NEW AND IMPROVED Oak Grove Bridge

If you have read this blog or followed my art for any time, you may have figured out that I have a thing for the Oak Grove Bridge. The sign on the bridge reads “East Fork of the Kaweah” or “Kaweah River” or something, but Trail Guy told me it is the Oak Grove Bridge back in 1985, and so that’s what it will always be to me.

I have painted and drawn it many times.

In 2011 I did a large-for-me oil painting of it. 18×24″ is huge when one is accustomed to painting 6×6″ or 8×10″.

It started out rather disastrously, when an easel in front of it dropped down and ripped a hole in the canvas. Upon the brilliant suggestion of a blog reader, I turned the torn canvas into a tote bag, and began another painting.

The new painting turned out so well that I have been using it on my business cards.

oak grove bridge

But, it didn’t sell.

Why not? Too much money? Come on! Paintings of this size sell for thousands. My bridge painting is a bargain at $500.

I know. This is Tulare County.

So?? It is a good painting.

Time passed. I finally decided that after 4 years my abilities have improved. Growth is good. Admitting it is hard, because it feels as if I am telling those who have bought my earlier paintings that I ripped them off.

(Do you feel ripped off? Would you like me to retouch a painting you bought earlier??)

I decided to rescue it from the gallery where it sat unappreciated and bring it home to study it. My first thought was, “Wow, this looks good”.

Then I realized that I am blinded by love for the bridge, so somehow had to find a way to be objective.

I thought about it and found a few things to improve. Because my style of painting is to paint layer after layer, this wasn’t too difficult. I ended up repainting most of it, right over the top, sharpening edges, increasing contrast, exaggerating colors. This is the result:

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Oak Grove Bridge, oil on wrapped canvas, 18×24″, $500

NEW AND IMPROVED OAK GROVE BRIDGE AT SAME BARGAIN PRICE!

Maybe I don’t even want to sell this painting. I could auction it on the premise that anything is for sale if the price is right.

Do I hear $550?

Painting and Painting

Language is so confusing. “Painting”, a noun (a stretched piece of canvas with a picture depicted in oil paint)? Or “painting”, a verb (the Central California artist at work)?

Both. It means both.

I’ve been painting and painting and painting. Oil painting. Studio Tour is coming, and people like to see new things. I’ve repainted some subjects, painted over the top of others, and begun and completed entirely new oil paintings, some of old subjects, and some of newer ones.

That should have covered it, but just in case confusion lingers, here are some pictures of oil paintings. (I keep saying “oil paintings” instead of just “paintings” in case it helps someone find my blog and website.)

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If this photo doesn’t confuse you, perhaps you are unconfusable.

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Some are finished, some are not. Guess you’ll have to attend the Studio Tour or the upcoming Redbud Festival (unless they all sell at Studio Tour) to see these.

 

Mineral King on the Easels

Fridays are sort of for Mineral King on this Central California artist’s blog. Can’t get there right now, although people did drive all the way to the valley a week or 2 ago.

However, I have many photos, and Mineral King is probably the heaviest category.

As a studio artist, I rely on photos. They are photos I have taken of the same subjects multiple times in a variety of seasons and times of day. Art snobs think that painting from photos doesn’t count. I don’t know any of those people, or if I do, they haven’t shared their bias with me.

Anyway, in spite of the time of year, I am able to paint Mineral King, that oh so popular subject. Here’s what is in progress:

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This is the Monarch Lake Trail, heading back down to the valley. There is a section of trail with some very gnarled junipers that I photograph each time I am there. I’ve painted it before, but not in this square format.

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Sawtooth sells, so I repaint it. Farewell Gap with the Crowley cabin sells, so I repaint it. Sometimes I put hours and hours into these little 6×6 paintings, and then I feel a little yucky about selling them for $50. So other times I put less time into the detail, and then I feel a little yucky about selling them at all. These are NOT finished, or to quote my friend Ron T., “Best viewed from the back of a fast horse.”

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Farewell Gap with the trail heading toward the now defunct pack station. This is the first pass over the canvas. It is also a 6×6″.

I noticed that my friend and fellow Three Rivers artist Nadi Spencer is now charging $60 for 6×6″ paintings. She is light-years ahead of me in experience, so she should be getting more for her work.

I wonder if I should raise my prices. That, along with actually selling the work is the most difficult part of being a Central California artist. I wonder if it is easier if one lives in the land of Art Snobbery. . .?

Studio Tour Coming Soon!

In the past, there has been a tour of Three Rivers artists’ studios every other year. Now the event includes artists all over Tulare County. Central California artists, unite!

 

studio tour

 

Tickets are also available in Visalia (too much info about addresses, phone #s and hours to type out here) and through this website.

2 more things: my studio will NOT be open on Friday of the tour and I don’t take plastic, just cash and checks.

How To Buy The Cabins of Wilsonia Book

The Cabins of Wilsonia

Technology is still confounding me. If it confounds you, and you are either unwilling or unable to buy The Cabins of Wilsonia on Amazon, here are the other buying options for you:,

  1. mail a check for $86 to me at P.O. Box 311, Three Rivers, CA 93271
  2. send $86 via Paypal to “cabinart 06 at sbcglobal dot net” (have to write it that way so that the spammers don’t come wreck this eddress too) along with your mailing address
  3. run into me somewhere in real life and hand me $80 cash or a check for $81 and I’ll hand you the book (no mailing costs makes it cheaper in person and paying $80 in cash probably means no change will be necessary)

Any questions?

(I have lots of questions: How do I get the internet to work with the old desktop computer? Why did my printer stop working with the laptop? Why did my easy eddress stop working? Will there ever be a time when everything works? That would be A-MAY-ZING.)

 

Studio Tour Preview Exhibit

The Arts Consortium in Visalia is sponsoring the South Valley Artists’ Studio Tour. For the first time, Three Rivers artists have been invited to participate. (Long story, probably not worthy of a blog post.)

There will be a preview exhibit of works from participating artists (ME! I’m one of them!!).

ARTS VISALIA GALLERY

214 East Oak Street, Visalia, California

RECEPTION: FRIDAY, MARCH 6

5:30 – 8:30 PM

SHOW RUNNING MARCH 4 – MARCH 27

GALLERY HOURS: Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 5:30

Each artist is allowed to exhibit one piece. Guess you’ll have to go there to see which one I chose!

P.S. Tickets, called “passports” will be for sale at the gallery during the reception and their regular hours. $15 gets you access to about 40 artists’ studios all over Tulare County over the course of 2-3 days, March 20-22. (My studio will NOT be open on Friday, March 20, but many others will be.)

for more info: South Valley Artists’ Studio Tour

Juiced-Up Bridge Painting

My favorite thing to paint is my favorite bridge, the Oak Grove Bridge, also known as the East Fork Bridge. That’s the East Fork of the Kaweah River, 6.5 miles up the Mineral King Road.

I paint it and draw it often. It is beautiful, particularly because it is such an architectural surprise on a narrow, winding mountain road.

This time it is a 10×10″ painting with sort of juiced-up (exaggerated) colors because that is fun to paint and fun to see.

Any questions?

oak grove bridge oil painting

Oh, the price! I don’t know yet, because I think this is really really good and makes me want to rethink pricing by size. So, you may have to wait until the upcoming studio tour to find out. (Is it wrong to like one’s work?)

SOUTH VALLEY ARTISTS’ STUDIO TOUR, March 20, 21 and 22, tickets available for $15 at ARTS VISALIA. You can read about it on this link.

Poppy Painting Worth 1000 Words

I began a 6×18″ painting of a field of poppies and showed it to you with just one pass over the canvas. Then I went silent.

Now I will speak 1000 words worth to you:

Poppies #41

Poppies #41, 6×18″, oil on wrapped canvas, $150