One day I was just speeding along my walk, minding my own beeswax, trying to keep up the pace, and WHAM! I threw on the brakes and went marching up to the kitchen window of some friends’ house because I recognized my own paintings! Just kind of surprised me – like unexpectedly seeing the face of a long lost friend.
One of the best things that ever happens to working artists is receiving a check in the mail for paintings sold, especially when one has forgotten about said paintings! I sent 6 paintings of beachy things to Lady Spencer in Cayucos, California. Gina is an old friend from Exeter, and her store is full of lovely items from various artists. We’ve talked for years of her selling my art, and it took years for us to find the right plan. (Of course, by dragging it out, each time I visit the Central Coast I had an excuse to see Gina and call it a business trip!) She believes that more than just beachy subjects will have a market; I trust Gina’s instinct and experience. Here is what I am sending her next:
Okay, they are just begun in this photo. The flag will be a gift for someone who has gone above and beyond the call of volunteerism on the mural. The large poppy painting is a commission. (K, are you reading this??)
This week I met several mural team members at The Wall to discuss our options in dealing with our mechanical snags. We formulated a plan, and after they do what they have to do, I’ll be back on the wall. While at the wall, I did a bit of sketching because I was there and the only thing worse than getting up at 5 a.m. is wasting it! It is a little risky, because my historical consultants and I aren’t entirely convinced that this is the original Mt. Whitney Power Co. cabin. It appears as such on the Mineral King Preservation Society website. The question is that it also looks like the type of cabin built by Windy Stevens, about whom I do not have adequate information. . . perhaps he wasn’t around when the Mt. Whitney Power Co. was. Perhaps the MWPC used his plans. More will be revealed (if I am diligent AND lucky!)
First I painted it in green. It was wrong, so I repainted it in brown. (Hard to tell the difference in color here!)
I have decided that there are 3 kinds of sky colors applicable to my painting:
Blick.com had a great sale on 10×10″ canvases. Since I have enjoyed the 6×6″ squares so much, I decided to try these. There may be a show in Sequoia over Labor Day, and it makes sense to paint subjects that are relevant to that area. These are all from photos that I have used in the past, but the square format adds a challenge and makes them look new.
One more week in the studio due to technical difficulties with the mural. The Mural Team will sort it out, and I should be back on the wall next week. Meanwhile, back at the studio, I am working on this large drawing of a beautiful back yard on the river.
It is taking a pile of reference photos, and a list of more needed is growing daily.
This is the upper left corner. I started there, and now am jumping all over the drawing because I am missing so much visual information. No matter how many photos I take, I always seem to need more. This is because people hire me for accuracy, not just my “impression”. My art is called “realism” for a reason!
After a very productive week in the studio, I returned to the wall today and was greeted by this sight:
This is Channel 26’s Great Day camera man and reporter Clayton Clark.
Clayton did a fake-out while I was unloading my supplies.
He wore a little thingie in his ear so the folks back in the Fresno studio could communicate with him. He did a little “teaser” every so often, and then interviewed someone every 15 minutes.
Here they are with Randy Groom, the new Exeter City Manager.
Clayton did some actual painting and enjoyed it enough that he painted when the camera wasn’t even on him. Made me feel like Tom Sawyer. 😎
I let him add his name to the helper signature section. While there, I found a message from Marilyn and the Uganda ladies! Made my day!
These folks saw us on teevee and stopped by to help.
This was definitely the most social and least productive day yet!
Mineral King Morning, 11×14″, oil on wrapped canvas, $175
Didn’t want you all to think all I do is stand before an easel – I DO have a life. Sort of. Okay, maybe it is more of a Cat Disorder, but it is MY Cat Disorder and I am quite content with this state (even though I know I can’t just quit anytime I want.)
Kaweah Kitty hates it when I take a break and is always on hand to help me find my way back to the painting workshop. (try to be polite about her tail – she can’t help it)
She has a tendency to lie underfoot – obviously she feels quite safe despite the fact that I might accidentally squash her when I step back to view the easel contents.
Butch just hunkers down in the RV garage and yells when I walk past. Poor little guy is an orphan and we don’t know what happened to Cashmere and O’Reilly.
Sometimes he comes outside, but he is skittish in the extreme. We can pet him now, but only on his terms. It took from November until May – that is a record! (not a good one – no idea how we will get him “fixed”)
Check out that non-tail. It’s why we call him Butch. Looks like a Manx, talks like a Siamese, acts like a psycho.
(the weirdness around his nose is the reflection in the wet paint)
