If you want to earn your living as an artist, it is important to paint things that people want to buy. I think of these subjects as Because People Like It. In Tulare County, there are some stand-outs, and I try to keep them on hand in various sizes. Sequoia – the Big Trees, park […]
Sold Sunflowers
Remember I talked about painting things just because I love them? That is a different category than painting something because it sells. Sometimes, the things I paint for myself sell quickly. This is a mixed blessing – WAIT! I wanted that one! Oh. That’s right. I paint to sell things. It beats getting a job. […]
Sunflower Paintings
Today, let’s review sunflower oil paintings. I am painting them because they look happy. The category is Because I Want To. Painting happens in stages. These may now be finished, or may need a couple of touch ups before letting go. Go ahead, admit it – they make you feel ever so slightly happy when you […]
Opening Weekend in Mineral King
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer and of Mineral King time. Thus, you get to read (or skip reading) about Mineral King on Fridays on my blog. This year we had May weather in March (and February and April too), so we got March weather in May. The weekend in Mineral King […]
One Bridge, Two Paintings
After finishing the 6×6″ painting of the Buckeye Bridge AKA the Paradise Bridge, I studied it along with the 12×16″ version. Why was the 6×6″ more appealing? More contrast. Brighter colors. These are the usual reasons. Now, the larger painting has brighter colors. When it is dry, I’ll rescan it and then we can compare […]
One Bridge, Two Friends, Two Paintings
A few years ago, I was hiking with a friend. She wasn’t familiar with the foothills of Sequoia National Park, so I took her to see the Buckeye Bridge. She exclaimed, “Oh my, that is so beautiful! If you paint it, I will buy it!” Being a realist (both as an artist and in life), […]
What Shall I Paint?
Have you ever wondered how an artist decides what to paint? Me too. What I paint falls into 4 categories: Things I know will sell Things I want to paint Commissions Reworking old paintings Category #1 includes Sequoia scenery, anything Mineral King, citrus, the Kaweah Post Office, the Kaweah River, the Oak Grove bridge and […]
Blue Moon Sign in Situ
(Happy Birthday, Ann!) “In situ” means in position. Isn’t it fun to learn new expressions? The question that nagged me during the entire process of designing and painting the Blue Moon Nursery sign was this: Would it be able to complete with all the signage along that stretch of the highway in Three Rivers? See? A whole messa […]
Odd Job, Chapter Four
Finally, I got to the actual painting stage of my odd job. The Blue Moon Nursery got a 4’x8′ piece of very thick plywood, built a frame around it and painted it with multiple coats of white paint. This was a result of walking out to the road and measuring the existing signs. A medium […]
Odd Job, Chapter Three
My odd job of painting a sign for the Blue Moon Nursery in Three Rivers progressed through the decision making progress. This combination of type was our first choice. The style of Blue Moon is a little hippy-dippy, loosey-goosey, whimsical (sorry, can’t think of a rhyme for that word). “Nursery” looks solid, professional, steadfast, here […]