Jana Botkin's Blog
Posting 5 days a week about the realities of earning a living as an artist in Tulare County, California's fly-over country.
A Day of Many Moving Parts
One day I had a bunch of things to juggle, beginning with a “telehealth” appointment. I stared at the landline off and on for 2
Silos and the Sierra
A few weeks ago, I went to Tulare. As usual, I chose back roads. There were orchards in bloom, greenery everywhere, and snow on the
Spring in Three Rivers
In the middle of a day of painting, I took a short walk. Last year at this time, we were preparing for a wedding. I
Drawing With My Paintbrush
We left off with this painting of a fabulous view from a special place in Tulare County at this stage. Everything remaining to finish falls
Sharon’s Suggestion
When I showed my two orchard paintings, Sharon, a real life friend and most active blog commenter, suggested I paint a stonefruit orchard in full
Non-painting Topics: a Mental Ramble
This is a bonus post, because I got up too early this morning and have many non-work-related thoughts. No reason, no point, just sharing a
While the Deer Were Grazing. . .
. . . I was actually painting. The canvas was finally covered, with good detail in the rock faces. (Not real faces—it is just the
Watching Deer or Oil Painting?
It’s kind of hard to focus on painting when this is outside the door. Apparently, I’m not the only creature to appreciate spring in Three
Painting Spring in Spring
We had a beautiful spring day before spring arrived. Instead of being out enjoying spring, I was inside painting a picture of spring. First, I