A California Artist visits Santa Barbara

Growing up, “the beach” mean Newport, in Orange County. In 4th grade, my class took a field trip to Mission San Miguel and visited Pismo Beach. It was flat and muddy and there were no waves. It didn’t look like a beach to me. Later, I visited some beaches in Northern California and began understanding that “the beach” means something different all up and down the left coast. I spent 4 years in Sandy Eggo and learned that even one city can have a variety of beaches.

But, I’d never gotten a feel for Santa Barbara. This city isn’t quite “The Central Coast”, nor do I consider it Southern California. It isn’t as easy to get to as Morro Bay, and I’d never had a reason to go.

Last week, Trail Guy and I spent 4 nights there for multiple reasons irrelevant to this blog. But, as a California artist, I want to share with you some of the photos I got so you can get a little taste of this piece of our huge state with a very very long coastline.

Santa Barbara Mission

I love the California missions. I haven’t seen all 21, but I’m always thrilled when I get to see one for the first time. I built a model of this Queen of Missions in 4th grade – 3 milk cartons do the trick! (My mom was really really mean and she wouldn’t let me build it out of sugar cubes.)

Santa Barbara Mission, backside

We walked around the backside and it reminded me of some of the views I took photos of in China.

Trail Guy snoops in Santa Barbara

What’s in there, Trail Guy??

Okay, that’s long enough for today’s post. I’ll show you the beach pictures tomorrow. (Was that a bait and switch??)

More Mineral King for Christmas

You are probably thinking about Christmas shopping. If you are like me, the simpler the better. Not leaving home? The best way to shop! (I used catalogs for shopping long before they were considered normal.)

Here is an easy way to please someone on your list who loves Mineral King.

Honeymoon Cabin oil painting

Honeymoon Cabin XI, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $50




Mineral King for Christmas

Friends who care enough to tell me the truth have suggested I be a bit more bold about the fact that I have original oil paintings for sale at ridiculously low prices. Okay. Here goes. Try not to be disgusted by my crass commercialism.

Mineral King oil painting of Crowley Cabin

The Crowley Cabin, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $50, SOLD

 


A Yarn Painting Finds a New Home

Whenever I find myself with a little waiting time, spare time, car time, or am procrastinating, I usually knit. Makes sense that an artist who loves to knit would also paint yarn, yes?

oil painting of yarn

Loves Cotton, Loves to Knit, 8×8″, oil on wrapped canvas, $100



A quilting friend also loves to knit, and she bought one of my yarn paintings called “From Ewe to Yarn”. I thought that was a great name for a great painting of some great yarn, and she agreed! Here is a photo of her studio with the painting. She sent it to me with the caption of “Where’s the Yarn?”

Can you see it?

Why the (beta version) Oil Painting Workshop Was Successful

Yesterday’s blog post told a secret – that I gave an oil painting workshop without publicizing it first, and why I didn’t publicize it.

oil paintings of pomegranates

Today, I will reveal why I believe that workshop was a success. No, I will reveal the reasons that I believe it was a success, not why I believe . . . never mind. Here is the list.

1. All of my students know how to draw – they understand proportion, are confident about putting shapes on paper (now on canvas), understand values (darks and lights), understand about hard and soft edges.

2. All of them understand what I mean when I make up words to explain things – “smoosh that part” or “verticalize those marks”.

3. They are very kind about my inexperience as an oil painter/oil painting teacher and very understanding when I explain that all I know to teach is what I know.

4. They don’t mind when I say “I don’t know – let’s try it both ways and see which turns out better”.

5. They stayed to help me clean up.

6. They brought things – old tablecloths, drop cloths for the floor, soup, brownies, great attitudes!

I just love my drawing students. I’d hang out with any one of them and be thankful for the time together, I respect them and their willingness to learn and try, I understand their frustrations, and I am proud of them!

I gave them each a jar of pomegranate jelly at the end of the workshop. 😎 Gosh. I feel warm and fuzzy.

 

An Oil Painting Workshop, Beta Version

Oh Great. Now she is speaking Computer. Isn’t it enough that we have to endure occasional Artspeak without this too?

What is “beta version”? I looked it up and found the best definition on Michael Hyatt’s blog:

” The premise is this: ‘we know it’s not perfect, but it’s far enough along that we need your input to get it right.'”

oil painting workshop

Based on this idea, I gave an oil painting workshop for a handful of my drawing students. They know me and my teaching methods and limitations, I know them and their skills and their kindness and encouragement. I didn’t publicize the thing because I didn’t want to expose my ignorance to strangers who were expecting a highly experienced painter and workshop leader.

We painted from photos. I provided 5 versions of a pomegranate and lots of leeway for interpretation of background, cropping, compositional variation, and whatever made the participant happy and comfortable with the project. It is okay to paint from photos. That’s what studio artists do. (We had real pomegranates available to look at, feel, examine and make us believe we weren’t “cheating”.)

We had a great time! Here is the results of the workshop (minus Nicholas’s work because he had to leave early).

pomegranate oil painting in progress

pomegranate oil painting in progress

pomegranate oil painting in progress

Pomegranate oil painting in progress

 

Tomorrow I will tell why I think it was a success for everyone!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

The Most Beautiful Fruit Bowl I’ve Ever Seen is completed. It is signed,  it is carefully wrapped up and sealed in a box, and I delivered it to an undisclosed location in Exeter. Someone will have an a-may-zing Christmas present. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that!

fruit bowl oil painting

 

P.S. This might be one of the most challenging paintings I’ve done. On the other hand, it was very very fun. Now I’m done talking about it.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! It was a commission. I didn’t tell you while I was painting. That is a commission omission.

Why is “commission” spelled with two m’s and “omission” with one?

Somebody shut me up, please!

2013 Calendars, Again

Dear Blog Reader,

Why in the olden days were readers referred to as “gentle”? Did it have something to do with the word “gentlemen”?

Why am I writing about the calendars again?

Glad you asked – great question! (This is what all interviewees say when asked any question – have you noticed, or is it just me who picks up on these repetitious speech patterns?) The answers to your question are as follows:

1. I ordered more calendars.

2. The Buy Now Button works. It looks weird and off center, but it works if you have a Paypal account.

3. If you sent me a check, let me know. I’ll mail your calendar(s) to you now, even if the check (or if I) hasn’t (haven’t) made it to the Three Rivers Post Office yet.

That was a weird sentence.

Here is the front cover of the calendar, because every blog post needs a picture.

oak grove bridge painting for cover of jana botkin's 2013 calendar

Here is the link to the post that shows all the months: 2013 Calendar

Here is the Buy Now Button to order your calendar:




And here is your appreciation from me for getting to the end of this post:

A

You earned it, oh Gentle Reader.