Aren’t these corners great?
And have a look at the plaques of the title and the sponsors (fabulous people, each one!):
Day Two on the Mural
The mountains are being formed from the top to the bottom (which is the same as from the back to the front) and from left to right. Notice the wall’s shadow – that is around 1:30 and it is too hot to paint the minute the sun hits that lift (and instantly dries my palette.) Love that handy little electric lift! Today Michael stopped by and showed me a few operating tricks; in addition, the lift owners removed the head-banger and extended the platform. Yea! Michael signed the projection list too:
Day One on the Mural, continued
I loaded the most pertinent supplies onto the lift, remembered how to turn it on and drive it, got it into position and couldn’t figure out how to raise it up. I was so desperate that I actually referred to the useless manual. It should have had a simple sentence reading “Move the yellow toggle switch to the left and use the same control that drives the machine to raise and lower it”. It didn’t say that. I called Keith and he talked me through. When I got as high as I needed to be, I began the sky. It took about 3 hours to cover it and here are the results:
It needs to be a lighter color and the mountains need to be raised. So, I got the new mountain level drawn on:
After that, the lift stopped lifting, so I moved to a lower section and began scribbling. Since painting is supposed to happen from back to front, this is out of order and will have to simply serve as a base coat.
Next, I went home to mix some colors – new sky, 2 shades of mountain and dirt.
Day One on the Mural
In life, I am pretty good at about 2 things (drawing and teaching drawing), pretty average at most things, and really bad at 2 things for sure: team sports and morning. Today, I got up at 5, left at 6, and was at the mural site at 6:30. 6:30 is a reasonable time; it is the preceding hour and 1/2 that really bite. When I got to the site I was greeted by this little guy:
Back in the early ’80s, my friend Stacy got a new Taurus, and we used to joke about all the push-button devices being like an electric wheelchair. (At the time I had a stick shift with crank windows and without a/c.) This electric lift is like the Taurus compared to the scaffolding I used last time!
I was also greeted by this list of names, a happy reminder of all the help I had on Thursday night. (but Michael forgot to sign!)
The wall looked like this with all the outlines:
You can see it didn’t fit all that well – there is extra space on either end. (Maybe projecting murals should get added to my list of team sports and morning.)
Okay, I am way too sleepy to continue this posting. Guess I’ll have to show you the morning’s work tomorrow. And no, I’m not going to take a nap because there is NO WAY I’m going to experience morning twice in one day!
Warming Up for The Mural
The paint and supplies had to be gathered to begin painting the new mural. As I was going through them, an overwhelming desire to begin came over me. Since it was afternoon and too hot at the mural site and besides, it was Sunday, and Exeter is 25 miles away, what was I supposed to do?? Paint another mural at home, that’s what!
This is the Eagle/Mosquito trailhead in Mineral King as it looks in August.
Finishing up
Exeter’s murals are really special, and it is due to a very dedicated team of volunteers. They do extra things that keep Exeter ahead of the pack. Last night the finishing touches were added to Mineral King: In Our Back Yard that really set it off. Look at these fabulous, over-sized, three-dimensional photo corners!
Now, when visitors ask me, “How’dju git them pichers on there?” I will simply say “With them there corner thingies!” 😎
Projecting the Project!
Thursday, June 3 was the date of projecting the latest Exeter mural onto the wall. Wow, was that ever a project! (Isn’t that an odd word in its various meanings?) There was a nice group of people there to celebrate Bill Sario’s birthday and that of his grandson. Bill fixed wonderful sandwiches for everyone, and Betsy baked a fabulous cake. There were a few local dignitaries and sponsors of the first Mineral King mural present, along with the mural team, other friends and interested folks.
I had to have a brief lift-operating lesson, and then it was (wisely) decided that my personal practice time should happen later. Keith became the lift operator for the big job ahead, which was that of aligning and tracing 16 (yes, SIXTEEN) transparencies. There must be a better way to do this! Ed Kesterson suggested a method using a laptop that was way over my equipment and experience level. (If I get another opportunity to do a huge mural, I will call him for help!) There are so many variables using an overhead projector – it has to be centered vertically and horizontally and MUST be perfectly parallel to the wall. The math needs to be accurate so there isn’t either too much mural or too much wall. Since I knew there wasn’t much chance of the math being accurate, we began toward the center and worked outward. This allowed there to be minimal slop on either end instead of a spare 10 feet (last mural had about 20 extra feet to contend with!) Larry Lee (of Larry Lee Photography) was present with his years of wisdom and helped tremendously with the calculations. He directed the order of slide projection and told me the parts most crucial to accuracy and success. Then, the fun began! First we did the 8 top transparencies, measuring and marking critical points. This was mostly done from ladders, and there are so many photos that I will keep them small so you can enlarge them if you choose.
Paul of the Exeter Sun-Gazette placed the first mark. 
Mickey is right-handed and Michael is left-handed – a perfect team!
Michael was awesome in his focus and bravery on a rickety antique ladder.
Samantha, a brand new engineer, is one of my most cherished former drawing students. We bonded initially over our Cat Disorders.
Nice group of folks here, included the soon to be born Otis/Emily.
Betsy was a real trooper as always, and stuck with us until the end at 10:15 p.m.
More commissions
The German Shepherd is named Dante, and there is no rush, thank goodness! I’ve never painted an animal before, so I’ll need all the time that the customer will allow me to learn how. The almost blank canvas will become redbud blooms. And the dancing feet deserve their own photo, because this is a special little project for my dancing friend, Sierra Swinney.
Sierra has been accepted into some Big Deal Ballet Thing in Alabama this summer and it will cost her a ton of money. When this 4×6″ painting is finished, I will auction it on eBay and the money we earn will help her get to the Big Deal. (Yes, I know it is called something else, but more will have to be revealed in a later posting.)
Last Saturday at the Art Co-op
The title doesn’t mean that the Co-op is closing – it means, well, never mind, it means last Saturday. Anyway, there were several of us who set ourselves up outside to show and sell our wares. My things were off to the left through that gate.
A nice man named Patrick brought some pruning shears and we took care of those errant acacia branches so I could paint without getting slapped in the back of the head. That would have been a serious distraction. The poppy painting got very detailed as you can see:
If you compare it to the entry on May 29 you can see the tremendous improvement. Looks a bit overly bright in this photo. After this dries I will add touches of lupine color in the background and put in lacy poppy leaves . It has to be dry before I try those, because they are very specific and if I mess them up, I want to be able to remove them without wiping out a flower!
The Oak Grove Bridge
Every time I paint this bridge, it sells. Obviously I am not alone in my obsession with it! This is from photos provided by my dear friend Marilyn, taken when the redbud was in bloom. This is the first time I have painted it in a horizontal format. This is the largest I have painted it (18 x24″). My plan is to finish it for the Creative Center show (June 24-August 21, 2011).