While working on the umpteenth pencil drawing of the Kaweah Post Office, I was struck by how stupid it is to guess at what is around and behind the little building. Why am I struggling with an incomplete photograph when all I have to do is drive about 4 or 5 miles and see the […]
My studio began as a shed. We filled it with avocado green sinks and other junk when we remodeled our house 19 years ago. When we remodeled the interior of the studio in December 2001, I was thrilled to stop commuting to Exeter 5-6 days a week. Gradually I added plants; this flowering pear tree […]
Last summer I had a hankering to draw some new Mineral King pictures in pencil. I did four of them without a plan for reproduction or framing. Artists make art, and I am a Central California artist making art of the flyover center of California, my main source of inspiration (along with liking to drive […]
Occasionally I have a chance to teach a handful of people what little I know about oil painting. I have only been painting for 12 years, so while I feel qualified to share what I know, I don’t think of myself as a qualified oil painting teacher. There are 3 women about 2 hours away from […]
That last step after the photoshop thing only shows a subtle difference, but I wanted you to know that the business of art includes thinking ahead toward how a piece can be used besides just selling the original. And the original is sold and sent! That makes me happy for three reasons: it is going to someone […]
One day a week or so ago, I painted in the morning and drew in the afternoon. This is what it looked like: Then I moved into the studio. It was a sunny day, so I raised the blind and saw this: And thus we conclude another workday in the life of this Central California […]
This month’s items don’t have anything to do with art or my art business, but they are all interesting to me and I hope they will be to you too. The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins says we have to parent ourselves because we will NEVER feel like doing the difficult or unpleasant things. Our […]
The lanterns languished. Finally, I reminded myself that I am the Mayor of Realville, the lanterns were too hard for me at that size (a paintbrush will never quite behave like a pencil), and it was time to make them go away. So, I turned the painting into one of pomegranates. Still, I wanted to […]
While participating at a boutique on a quaint little farm in Three Rivers in December of 2016, I photographed these lanterns: Everything the farm couple touches is quaint, beautiful, pretty, attractive, and every other complimentary term I can think of. My intention was to paint the lanterns on a 6×18″ canvas. I started the painting […]
I got curious about how many hens and roosters I have painted, so here is a recap for us all to enjoy. I wonder how long this will be a popular subject. A friend had her kitchen decorated in hens and roosters in the ’70s, I think. She gave them away in the ’90s. And, […]