Morning walk in Three Rivers

Kind of handy to be able to combine exercise with gathering inspiration for new work, wouldn’t you say? Here are some of my usual scenes and thoughts (although I’ve been told my thoughts are rather unusual, and occasionally downright weird.)

The beautiful wooden garage doors, the arched gate and the odd coincidence of star jasmine blooming next to a star always catches my attention –  one day I will see how to turn it into a painting or drawing.

Pink Lady Banks roses in the sunshine! We had yellow on our shed at our old house – it might be all that keeps the shed from collapsing. We have white in the herb garden. They grow super fast. Just telling you that in case you have a shed that is about to collapse.

Did you know that new grape leaves have brownish-red in them? Apparently some do. If I painted it this way, it would look as if I am trying to force in a color that isn’t really there. Other artists can get away with stuff like that. I am known for authenticity (or just being literal).

This one little piece of river brings to mind the beach. I miss the ocean. When I lived there, I missed the mountains. It would be WONDERFUL to find a place to sell my work on the coast. I have a place, but the work isn’t selling very well. I hate that. Time for happier thoughts.

I  just love the red and white with the blue car in the background. Roses have been spectacular this year. Tomorrow’s post – roses!

There are many many more flowers in bloom besides roses. These were particularly stunning today.

Mr. Burns used to be a regular on this walking route. He had binoculars and knew all the birds. All of them. He died last week and now his gate is closed. Sniff.

Mid-May and the sycamores are only now leafing out!

Brian and Cheryl planted a new Japanese maple. Their old one seen in the background has caused great admiration, many photos and a little envy in me. Maybe I should just get the name of the variety and try NOT TO KILL ANOTHER ONE!!

The welcoming committee. And thus, we conclude our morning walk in Three Rivers. Am I inspired? More will be revealed. Back to the easel. p.s. This is a California artist’s thoughts. Just sayin’. . .

Odd jobs, odd artist

Some days are completely full of random tasks. Wednesday was just such a day – there was a long list of unrelated items that needed completing, and it rained. (random, see?) One of the list items was to paint a sign that says Pet Clinic.  I spent a ridiculous amount of time messing around with typestyles, looking for little images of cats and dogs, realizing that I have a ton of cat photos from which to work. trying to design something, deciding it wasn’t really worth all the time because it is just a favor, and finally just doing this:

That is little Butch on the left and Dancer the Jack Russell terrier on the right. There wasn’t enough paint to coat the entire background, and I just couldn’t figure out what I was trying to do. It’s sort of obvious.

Then I did a few more errands, kept running into friends and then a friend/customer that I’d been trying to connect with. Ended up delivering 8 paintings to her house, so that worked out well. But, when I got home, I looked down and discovered this:

Odd Job continued

First layer continued/completed

Second layer on flowers, first on leaves and stems

Ooh, ooh, am I finished? More will be revealed in the fullness of time.

Pencil Explanation, Part Four

This is a post on how to layer with drawing pencils. I used to only use a 6B; you can read about it here. Then, I met someone who drew beautifully using the full range. I had no idea how to use them and figured they must layered  lightest to darkest. Or maybe they were meant to be used one at a time, depending on how you wanted things to look. Kind of weird that as an art major I never learned these techniques. Anyway, I never could quite achieve the kind of blacks that my drawings needed. After joining the Colored Pencil Society of America, I began applying things learned from their workshops to my graphite pencil drawings. Look at what I learned about layering graphite pencils:

Defies logic! But the evidence is right here. If you have paper and pencils, try it for yourself! I’d love to read your comments once you have experimented with this sort of layering.

Third and Final Day

Isn’t that amazing??? I am amazed, stunned, and sort of relieved because it is so hot on that wall in the mornings.

This morning when I arrived at the wall, this was facing me:

Looked like a long day of crawling around on the ground. Bye-bye, little Lift friend. No more getting high for me on this job!

Mural painting involves relationships. Thank you, Betsy, for the step-ladder. Thank you, Larry & Dora for the loan of the ladder. Thank you Sylvia for that fantastic Dr Pepper, my first in 2 years, tasted like heaven. This little heart rock is for you:

It’s not perfect, but they never are in nature. Always fun to discover – hope you have fun finding it on this wall!

And thank you to Paula for the visit while I waited for the shade to cover the wall. (Found your home page – it will be a very thorough website when it is completed and just as lovely as your store!)

And thank you to Rocky Hill Ice Cream for being there while I waited for shade.

And this is for Rachelle:

I know, I know, just show us the finished painting!

The end.

Second Day

First, some observations about mural painting. This is a long one – might want to grab a snack first.

  1. Technology is very helpful. Today I studied some photos on my laptop, enlarged them vastly to really see what the lines in the juniper were actually doing. Cappella Coffee House is next door to the mural and has wi-fi, which enabled me to email some photos to another artist who needed to borrow them. And, my cell phone sort of works so I can take calls while painting (not as dangerous as taking calls while driving.) Plus, of course, my digital camera records all sorts of things to share with you all. Wow, all this from a self-proclaimed techno-avoider. . . !
  2. There will be discomfort while painting a mural. It could be heat, cold, bugs or wind.
  3. There will be deadlines – lift rental, hot weather on the way,  or an upcoming event. The pressure can either motivate an artist or freak her out.
  4. There will be hassles – the lift might not work or the scaffolding might not roll or the cell phone company might be having a bad day.
  5. There will be lots and lots of interaction with people – the mural team will offer encouragement and help, other artists will stop by to see how things are progressing, tour groups will come by, individuals will greet the artist as they pass to and from their cars and places of business, there will be occasional folks just touring the murals who have lots of questions. These are great marketing and public relations opportunities for Exeter, the mural project and my art business!
  6. I will spill paint on the ground, the lift and my clothing. Can’t be helped. Paint wants to be distributed – it is its nature.

Today it seemed like a good idea to take the lift to the very tippy-top of its capabilities. That’s 19′ in the air. It was fun! Now look at the rooftops, Rocky Hill and the rest:

Look at my shadow DOWN on the roof of the building I am painting!

And here is what got completed today after I finished goofing off with the equipment:

See how well it carries over from the other mural?

2-3 days left, that’s all! To be continued. . .

First day on the extension

The beginning, except it was in bright sunlight. (This photo is from yesterday afternoon.)

It was a beautiful day and the mountain view from the lift was just grand!

I saw Rocky Hill over the top of the Mineral King Publishing building,

I looked down on the big Mineral King mural.

This lift goes up 19′. I am much higher than necessary here, but probably not quite at the top.

See how high? The foreground of this photo is the roof of the building on which I am supposed to be painting instead of messing around with the lift.

Okay, the viewing tour is over. LOOK LOOK LOOK how much got finished today!!!

The third tour group of the day was from Australia!!

Mural Extension

Remember this mural? It is called Men + Mules + Water = Power and is in downtown Exeter. (Despite its descriptive and clever name, I think of it as Franklin Lake.)

Today I will begin wrapping it around the corner onto the blank wall. Funny how we know what I mean when I say “blank” because it actually has a door, a window, a mailbox, a light fixture, multiple signs and a green stripe.

Pencil Explanation, Part Three

School pencils are rated #1, #2 and #3.  It is a different rating system, one which I haven’t researched because I am a pencil artist, not a student nor a school teacher. #3 is really hard, and it is horrible if you are writing on a soft surface such as a math workbook. #1 is really dark and wonderful if you get one by accident. #2  are the most common and are the same as the HB drawing pencils. Ever notice that before?

School pencils come with erasers. Those erasers never last as long as the pencils. Drawing pencils don’t come with erasers. My theory is this: the eraser will wear out very quickly but you will have the habit of flipping the pencil over. If you have that habit, when your eraser is gone, you will scratch the heck out of your drawing. Then you will cry. Your drawing will be wrecked. If you are used to reaching for a separate eraser, there is less chance of this sort of disaster. Or tragedy.

Pencil Explanation, Part Two

Pencils are made from a blend of graphite and clay. If they have more clay, they are harder and lighter. If they have more graphite, they are blacker and softer.

H is for Hard, B is for Black.  I don’t get why those two are considered opposites in Pencil World. (Hey Pencil Manufacturers, tune in here!)

Usually the H and the B are accompanied by a number, usually 2 – 6, but occasionally as high as 9 depending on the brands. If there is no number with the letter, a 1 (one) is implied. HB is right in the center. F is an unnecessary interloper that shouldn’t be included in a set because it takes up space that could be better used for a more useful pencil. I’d like a set without an F and with an extra 6B, please. (Pencil manufacturers, are you listening??)

The higher the number, the more the particular quality of that pencil. A 6H is very hard, very pale, and very easily scratches the surface of the drawing paper. A 6B is very black, very soft, and will crack, crumble or collapse internally if you so much as frown in its direction. This is why I’d like a second 6B included in a set of pencils. (Hey Pencil Manufacturers, I’m talking to you!!)