing up and looking at it the way the public will be viewing it most of the time.
White water, a first layer that will need more detailing, and an oak tree on the left which will need more branches and leaves.
The pencil drawing is serving as my guide for most of the placements, textures, and darks and lights (“values” in ArtSpeak). It was a made-up scene in 2001, using many different photos, none of which I can find now.
This is the way it looked at the end of the day.
If you drive past or run fast by it, it looks finished. It’s not.

Here is a list of thoughts about painting this mural:

  • I am quite happy about this mural. It’s been on my list to do for several years while I waited for an idea, an opportunity, and the right attitude.
  • One more day ought to do the trick.
  • I hid something in this mural.
  • Two voices were warring in my head over all the other noises: one said, “What do you think you are doing, you faker?” and the other said, “Keep painting, chickie-babe, you’ll figure it out”.
  • Why are kids so noisy? They are continually crying and yelling. (There is a day care nearby.)
  • The equipment inside this building runs all day long, sounding like a dishwasher or washing machine.
  • The noisiest vehicles in the neighborhood are the ones that drive back and forth, all day.
  • Whole lotta barking dogs around here.
  • People are very encouraging and complimentary.
  • I didn’t post on Instagram or put the mural on the blog while I was working on it, because it is a gift for my neighborhood, not a publicity feat. (I don’t ever do the Facebook*.) It has been fun to just quietly do the thing and let people discover it on their own.

*”The Facebook” is said the same way I say “liberry”, “prolly”, “Mr. Google”, and “Remorial Building”. I’m not as dumb as I sound, in case you were worried. Thank you for your concern.