California is a HUGE state. We began our trip by driving to Tahoe. Trail Guy’s sister needed help moving and we were chosen. These next photos are my version of a drive-by shooting. I think I could do some paintings of oaks on golden hills (minus the phone lines and road signs). Since we only […]
Bridge Building with Kittens
The Oak Grove Bridge painting number eleventy billion is in progress, in spite of all the distractions. The painting had a few days to dry, because Trail Guy and I went on a road trip. I’ll show photos from the windshield tomorrow.
Goofing Off
When I paint these days, there are many distractions.
At the Easels
Normally when I paint, I don’t draw it out first. This time, the bridge needs to be perfect for the show at the County Building, and time is limited. So, I drew it in pencil on the canvas before beginning to paint. Oak Grove Bridge number eleventy billion, here we go. I began the way […]
Deciding What to Paint Next
Sometimes it might be nice to have a boss or maybe a crystal ball or even a mentor or a board of directors. When deciding what to paint next, there are days when I think how good it is to just do whatever I want; other times I wish someone else would tell me what […]
Out There
“Out there” is a strange turn of phrase. Does it mean on the edge, in outer space, and weird? Or does it mean away from one’s comfort zone, out in the world? Either, but today it means having my work out in the world away from the comfort of Three Rivers, my known and beloved […]
Lighthearted Lessons
ArtSpeak is what I call the pretentious vocabulary of artists. In my drawing lessons, and among my students, we have our own vocabulary. I’ve recently begun using the word “embiggen”, simply because it makes me smile. One of my students asked if she should “smallen” something recently, and then another one said she needed to […]
Learned in May
Is it possible I didn’t learn anything in May? Or is it that I just didn’t keep track? (Who said, “You learn something new every day?”) What can I pull out of my memory from just the past 30 days? How about these 7 items: I sold something on eBay for $20 and charged $5 […]
On Naming Flowers
Why does it matter what a flower’s name is? Why do I want to know? Why did it matter enough to me to spend 2 years chasing, photographing, writing, designing, and ultimately publishing Mineral King Wildflowers: Common Names? My first answer to that question is “inquiring minds need to know”. My second answer (borrowed from a friend who said […]
Do-Over #2
This is the other pencil drawing that I will enter in the juried show at the County building. Now, I just need to think of a good title. “Grapes”, “Reworked Grapes” – nope. How about “Before M&Ms. . .”? Yes. I like that! What do you think?