cabinart | Cabin Art

A Little Bit Too Hard

A dear friend asked me to do something almost impossible. He wanted me to draw something for which he had no photo: the Mineral King Pack Station as it appeared in the 1980s. This was before everyone and his brother carried a camera around, documenting lives as if getting paid for it. (Or is it that people now document their lives because if it isn’t recorded, they aren’t sure it happened??)

I put out the word for help. It took 6 months, but I finally located a photo that I could almost see to draw from. If I knew horses and mules, this might be adequate. Barely. However, there is a lot of detail buried in shadow and the general mushy deterioration of a photo printed on a rough surface about 30 years ago.

I soldiered on. Gotta start somewhere, so I started with what I know – the mountains in the background. Printing the photo larger after converting to black and white helped somewhat.

Inching along – good thing there is no hard deadline.

Notice the collection of erasers. This is too hard, and a friend who knows horses offered this most welcome advice: “I think the mule may need a bit longer ears still and the dark horse in the front needs a bit of work. His face seems a bit too long and narrow to me and the front hoof seems a bit too big and clubby (that’s what we call hooves shaped like that in the horse world)”. See why I need all these erasers? Very non-forgiving subjects from a very non-visible photo by a very non-horsey artist.

I almost finished it but forgot part of a saddle. Forgot? More likely procrastinated, because it was a blob of dark shapes. Regardless of the missing saddle, I scanned it and sent it to another very horsey friend.

I await her counsel as to whether or not these horses can be ridden or if they need a veterinarian or perhaps a bullet.

Wise artists know better than to draw or paint things they don’t know; someone who does know will know that I don’t know. Wise artists know better than to accept commissions for which there are no or poor reference materials.

Kind artists tell their dear friends they will try.

Wise or kind? This is a little bit too hard for me. And,I may not be charging enough. . .

commission pencil work drawing

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 7

After doing the 10×10″ oil painting Oak Grove Bridge XXIV, I felt ready to return to the commissioned oil painting that combines the Oak Grove Bridge with Homer’s Nose (AKA Snozz Rock).

It was engrossing work. There were more design changes to be made, and I was eager to see if they made it more appealing, both in the execution and in the viewing.

At 11:45 a.m. I added some leaves in the upper sky region and began repainting Homer’s Nose in more carefully mixed colors. I also changed the line of the foliage in the center section because it was too straight across the top and needed to blend more gradually in the the distant rocky area. (Wow, this is so hard to put into words – you’d understand it better if you could see me waving my hands around and pointing.)

At 1:13 I remembered to stop for another photo. Homer’s Nose is looking more detailed and more correct in its colorations.

In the 2:11 photo you can see tighter detail in the rocky places to the right of Snozz Rock.

At 2:48, I grabbed my camera again. Why?

At 4:46 I took the final photo of the day because the background greenery was looking good, the bridge got new detail, the beginning of a truck, more colors and tighter shapes, and now the water is taking shape.

There is still much work ahead, but now I feel capable, thanks to my little guide buddy, Oak Grove Bridge XXIV.

P.S. Tonight is a public information meeting about the bridge’s future at the Three Rivers Veterans Memorial Building at 6 p.m. The plan is to “rehabilitate the bridge” to “correct seismic and structural deficiencies”. Maybe They will explain how, or more importantly, when and how long.

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 6

I thought about calling this “Final Chapter”, but I hope I live on to keep painting the bridge and improving with each one.

We made it through about 23 oil paintings of the Oak Grove Bridge. There were repeated views, color adjustments and exaggerations, brighter versions, muted versions, paintings with sharp clean edges, paintings that looked sort of blurry, and the last one from a completely different angle.

Then, I began working on the commissioned oil painting that combines the bridge with Homer’s Nose, a prominent landmark granite rock outcropping. The bridge felt too hard in this one, so I decided to do a smaller version of the exact same view in order to work out some difficulties.

“Difficulties”? I might be a slow learner, or perhaps a bit simple. I’ve painted the thing 23 times and still have difficulties?

Just try to be polite here, ‘kay?

Here is Oak Grove Bridge XXIV in a few steps (although it took many more than a few steps to do this).

Beginning to tighten things up, like the tree/shrub on the far left that overlaps the bridge, ditto on the right, and adding light and detail to the bridge posts.

A few minor adjustments remain, but it is SOLD!

There were some shenanigans by some hooligans while I was trying to concentrate.

This photo tells me that perhaps when I have finished all the commissioned paintings and drawings, I might do a bit of shelf straightening.

commission pencil work drawing Oak Grove Bridge oil paintings pencil drawing

Busy Time in Mineral King

July is a busy month in Mineral King. One could just sit on the porch, knitting and reading, or one could get out and see and do. I am one of the latter types, sometimes. These photos represent the activities in about a three day stretch of time in Mineral King.

Flowers along the trail to Eagle meadow (below the Eagle/Mosquito junction)

The flowers were beautiful; the biting bugs were horrible.

Scary scary tree situation along the trail; I wonder how many people look up.

We climbed up and up and up, including over this boulder field, “just over that rise” to White Chief.

This is looking back down toward Eagle Lake, which we did not go to because it was supposed to be a pleasant walk to see some wildflowers. (fall down laughing)

Weird, weird, weird (and an excuse to stand still and catch my breath)

YES!! We found our slippy slopey way down to White Chief!

Another scary tree situation above the trail on the way down from White Chief.

The next day, my friend and I strolled down the Nature Trail. I stood in the middle of the creek to get this photo of water with Sawtooth in the distance. If I draw or paint this, I will exaggerate the size and contrast of Sawtooth.

Next, Trail Guy worked on tightening up the railing on the bridge that he helped build in 2011. That’s a pretty strong work ethic–improving one’s work 6 years after retiring, off the clock, no supervision, just wanting his work to hold up. I’m proud to be married to this man!

We had the privilege of guiding a group of students from Western Michigan University Lee Honors College who are on a trek, following in the steps of Walt Disney. They call themselves “Waltineers”, and are a delightful group of folks who all have a great love for Uncle Wally and all things Disney.

Not a whole lot of sitting around at the cabin. Mineral King is a busy busy place in July.

Mineral King

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 5

We made it through Oak Grove Bridge #18. Is there a #19? Yup. All the way through #23, which may or may not be the twenty-third oil painting I’ve done of this, my favorite bridge.

Oak Grove Bridge #19, 24×30″, begun in 2016, finished in 2017

Oak Grove Bridge XX, 11×14, commissioned to match #16, 2016

Oak Grove Bridge XXIII, 12×16″, begun in 2017, completed this year, sold.

Oak Grove Bridge oil paintings

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 4

I may have found a clue to the Oak Grove Bridge oil painting numbering problem. I was preparing for a show of oil paintings, and had several new paintings going at the same time. One was on a collapsible easel, and true to its nature, it collapsed and tore the painting on the table behind it. After feeling sick for awhile, I removed the canvas from its foundational frame and sewed it into a tote bag.

Numbering problems continue – there is no #12 or #13, and I jump between Roman numerals and normal numerals (what are those called??)

When life hands you lemons (or torn paintings), make lemonade (or tote bags). The painting wasn’t finished, but no one cares.

Now back to the completed oil paintings of the Oak Grove Bridge. I started messing around with exaggerated colors in 2014.

Oak Grove Bridge #14, 11×14″, still in my bright experimental stage, 2015

Oak Grove Bridge #17, 8×10″, 2016, back to brights again

Oak Grove Bridge oil paintings

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 3

But wait! There’s more! More Oak Grove Bridge oil paintings.

Here we encounter a numbering problem. When learning to oil paint, every artist has her own system for keeping track of completed paintings (or not.) It took me awhile to sort things out. Hence, here are two Oak Grove Bridge # Nines and Tens.

Oak Grove Bridge IX, 6×6″ It looks as if I played fast and loose with the arches here, when compared to earlier versions. Got a little overconfident, perhaps?

Oak Grove Bridge X, 10×10″ 2014 (in my experimenting with brighter colors phase)

Oak Grove Bridge oil paintings

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint, Chapter 2

Happy Birthday, Cory!!

It is easy to go on and on and on about this subject. Tulare County landmark, favorite bridge, art. . .

Oak Grove Bridge V, also available as note cards.

Oak Grove Bridge VI, a small version at 6×6″

Oak Grove Bridge VIII, another 6×6″ version

All of these paintings are sold and todayI’m giving you a break from all the “ads” (although you may commission me to repaint any of these bridge scenes for you!)

Oak Grove Bridge oil paintings

Mineral King: 1 Hike, 2 Canyons

Last week we took in the 2 best canyons, White Chief and Farewell, with a friend on one long mostly off-trail day. The flowers were spectacular.

Almost there – a steep climb. The fit folks would say “just a short hop over the ridge”. The sort of fit would say, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” The unfit wouldn’t even be present. (Putting it this way makes me feel better about my own personal struggles in the fight against gravity.)

The wildflowers were truly stunning on the south side of Farewell Canyon where the old route is.

The photos never do the real scene justice; however, I bet your legs aren’t sore.

Mineral King Mineral King photography

My Favorite Bridge in Oil Paint

There will be several chapters in this series about my favorite bridge, the Oak Grove Bridge on the Mineral King Road in Tulare County, California. (All those specifics are just in case you are new to the blog; if so, welcome!)

Yesterday we looked at three pencil drawings of the bridge. Today I will show you some of my earliest oil paintings of this wonderful subject.