Determined, Persistent, Responsible

“Determination gives you the resolve to keep going, in spite of the roadblocks that are before you.”—Denis Waitley

“I will persist until I succeed.”—Og Mandino

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”—President Abraham Lincoln

Assembly line of Honeymoon Cabin paintings.

Listening to podcasts pulls me through painting days that feel as if I will NEVER finish ANYTHING. (This feeling may simply be a result of starting 32 paintings at the same time.)

Baby steps, back to front, the usual process.

As I worked on these paintings, I was entertained by the slightly raunchy podcast “By The Book”, where 2 women read self-help books and then live by them. I got tired of their cussing, so I switched to the fabulous motivational speaker Brian Buffini, where I heard the quotes above.

The photos have simply become guides for me as I revisit familiar subjects. This does make the process of painting easier.

In spite of not finishing any paintings, it was a productive day. I WILL get to the fun parts of drawing with my paintbrush, putting in the details that make me like to paint, and then signing the paintings. Why? Because I am determined, persistent, and responsible and because I have podcasts to listen to while I push ahead.

These are not finished, but finishing them will be the fun part.

Thanks, Brian Buffini.

Learned in February

Did I learn anything in February of this year?

Maybe.

  • Spectrum is giving Huge & Rude a run for their money. We want to switch: landlines, television, internet. As with everything, it is easy-peasy when you talk to a salesman but muy complicated in reality. So far, we are still with Huge & Rude, and our phones have been out multiple times in 2019. Plus, the internet is too slow to send my wildflower book to the printer.
  • Books are never quick. Mineral King Wildflowers: Common Names is supposed to be in hand for an April 27 signing. No matter how many times I proof or pass it to someone else to proof, another error gets found. And it got bid as a black and white book instead of a full color one – ouch.
  • Parkas aren’t waterproof – nylon, goretex, nope. 4 different ones within the past 32 years. Polyester might be waterproof. Probably not. My walking buddy and I have had lots of opportunities to test various parkas during February.
  • Seaglass is getting harder to find and the pieces are smaller. This decline in availability will continue. I learned this from reading The Ultimate Guide to Sea Glass by Mary Beth Beuke.
  • In order to better publicize a book, authors should have a website (oh-oh, my books are hitch-hiking along with my art sites) with a media kit. It took almost an entire day to write all the little parts and pieces required for this, but now I have one on my other website, The Cabins of Wilsonia. This is all required in order to be considered to make a presentation to the Fresno County Friends of the Library about my book The Cabins of Wilsonia. Yeppers, I have a Media Kit page on that site, which will serve as a model for Mineral King Wildflowers.
  • I am a Questioner. This is how I learn. Here is a question: Who wants to go from Bakersfield to Merced, or the reverse direction? That’s what California’s infamous bullet train is now reduced to. I will probably ride it, if they allow 100 year olds on.
  • Did you know that corn will kill us? I got snagged into one of those click-bait websites with the line of “which vegetable do you need to stop eating immediately?” Then the dude talked forever about his various credentials before finally saying it was corn. Sure, Mr., thanks. I saved you the temptation of following that link and waiting to hear which vegetable will kill you. You’re welcome.


Now I need soothing, and perhaps you do too. In fact, let’s change gears entirely and I’ll show you a lovely late afternoon of feeding cattle from the back of a little ATV with the Captain.

They heard the machine and all headed right toward us.
Can’t remember (or tell from this photo) if this was The Bull. I was so enchanted by the golden late afternoon light that I forgot to be scared. Besides, don’t bulls have horns?
I know nothing except that cow poo is very slippery.
I’ve been warned many times to not trust Brahma Mama, and now that she has a calf, to be especially careful. Not sure what that means when standing around tossing flakes of hay toward her.
Look at these little beeves! (Is that the plural of beef?)
This blondie might not have any teeth, which is why she prefers eating the little bits that have fallen into the back of the machine. Her ears look soft, but she doesn’t want them touched.
My view from the so-called “safe” place inside the machine. I love this light.

And thus we conclude another February, a month that I find way too short here in Central California.

A Metaphor Free Post

Today will be less metaphorical than yesterday’s post. It was a cold and dark day when I painted this, so the photos of paintings aren’t as thorough.

The day began with a touch of sun on my pot of irises.
Storm coming – very dramatic light on the front yard. And that is mowed weeds; we had to abandon the lawn, so it is simply a springtime luxury to pretend we have one.

Get to work, Central California artist who is distracted by the beauty of her favorite month. Today’s painting subject is the Honeymoon Cabin in Mineral King, the only cabin left from Disney’s era.

This is another Squish-the-Subject-While-Making-It-Believable painting. This one is 8×8″.
I kept it loose because it got too dark to see well. Just got those shapes in place with the general colors.
This one is 6×6″. It was sort of too dark to see, so I quit for the day.

Comparing a Painting to a Hike

Eagle Lake is probably the most popular destination in Mineral King. It is about 3.5 miles (feels like 5), and the last 1/2 mile or so is on a terrible trail. The lake has a dam built by the Mt. Whitney Power Co. in the early 1900s (1909? 1911? I’m just guessing, because it is hard enough to remember the relevant dates in my own life.) And it is a beautiful place.

Last year I painted it twice. One was for my niece and newly acquired nephew as a wedding gift; one was to sell. My niece asked if I just pulled theirs off my wall or if I painted it specifically for them. My answer was that I painted it specifically for them, but that I had tried to sell it first. (My family likes honesty.)

Eagle Lake, 11×14″, private collection. This is looking up from the dam.
Eagle Lake, 6×18″, sold. This one is obviously looking the other direction, down at the dam.

That 6×18″ shape is very appealing to me for some reason. So, here it is again, but this time I am working from two photos: one for the mountain ridge, and the other for the lake. All of it is squashed or stretched to make it fit, with the goal of keeping it believable.

I think I am developing more confidence in painting my chosen subject matter of various Mineral King scenes. It is about time, since I have been painting almost 13 years.

This is the optimistic beginning stage, sort of like when one first hits the trail to Eagle Lake.
The “oh-no what was I thinking stage”. Its equivalent is when you have gotten across Spring Creek and begin climbing and realize you have a very long steep walk ahead. (Or a hike if you are carrying food and/or water.)
Head down, thinking about the distance to go, knowing it is hard, but pushing on anyway.
Stopping to look at the map, which in this case of painting are the 2 reference photos.
Going a bit further and feeling as if you have gained nothing is a common feeling on a long painting or a long trail. (This really is a different photo than the previous one, but you’ll have to shift into your Where’s Waldo mode to see the differences.)
This stage of the painting is like being below the lake, when you know it isn’t far, that you will make it, and it will be worth the effort.

I wonder where I am getting these metaphor type ideas for blog posts. It’s kind of fun, a new way of thinking and writing.

Today my dad would have been 87 if he had not gotten that dang brain tumor and died a few days before his 67th birthday. I bet he would have thoroughly enjoyed the internet, including my blog.

More on Juniper Paintings

Yesterday we looked at several juniper paintings. I like to paint this subject, because it is fairly forgiving. Who is going to say with confident knowledge, “Hey, you added a branch!”? No one, I hope. It is the overall shape of the tree that people remember, unless they were actually climbing the tree, but most people who climb the trail to White Chief need all their lung power simply for the elevation gain.

The sky looked pretty decent on the first pass; when I started the second layer of blue, it became apparent that the first blue wasn’t adequate.

Much better! And you will like it more when it is completely dry, because then I can scan it, which is a superior way to record a painting.
This juniper is along the Franklin-Farewell Trail, at the Clough cut-off. I tried this scene on my studio door and lost interest. Still, I think it is a lovely picture. It just didn’t float my boat for the studio door mural.
The unfinished studio door mural before I covered it with Sawtooth and wildflowers.
Background first. Do you get tired of hearing me say that?
One more layer of tighter details ought to do it for this painting.
Three in progress on the table in the juniper section. The fourth is hanging on the wall and also only wants one more layer of tighter detail. They all need signatures too.

I like painting junipers.

Painting Junipers

There is a juniper tree on the trail to White Chief (Mineral King, of course) that is striking and memorable. Several people have called it their favorite tree, among them Trail Guy.

I painted it twice last summer.

Juniper I
Juniper II

Now I am painting it two more times.

First the sky, then the background, and next the tree. So rough the first couple of times over the canvas. This is 8×10″.
Better, but not finished yet.
A smaller version, 6×6″.
More work to be done here too.
This juniper tree is along the same trail and memorable in a different way. It might be other people’s favorite tree, but they are probably just trudging along, gasping for breath, wondering who built such a steep trail and if it will ever end. This painting is also 6×6″.

Early Spring in Three Rivers

February is my favorite month around here. It is the beginning of spring, with apologies to my readers in less temperate climates, who might be a little less enthusiastic about this month. Sometimes I take a break in the middle of the day to enjoy Three Rivers during this exciting weather period.

Upstream view of the middle fork of the Kaweah River from the Dinely Bridge.
Downstream view of same.
Before retirement, Trail Guy wore green pants with a gray shirt. Now, he wears the opposite.
A regular peculiar sight on the Dinely Bridge.
Primary colors in my yard, and some bright sunshine in the middle of a rainy day.
Back in the studio, listening to pouring rain on my metal roof.
The flowering quince outside the kitchen window attracts birds. More accurately, it is the bird feeder that attracts them.
Here is a different kind of bird. I am more interested in flower names than bird names.

Every year I ask this unanswerable question: Why can’t February have 31 days instead of August?

The Lake as a Metaphor

Prepare yourself for a long essay today. I hope you can recover from this major bloviation by tomorrow when I post about early spring in Three Rivers. Yes, I still work . . . you can see more paintings in progress next week. But February is my favorite month, so for now I am choosing to show you the beauty of Three Rivers instead of paintings in progress.

While at Kaweah Lake recently with Trail Guy, it occurred to me that our lake can serve as a metaphor for life in Tulare County. Think about these comparisons.

Tulare County is in the Central Valley, California’s “flyover country”, meaning the part people just blow through or over to get where they really want to go, like San Francisco, Napa Valley, Los Angeles, Death Valley, or Yosemite (“Oh dear, must we first go to Fresno? horrors!”). 

While puttering around on the lake bottom (more around the edges, because it has been filling up lately), I thought of all the people flying past on the highway above, probably unaware of what the lake below has to offer. Isn’t a lake for sailing? This one, not so much. How about water skiing? Sure, in the earlier half of summer, not in February. Looks empty, meh, keep driving. 

Someone’s beloved home was once here.

 

Here was the stone fireplace; over there must have been the bathroom. A small living space with large views in a great location.

Tulare County is poor and uneducated, with bad air, fat people, high welfare, diabetes and teen pregnancies. Not too appealing, eh?

Kaweah Lake’s drained floor is kind of cruddy. We pick up aluminum cans and shake out the mud and gross stuff before squashing them. We slip and slide on the slimy mud that is coating the old road. We pick cockleburs out of our shoelaces and the shaggy edges of my unhemmed jeans. There is a lot of trash and broken things. It is a cheap place to visit for recreation compared to Sequoia—$4-5 per car instead of $30-35 for Sequoia. (Can’t remember exactly, so I am guessing at the actual numbers.)

Tulare County has been my home for almost 60 years (minus a few misguided years in college), and I work hard to find the good things here, particularly as an artist, looking for beautiful ways to represent my turf.

The lake bottom has treasures, whether it is aluminum cans for my friend’s Hawaii fund, Indian grinding holes, or an occasional blue marble or oyster shell (mysterious finds, indeed). Don’t forget, it also has beautiful views, lots of birds, and a few wildflowers too.

Tulare County’s main industry is agriculture. We feed the world, producing more food than any other place in the country (except Fresno County, because we trade off with them to be king). 

Kaweah Lake was built as water storage for agriculture (but flood control was its primary purpose).

What is this thing??
Disc Golf Association? A frisbee golf course!
Sometimes there are surprising peeks at beautiful views.

Tulare County has Sequoia National Park, a major recreational destination.

Kaweah Lake is a countywide draw for those who love to recreate on water.

Where in your life are you overlooking beauty, history, treasures, and recreational opportunities right under your nose, because it seems meh, boring, cruddy, and beneath you?

32 At Once

The beginning stages of 32 paintings at the same time is a rather lengthy undertaking. Why would anyone begin 32 paintings at the same time?? This Central California artist chooses to do it this way for multiple reasons, none of which are very interesting. It is more fun to see the process than to read about the reasons behind it. (This is a high-falutin’ way of saying, “I don’t know why and don’t want to figure it out right now”.)

The Oak Grove Bridge in a new size and shape from a more distant viewpoint than my usual paintings of this, my favorite subject to draw and paint.
The view from my living room, titled “Alpenglow on Alta”. Clever, eh? I left out the telephone lines that cross the scene in real life. That was wise, don’t you think?
Look at all these loosey-goosey scribbled first-pass paintings.

But wait! There’s more.

The rooster comes in 2 poses, and here is a little painting of The Lake, as we refer to Lake Kaweah around here (or is it Kaweah Lake? No one really knows.)
This is Trail Guy’s favorite tree. It is a juniper on the trail to White Chief. I wonder how deep the snow is on it right now.

That is not all 32 paintings. They are spread out all over the painting workshop, so I am only showing you the latest ones in each post. I don’t work on all 32 every day.

Now I know the likely reason for 32 at once. When I was a kid, my mom read Cheaper by the Dozen to us, and the idea of being the most efficient possible really captured my imagination. So, an assembly line approach appeals to me for 32 paintings.

Painting Poultry

Let’s look at the steps involved in painting a rooster. This is a little 4×6″ canvas, sized and priced for quick sale. This is an art business, so these things must be considered. I hope it doesn’t cause offense to folks who think artists just get inspired, create something, and voila! the money follows. (don’t we all wish?)

First, the general size and shape. I begin all pencil drawings the same way too – size and location is the first decision.
Next step: tighten up the shape.
Start filling in the shapes within the main shape (had to draw the dog before I drew the fleas). The colors aren’t really important in this step but the values are. I’m not talented enough to get this stage exactly right on the first pass so I require another layer to be accurate on shapes, values, colors and textures.
This is a continuation of the previous step, but this time I am right side up to see if I am actually painting a rooster or a freak of nature.
The rooster needs a hen. She is 6×6″ because that shape best fits her shape.
Tucker isn’t very interested in this topic of poultry.