See? Inspiration!

About 4 miles below Mineral King is a place called Silver City. There is a resort there, along with an enclave of private cabins. At the resort is a store, called, of course, The Silver City Store. It is there that I was employed when I met my husband 26 years ago. (dang!) Now, they sell some little paintings for me. Here are a few for you to see.  Of course you can buy them by contacting me, but I didn’t want to look pushy by putting a Paypal button beneath them. They are all 6×6″ to fit into travelers’ suitcases and $50 to fit into travelers’ budgets. Just sayin’. (Are you impressed by my use of popular lingo? Feels weird to talk that way.)

Farewell Gap

Spring Creek Bridge

Bridge Below Atwell

Honeymoon Cabin (yes, that again! You know you love it!)

Timber Gap

(should have titled it Betsy’s Tree or Lone Red Fir!)

Back to the Land of No Electricity

2010-2011 winter was a big one, 210% of normal for the Kaweah River drainage. Mineral King, AKA The Land of No Electricity is at the headwaters of the East Fork of the Kaweah. The elevation on the floor of the Mineral King Valley is 7800′, the road is 25 miles long to reach the place and it should take about 1-1/2 hours if you drive conservatively (recommended!)

And that concludes our geography/natural science/history lesson. Now, for the visual aids. (If you are wondering what this has to do with being a California artist, the answer is that much of my inspiration comes from Mineral King.)

Farewell Gap, the very full stream, the cabin – this is the classic and probably most photographed scene in Mineral King.

Lots of snow up in Timber Gap, the grasses are low and the willows and currants are not yet leafed out. Summer is a bit late-ish this year.

A tree across the stream took a hit – it was a Red Fir, and they seem prone to snapping off unexpectedly.

When we pried open the back door, all swollen with moisture, this was how the back porch and yard looked!

The front was quite inviting (that is my knitting on the ground – it is about time for another slightly weird sweater)

This is a mountain quail, a cousin to the California state bird.

Thus we commence the summer season of 2011 in the Land of No Electricty!

Delight Abounds (more on the Collage)

Mrs. Bob reviewed the sketches. To my delight, she had an immediate first choice! Bob looked it over and suggested a change. To their delight, I immediately erased and redrew the good suggestions, and we were all pleased with the results.

Isn’t that a royal mess? Good thing Bob and Mrs. Bob know that I can draw or they might just say “I’ll think about it” and hit the door!

Beginning a Collage

Drawing is one thing; planning a drawing is another; planning a collage is on another planet of complexity! I love love love to do these. The first time I thought of it was on a backpacking trip. In order to take my mind off my aching feet, I began designing pictures in my head. Because I wanted the trip to be a real vacation, I brought no pencil or paper along. This meant I started scratching in the dirt with a stick so I could see if the idea of multiple subjects in one drawing was even feasible. When I got back from the trip, I began the planning of 3 pictures I referred to as My Big Fat Masterpieces. This will have to become another posting, because the point of today’s post is to show you the beginnings of the collage for Mrs. Bob, lovely wife of My Favorite Customer.

Here are the steps involved.

  1. Spread out all the potential photos.
  2. Decide which photos are the most likely candidates.
  3. Choose which are the main subjects and which are secondary for filling smaller spaces.
  4. Draw boxes that are proportionally correct to the size of the finished piece.
  5. Begin sketching the general shapes.
  6. Rearrange the shapes several times so there are options for the customer.

Here is the result of those six steps:

Hint: Turn your head sideways for the 2 on the bottom. Which arrangement do you like best? Hard to decide, hunh?

Colors, a Studio and Gallery

I have mentioned Colors in the past as being a delightful place to visit. It pops up suddenly along Sierra Drive in Three Rivers, and the parking is a little squishy, but it is Oh So Worth the effort to visit!

Colors is the studio and gallery of local artist, Wendy McKellar, one of the most versatile and high energy artists I have the privilege of calling friend. She has begun a blog, and we had such a good time learning together how to use WordPress.com. We sat side by side in my studio with our laptops, and just clicked, talked and laughed for almost 2 hours. I was able to help Wendy because my blog is very similar but on WordPress.org. (This is a confusing, hostile and territorial move that computer people have done to normal people just to keep us, the normal people, out of our comfort zone – it’s a conspiracy and a plot but I digress.)

I have added Wendy’s blog to my blogroll, under the heading of Blogs I Follow so you can regularly peek into her world of colorful creativity. It is so encouraging to have friends alongside in the journey of making art and making a living from art.

Cottage Commission Completed

This is the photo provided by Bob, My Favorite Customer. (That is a lot to type so I will refer to him simply as Bob for the rest of this posting.)

It is in color, and probably taken with a wide angle lens which makes the perspective look a bit distorted. In addition, there is a lot of unnecessary and unsightly material in the photo. Real life is messy and artists get to clean it up without even getting sweaty!

Here is how I drew the cottage. Bob was very pleased with the results, which is always a great relief to me. (Someday I may do an entire posting on the emotions of commission work.) Now, his wife and I have plans for a collage of the high points of the entire Irish trip. He may have the title of Favorite Customer, but she is an utter delight to work with! Would you believe we have known each other since 1973?? I just love living in the place where I was born and reared, unlike the adventurous and determined man who was born in this cottage, emigrated to the USA, and now has a descendant who is a great patron of the arts!

Cottage Commission Commenced

I am creating a piece of art to the specifications of Bob, My Favorite Customer. (Since he calls me his Favorite Artist, it is only fair that I return the compliment!) He and his family discovered a piece of their history while in Ireland, and I have the privilege of drawing it in pencil.

Bob requested a sketch before I began because the cottage is dilapidated and needed some artistic remodeling. That’s to be expected of something built in 1873.

Good thing Bob knows I can draw or this sketch might have frightened him away. Instead, he approved it, and I began the drawing. Notice the use of 2 separate words to describe what is taking place – “sketch” is loose, rough, for the purpose of conveying visual ideas. A “drawing” will be much more careful and refined.

Bob likes to see the process as it is taking place. Some people prefer to just be surprised at the end; others like to be included and involved. I do my best to accommodate my customers’ wishes.

In teaching drawing, I urge my students to develop the habit of shading from top to bottom and left to right (left handers should move right to left) because it lessens the smearing. Me? I’m experienced enough to do it any way I want and not have a smearing problem! Or it may be that I am experienced enough to know how to deal with the smearing problem, should one occur!

More Cute Li’l’ Things

Here are the rest of the 2×2″ paintings. My customer has selected 5 and will return all the unchosen ones to me tomorrow. I will deliver them to Colors, where Wendy will display and sell them on little easels for $16.50 each. The ones that my customer did not choose will not be inferior – don’t be put off by their apparent rejection. Taste is an individual matter, or de gustibus non es disputandum, as my wise (and wise-ass) Dad used to say.

Images of Home

The show continues at the Tulare Historical Museum. The address is 444 W. Tulare Street and the phone # is 559-686-2074. When the curator and I were discussing titles, one of my suggestions was “It Ain’t All Smog and Welfare”. She-Of-Good-Sense laughed out loud and then rejected that idea. Glad she has a sense of humor along with common sense! Here are more visions of Tulare County’s better parts in case you haven’t made it to the show (this is for you, Cousin Maggie!)

Mosquito Lake Trail, 16×20″, oil on wrapped canvas, $350

This trail is in Mineral King. In case you are wondering, it is the same trail as Eagle Lake Trail, just a little different view. The trail splits to two different destinations about 2 miles from the trail head.

North Fork of the Kaweah, oil on wrapped canvas, 11×14″, $175

This is in Three Rivers at the Sequoia RV Ranch Campground.

Images of Home

The show continues at the Tulare Historical Museum. The address is 444 W. Tulare Street and the phone # is 559-686-2074. I’d advise calling for their days and hours because their website is looking a bit wacky at the time of this posting. Although it is a museum with an entry fee, you DO NOT have to pay if you are visiting the attached gallery. It is a little confusing, but humbly speaking of course, my work has NEVER LOOKED BETTER than it does hanging on their walls under their lights! The show is up until July 16. Now, have a look at 2 more pieces:

Kaweah Post Office IV, sold

Spring Sycamores, 11×14″, oil on wrapped canvas, $175

The Kaweah Post Office is a much loved little building 3 miles up North Fork Drive in Three Rivers. You can read more about it here. And, in case you were wondering, sycamores are native trees in Tulare County. They like to grow in drainages and to live near water.