This is the crowd shuffling back down the hall as the party was over. The conversations were so much fun. I heard people going on about the bathrooms (“Fine facilities!” in a very Southern accent), talking about how many paper napkins with the White House emblem that they stuffed in their purses, and the cameras […]
The Ornament Story, chapter 3
A note about getting “gussied up”. . . I faxed the White House a second time to ask about the dress code. Here in Tulare County, “dressed up” means that I iron a polo shirt for Michael to wear with decent jeans. “Formal” means his best Wranglers, boots, and a “sport” jacket. (“Sport?” What, is […]
The Ornament Story, chapter 2
Bob from the White House filled me in on the details of the reception, so I began making travel plans. (Nope, it wasn’t paid for by anyone but Trail Guy and your Central California artist.) We have very good friends in Pennsylvania who invited us to stay with them AND, get this, lent us a […]
The Ornament Story, chapter 1
In August of 2007, I was asked to paint an ornament for the White House Christmas tree, representing Sequoia National Park. My first thought was “Shoot! Another freebie!” I was told an invitation to a reception at the White House would come with the ornament, and I thought, “So? I have to pay for that […]
Drawing versus art
In college, I had an art teacher in a design class or some other esoteric subject who said to me, “Just because you can draw doesn’t make you an artist”. I was devastated, insulted, dismayed, shocked, and any other adjective you can think of for the situation—how dare he say that to me!! Now that […]
The Rules
There have been many art teachers in my life, and each one seems to have hard and fast rules. Several colored pencil (CP) teachers have said NEVER USE BLACK. Another CP teacher said, “If you aren’t supposed to use black, why do they manufacture it?” That strikes me as pure (un)common sense. One CP teacher […]
The Cabins of Mineral King
About 11 years ago I was puzzling over how to make my microscopic art business grow. A friend (aka “Limeygirl”) proposed I write a book to feature my art. I laughed aloud, and said “People don’t write books!”, meaning people such as myself. She said “Of course they do, Silly!”As I pondered her suggestion, […]
Flags should be in color!
This little gem was fun! Seems to me that any time there is a flag, color should be applied. On the last commission, the customer and I discussed adding color to the flowers. We concluded that there was only one place it would work, and then the front door would no longer be the […]
All About Drawing Pencils
I use three different brands of pencils. None is particularly better than any other, but my current favorite is the red one, Stabilo. I can’t find them anymore, but being someone who dislikes shopping, I haven’t tried very hard yet. The blue ones, Staedtler, are pretty good, quite dark, but not as dark as […]
That Ag Art Show
Today I visited Celebrate Agriculture With The Arts in Madera. (that’s a long ways away from Three Rivers!!) This is the show in which my ice cream cone called Worth It won a second place ribbon in the category of Dairy. Art shows and judging are a mysterious process. I found my piece and wondered […]