My natural bent is toward finishing. It is satisfying to git-‘er-dun, to cross things off the lists, to move things into the finished column. Perfectionism is for other people. However, as I prepare for the solo show in the fall of Tulare County’s prettiest places, I am warning and counseling myself to not settle for […]
Painting on a Rainy Day
On March 1, a Big Storm, nay, a Very Big Blizzard was predicted. I painted that day, of course working on more pieces of Tulare County’s prettiest places. I just couldn’t leave this one alone. A couple of things were nagging, so in spite of thinking it was finished, I made a few more tiny […]
Six Oil Paintings at Five Stages
I have oil paintings at every stage right now. All depict Tulare County places, because that is where your Central California artist resides. She is a Tulare County artist, perhaps more accurately known as a “regionalist from Quaintsville”. Finished, scanned, ready to show and sell: Finished, changed my mind, made it better, now drying again: […]
Spring is Short so Enjoy it Now!
Spring is exceedingly short, a beautiful season that could be cut off by a quick few days of heat. Last week in one of my regular posts of watching paint go slowly onto a canvas, I ended the post with a photo of my yard (“the yard”, “our yard”, the place outside of my home, […]
A Good Painting Day
What makes a good painting day? So glad you asked. It is a day where I make visible progress on paintings, the kind of progress that makes me like the pieces I am working on, and the kind of progress that brings me closer to putting the paintings on the DONE list of Tulare County’s […]
Four New Starts, One Signature, and My Yard
Let’s start with the signature. This indicates that I am finished with a painting, although I can be convinced to return to it later if something needs fixing up, something that I didn’t notice earlier. Now, to the new paintings. As normal, I studied my photos, messed with a few on Photoshop Jr. in order […]
Farming With Paint?
This day’s oil painting session went from an olive grove to a walnut grove. (Grove or orchard? Same thing.) The day ended with a potential cattle ranch. The last olive grove painting session left me with this mess to tackle, layer by layer. I began with improving the trunks and branches. Here you can see […]
Little Things Mean a Lot
It often just comes down to the little things, the details, those finishing touches on a painting that bring the most satisfaction. Here are five paintings that I added little things to on a single morning of painting. Big Oak: I studied this painting for awhile and decided the dirt patch at the bottom might […]
Frustrating to Productive, All in One Day
I had a day that began in frustration, feeling as if I was spinning my wheels and wasting precious time. First, I made a big list of what needed to be done on paintings in progress, or what needs to be finished, or what should be started next. Then, I lost the list. So, I […]
Four Paintings in One Day
I didn’t finish these four paintings in one day. I just made a little progress on each one. The color looks a bit off to me in each one, because I used the phone instead of the camera. Well, what did I expect? It’s a TELEPHONE! This painting now has more light and shadow on […]