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.
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!” 😎
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.
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.)
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!
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).
These paintings are finished and just drying. The top one is for an upcoming show at the Creative Center in Visalia; Sawtooth with lupine and the snow scene are commissions. The little square is a view of Timber Gap with flowers in the foreground – this is the 3rd time I’ve painted it (but with little changes) because it sells quickly. The 8×10 of Farewell Gap is a wedding gift – unless the parents of the bride decide to keep it! (just kidding, K & T!) Wow! 4 of these 5 are of Mineral King!
A former drawing student and good friend asked me to paint poppies for her entry-way. Because she is also a weaver and a student of the Fibonacci principle, she had definite (and good) ideas about the design. After much discussion, this is what I drew for her:
Scary, hunh? Good this you know that I can draw, or you might be doubting my abilities as an artist after seeing this!
N okayed the sketch, so I put it on the canvas.
Good thing you know I can paint, or you might be really worried at this point! I decided that the 2 flowers on the bottom are too close in size and too evenly placed, so as I applied the second layer of paint, I made slight adjustments.
When we began the mural project in 1996, our hope was to create a reason for people to come to Exeter. We wanted to WOW folks with our high quality outdoor art gallery, and now that is the reality. It still amazes me to contemplate the level of dedication and determination and perseverance that this project represents. A few months ago I met an adventuresome young couple who move every 3 months as she works in temporary positions and he finds jobs in the area. They were delightful, and here is their blog posting about Exeter’s murals: http://tirello.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/exeter-california-gateway-to-the-sequoias-and-home-of-the-murals/ Makes me feel warm and fuzzy! Thanks, Chris and Teri, for sharing your mural experience!
There are several commissioned paintings that need to be done before the mural begins. This is not one of them – it is a commission, but the commissioner said, “No Hurry”. (music to my ears!) He has a great 16×20″ photo of Sawtooth with Mineral Peak behind it and has been wanting a painting. His vision is a panorama shaped painting on wrapped canvas. I looked up available sizes, and he chose 18×36″. I cropped his photo using brown craft paper and began to outline the shapes in a gray-blue color.
Next, I turned both pieces upside down, changed to a reddish brown, and corrected the shapes. Sounds crazy, but it works! Why? When it is right side up my brain tells my eye “You know what Sawtooth looks like; just draw it!” When it is upside down, my eye says “A little longer here, a little wider there, this is in line with that, that is to the right of this. . .” while my brain says, “Hunh?”
