Guest Post

Today’s post is taking place at Chris LoCurto’s blog. Because his blog is about business, I wrote about business. This is the first line of the post:

“As an artist, I am particularly aware of the fact that luxury items are not in great demand these days.”

Read the rest of it on Chris’s blog, comment there if you’d like! He will respond – great guy, a privilege to get to work with him even briefly. In fact, when I read his blog, I think that if I had ever had a job at a company like he writes about, I probably wouldn’t have become a self-employed artist!

This picture shows how I feel when I get invited to do a guest post – warm and fuzzy!

Poppies Will Put Them To Sleep

My customer is so happy with her poppy window that she said she’d like to be a guest in her own home! That is just doggone high praise for her decorating abilities combined with my painting – what a team we make! I guess she really believes that “Poppies will put them to sleep!” (If I ever decide to run away from home and these bossy cats, I know where I’m going!)

Orange You Glad!

I am, because I got an order for 12 paintings of oranges. There are a couple of realtors who specialize in ag property. Whenever they sell an orange grove, the buyer receives one of my paintings. Isn’t that just the best idea? Thank you, Diana, for thinking of it and suggesting it to Matt, and thank you, Matt, for agreeing with Diana! Oranges are just the most fitting symbol for central California, and this California artist from Tulare County is the daughter, granddaughter, niece and grand-niece of many orange growers.

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Cute Li’l’ Things

A while back, I thought I was ordering a dozen of these little bitty 2×2″ canvases. Turns out I ordered a dozen packages of 5 each.  Ummm, oops. They are fun and fairly easy to paint, a good way to try a single subject. A friend/customer requested several fruits of this size. So that she’d have choices, I did multiple versions of each fruit.  She requested a few oranges too, so those are in the works along with a few persimmons. They appear below in a poor quality photo – just to prove I am working on them and not just sitting at the computer!

Not thinking enough

Did you notice I stopped the series “Thoughtful Thursdays”? That’s because I ran out of thoughts. There is a song by Don Henley called “You Might Not Be Drinking Enough” ; in my mind the word “drinking” has become “Thinking” because it seems to fit. If I’m not thinking, what am I doing?? Let’s just contemplate this beautiful bridge for awhile and maybe the answer will come sneaking around the corner.

Images of Home, #4

Mineral King may just be the jewel in the crown of Tulare County. It certainly is for this California artist!

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

Not meaning to taunt you – just want to show you what summer looks like in Mineral King, should it ever arrive.

Aspens IV, 16×20″, oil on wrapped canvas, $350

This is along the Nature Trail in Mineral King. It looks like this in July; right now there are probably no leaves on the aspens, and the ground will be muddy, with flowing water and snow patches. But summer IS coming – always does!

Images of Home, Continued

Here is a continuing peek at the new paintings in the Tulare Historical Museum. Of course they look better in “real”, but for Cousin Maggie and other long distance friends, this is the fulfillment of my promise to show the paintings.

Tulare County Barn, 10×10″, oil on wrapped canvas, $125

When I was a kid, I assumed this was the shape of all barns. At age 16, I visited Oregon, Idaho and Washington, and was AMAZED to see the different architectural styles of barns. Didn’t take much to impress an Ivanhoe orange grower’s daughter, who grew up to be a California artist in Tulare County. (Hey  Mr. Google, are you paying attention?)

North Fork Drive, 10×8″, oil on wrapped canvas, $90

Regardless of the time of year, this is such a scenic little part of this Three Rivers road. The people who own this building probably refer to it as their “barn”!

More Images of Home

This is the traditional opening weekend for many people in Mineral King. While the gates will be unlocked, the road is still blocked by snow from about Highbridge on up. If you are up for a walk, you can go into the valley. Here are a few more pictures from my show at the Tulare Historical Museum, this time of Mineral King in the summer to just whet your appetite. If you are planning a visit to the area, stop by the show!

Vandever V, 8×10, $90

Mineral King Morning, 14 x 11″, $175

Images of Home

It has been almost a month since the show opened. Is that long enough to have waited before showing you the pieces created specifically for the show? Hope so, because here goes!

Autumn Sycamore, sold

Farewell Gap Afternoon, 16×12″, $225