Fall color in Mineral King is fairly subtle. Things turn yellow and brown, and then fall off and leave gray behind. But we also have great aspen trees, and when the light is right and all sorts of mysterious factors combine, they can get bright. Reds are rare, so a strong orange is fairly exciting. […]
Not Too Much
And that is the answer to “Hey Central California Artist, what are you working on these days?” Odd Job My friend G explained that he just needs an outline of what might pass for the tops of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, stretched across a single 12 foot panel. Jimmy delivered four for some unknown reason. […]
It Seemed Like a Good Idea
I had a great idea that I thought would take off like gangbusters. Watercolor workbooks are a bit of a fad right now. They feature about a dozen small simple watercolor paintings with a page facing each one to duplicate each painting, along with color swatches to mix, and simple instructions. These are very cool […]
One Morning in April
Not quite as pretty as the morning when I took the photo to paint Sunrise over the Kaweah River. T (my walking partner) and I see these bunnies almost every morning. We don’t understand how they survive. Blue dick and common madia are still going strong. It was a morning to spend in the yard. […]
Painting Lots of Orange Things
When you look at my painting subjects, you might guess that orange is my favorite color. You’d be wrong. However, orange things are among my favorite things (not raindrops on roses). The poppy painting is on the easel for consideration and contemplation. How can I make it better? Does it need to be made better? […]
Color Grabs My Attention
2025 CALENDARS AVAILABLE HERE. For the first many years (how many??) of my art career, I only worked in pencil, with occasional forays into colored pencil. The detail, the precision, the accuracy, the requirement of strong contrast and composition—all of these things held my attention. Plus, pencils are easy to transport, use, clean up—simple minimal […]
Final Weekend of the 2024 Mineral King Season
Business first First, an ad. I hope to see you all (my tens of readers) on Saturday! Mineral King Many people enjoy Mineral King in summer; fewer make it there in the fall, and a very few make it up in the winter (for many good reasons, beginning with the locked gates). I think of […]
And Another Still Life
Fridays are usually for Mineral King. We haven’t been able to get there due to the road closure. There are limited times that people can pass through, but it isn’t helpful to only be able to go up at the end of the day and be required to head down early in the morning. (Maybe […]
Six Reasons I Loved Painting This Rose
The rose painting went to Kaweah Arts for the final hurrah before they close (reopening in March). This meant that I didn’t give it a clever name, just slapped it with “Rose”. I loved painting this because:
Victory Tomatoes
My drawing of tomatoes is completed. Carrie Lewis asked for a paragraph of 100 words or less to accompany the drawing. Here is what I submitted. Gardening feels like a war. We planted many tomatoes in an enclosed area, protected underneath from gophers, on all sides from deer, and over the top from birds*. We […]