Each year, summer comes and Mineral King opens at the same time. This year I felt very prepared, having completed 30-40 paintings of Mineral King, many of which sold as I was working on them. Small paintings sell at the Silver City Store Resort, and that is my main place to sell during the summer. […]
Pushing Through For Good Customers
Recently, I’ve focused on my weaknesses in drawing and painting. If I can’t see it, it might not be possible for me to draw or paint the thing. But, if I push through and have help and take lots of time, sometimes I can succeed. If these weren’t commissioned pieces with a paycheck at the end, […]
More Action-Packed Mineral King Days
Last week in Mineral King, Trail Guy, 2 friends and I took a hike to a special place that I am choosing to keep secret. (You can ask me in private, but I’m not posting any details on the World Wide Web.) On our hiking day, we experienced fabulous wildflowers, tremendous views, hail, thunder, lightning […]
No Head Banging Necessary
My horsey friend didn’t respond to my request for help on the drawing that is too hard; my horsey drawing student did, and we experienced a serious role reversal! She offered detailed advice and supplied photos to help me understand the things that weren’t visible in my photo. I followed her instructions as best as […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. The next day, my […]
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.
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 […]