What Are You Doing??

Happy Birthday, Deanne!!

What is Scout doing??

“What are you doing?” is a question directed to me, not to you. Some days I don’t know what to do. It results in talking to myself, occasionally in an audible voice. This isn’t because there isn’t anything pressing; it is because I can’t figure out how to prioritize. 

What would you do first? What am I doing??

  1. Begin painting the oil commission of Homer’s Nose with the Oak Grove Bridge
  2. Work on the oil painting of the South Fork of the Kaweah
  3. Begin a pencil commission that is too hard for me
  4. Work on the 2019 calendar drawings
  5. Package up note cards and reproduction prints for the upcoming show at Silver City (just below Mineral King) on June 30 called Art: Inspired by Mineral King
  6. Work on my bookkeeping to be ready to pay quarterly sales tax
  7. Work on “populating” my web site renovation
  8. Scan a drawing for a student and do the photoshop prep
  9. Photograph a completed painting and do all the computery things necessary to make it good for the website

Sometimes the business of art is just a quagmire of decision making. There is some study somewhere out there in some book that explains “decision fatigue”, how the more decisions we have to make in a day causes us to be less able to make good decisions. 

When I am figuring out what to work on next, I factor in weather (is it too hot in the painting workshop room?), deadlines (what is coming up next?) and finances (what activity will generate income when it is finished?).

#1 will generate income; #2 is just a speculation painting; #3 will generate income; #4 has an October deadline; #5 has a June 30 deadline; #6 has a deadline that I have forgotten about and ignore until an email reminder comes; #7 has been dragging along since January, my blog subscription button is gone, there are paintings listed for sale that have already sold and new paintings and cards that aren’t listed. Finally, #8 and #9 are just meh.

What did I decide to do?

Come back tomorrow and I’ll tell you.

Today’s painting for sale:

Never mind. Can’t decide. Decision fatigue, you know. . .?

Getting Started

The commissioned oil painting combining two Tulare County scenes feels like a mini-mural. 18×24″ is HUGE when I am accustomed to 8×10″ or 6×18″.

Often I have pondered why it is that a mural feels sort of easy because of its large size when a large oil painting feels daunting. Is it the number of layers? the level of detail? An oil painting certainly takes longer.

My customer approved of sketch #2.

Sketch #2

She is gracious and told me there is no rush. However, I am a bit of a “precrastinator”, a made-up word that is the opposite of “procrastinator”. It is much better to begin, to act as if there is a deadline, to be ready for contingencies, interruption, opportunities, and other emergencies than to just lollygag along, figuring it will get done when I FEEL like it. And losing momentum is a real risk – a customer can change his mind, or it could get too hot to paint. Besides, the sooner I finish a commissioned job, the sooner I get paid.

(There was a sign in a print shop where I used to work that said, “I work for money, not for fun; I want my money when my work is done.” I work for both.)

First, a little fun with Scout. She is sitting on Samson’s shelf. (He doesn’t need it any more. Sigh.)

Now it is time to get to work.

Such a basic beginning. I just draw the general stuff with my paintbrush.

To be sure of the shapes, sizes, proportions, and angles, it is easier to be objective when everything is upside down. The goal is to get a first layer on the canvas, something that I can correct with each successive layer. 

That’s enough for the first second third fourth step of this commissioned oil painting. (The first was a conversation, the second was an exchange of photos and a sketch, the third was the second sketch with the approval to begin painting).

Further Figuring Out

This is Chapter Two in the story of figuring out how to design one commissioned oil painting of two different Tulare County landmarks. As a Tulare County artist, I am pleased to have been chosen for the task.

The customer requested a different view of Homer’s Nose, and I have 5 photos from that point of view. This is the one we selected:

Homer’s Nose, from the Yokohl curve on Highway 198

She also requested a view of the Oak Grove bridge with more visible rocks (i.e. less water). If you have followed this blog or my art for very long, you know that the Oak Grove bridge is my favorite thing to draw and paint, even when it is a little bit too hard. So, I have plenty of photos to choose from for this very specific request:

Oak Grove Bridge photo by me from the same point of view, lower water so rocks more visible.

I know Spice Bush, but never heard of Mock Orange. Good thing I have friends with great photos who know far more than I do about many things.

Mock Orange, from a friend’s photo, flipped.

And a photo I have of Spice Bush, but will probably take more because it is in bloom right now and is beautiful.

Spice bush bloom

With all these visual aids, I drew this:

Sketch #2

What will my customer say in response to this second sketch? More will be revealed in the fullness of time. . . Tune in tomorrow, same Bat Time, same Bat Channel.

And here are today’s paintings, both commissioned pieces of Homer’s Nose, painted in 2014, each one 6×6″.

Homer’s Nose, oil on canvas, 6×6″, private collection
Homer’s Nose, oil on canvas, 6×6″, private collection

Figuring Things Out

Isn’t “figuring things out” a strange grouping of words? But we all know what that means. . . puzzling over something, trial and error, plan A and plan B, lots of conversation. . .

A long time friend asked me to do an oil painting of two significant Tulare County landmarks in her life. This is not two oil paintings; it is one painting with 2 separate scenes, a true piece of Tulare County art. I am a Tulare County artist, so why not?

I’ve been doing collage type pencil drawings for many years, but have never thought about this for oil paintings. This friend has challenged me before with other unusual ideas, and I’ve learned from her. So, here we go.

This is what she sent me first:

Homer’s Nose, a granite formation, from an unidentified magazine cover 
Homer’s Nose, a granite formation as viewed from another angle (from a book called To Find the Biggest Tree by Wendell D. Flint)
The Oak Grove Bridge with a significant pickup crossing it.

This is what I drew for her, using colored pencils so she could get an idea of how the two subjects would blend together into one painting.

Sketch #1

Her response was that she likes the view of Homer’s Nose from another place, likes to see lots of rocks under the bridge, and would like to see some wildflowers, preferably Mock Orange or Spice Bush.

Good thing I know what she is referring to on all these subjects and have 29,000 photos on my laptop that include most of what she is wanting.

To be continued. . . meanwhile, here is today’s painting. It no longer exists, but is the first oil painting I ever did of Homer’s Nose from that other place.

Homer’s Nose from Yokohl Curve, 12×16″, oil on canvas, gone.

Do-Over

Whenever someone approaches me about an old drawing or painting, I first hope the picture isn’t too embarrassing. Then I hope that the customer will allow me to repair, replace, and rework anything that is no longer up to my always improving standards.

While at the Redbud Festival, I met Karen, who is a new member of the Lemon Cove Women’s Club. She wanted to know how to get cards reprinted with the pencil drawing I did so long ago that I didn’t even put a date on it. (1988? 1989?). I said, “Sure, of course! I hope I can find the original drawing. . . HEY! IT’S IN MY DINING ROOM!”

I thought this was a good drawing, and maybe it was for my skill 30 years ago. But when I put it on my drawing table under the magnifying light, I was disappointed and thought, “that girl needed drawing lessons”.

I was able to find the photo and the original card. This was something to smile about, along with having the original drawing in my possession. (I haven’t kept very many, and wish I could gather all the old ones back for a do-over.)

3-1/2 x 5″ snapshot – how could anyone draw from this??
The card printed in 1988 or 1989.
Retouched with pencil, scanned, but not photoshopped
Photoshopped to printing perfection!

It probably wasn’t horrible, but my drawing students would have picked it apart, and I would want them to, because this is how we all learn to draw better. (Where was I when I needed my help back in 1988? The hubris of the young. . . sigh.)

A Bully of a Painting

The Kaweah Post Office XIV oil painting has been challenging me. By that, I mean it gets in my face each time I paint, and it says, “Whatcha gonna do about me, hunh? Hunh? Can you handle me? Betcha can’t! Besides, you don’t even know how to write 14 in Roman numerals!”

How rude. 

Guess I showed him. Still plenty of detail work remaining, but that’s the part I enjoy. It is drawing with my paintbrush, so there, Art Snobs.

Then I looked out the door and decided it was time to get away from this bully of a painting subject. Besides, I’m going to win this battle, so there.

Springtime beckons.

Tiptoeing Along on Several Oil Paintings

Why tiptoeing? Because it feels slow and careful at this stage, like I am just feeling my way along, trying to be as careful as possible.

First up, Sawtooth, the commissioned oil painting.

Second, rebuild the Kaweah Post Office, also a commissioned oil painting.

Third, plant some grasses. (Oil paint grasses, not fescue or bermuda or dichondra or Kentucky bluegrass or. . .) There was more progress made, but the phone call came that it was time to rescue Piper from the vet, where he got civilized this week. $192. No such thing as a free cat. (Samson cost $132 – he was in better shape to start with.)

Sawtooth got its front ridges painted.
Then I flipped it over to paint the bottom and begin the greenery.
This one had its skyline just too rough, with things not the right heights. So, I repainted the sky, using it to shape the mountain tops.
This was begun all wrong, wrong, wrong.
Better now. Miles to go before I sleep. . .
I mixed up 3 shades of green and began building background. While doing this, I increased the sizes of the blooms and added many more.

April Distractions in Three Rivers

I tried to oil paint last Friday but the greenery and wildflowers overcame my sense of duty. So, Trail Guy and I drove up North Fork Drive to the end.

My palette was ready to go.
I worked on Sawtooth a little.
After telling Trail Guy that I’d heard the flowers were great up North Fork and staring out the window a bit, he said, “Let’s go now!”

The road was longer, rougher, narrower than I remembered and all very worth the drive.

The last 3.5 miles are unpaved.
This is Yucca Creek at the end of North Fork Drive.
That’s one narrow little footbridge over a massive old culvert pipe.
Wowsa.
The yellow flowers are called Madia.
Heading back down has a view of Ash Peak with a blooming yucca and bush lupine.
Looking over the edge down to the North Fork makes one glad to not encounter any oncoming traffic on that narrow road with no turnouts.
Poppies are yellower in the wild than in my yard.
The poppies on the hillsides are what gave California its name of “The Golden State”. (Bet you thought it was the gold rush)
I love Fairy Lanterns, AKA Satin Bells. Pink isn’t my favorite color, but it is rare enough in nature that it stands out.

After we got back home, I painted a little bit more. There is this commissioned oil painting of Sawtooth for a very patient customer, and it would be good to make progress.

Sawtooth’s shape is improving, and it is acquiring colors and texture.

Then, I got distracted again and thought that wildflowers would look great on a 6×18″ canvas. Can you see the possibilities here? (Put on your rose-colored glasses with me!)

Planning a wildflower oil painting.

More Easel Time

Remember the commissioned oil painting of Sawtooth? I do, really, I do. Please don’t worry, DV!

It looked like this after the first painting session.
Now the sky and upper half of the painting has another layer that is more dramatic, which means both the colors and contrast are stronger.

It was a rainy overcast day, and by the time I got to the Sawtooth part of the painting, the light was too poor to mix colors accurately. That wasn’t very important on the first layer, but it is increasingly important as the layers build.

So, I moved on to a Kaweah Post Office commission. SD asked me to paint another Kaweah Post Office IX for her. This one is number IXV. It should be XV, but I didn’t number one of my earlier Kaweah Post Office paintings. That happens a lot around here.

Kaweah Post Office IX was painted in 2013; its twin will be painted in 2018 with a few adjustments. It will be a fraternal twin, rather than an identical one.
Gotta start somewhere. . . Don’t worry, SD. I’ll paint until you are thrilled with the results!

As I was painting, I realized it would be helpful to see the one this was modeled after, because maybe this wasn’t the actual photo used for that one. Yea for a laptop.

A decent start.
Added to the drying rack (who is back there making all that noise??)

Starting Over Again With Sawtooth

All those paintings of Sawtooth completed over the past several months, and someone wants a different size? 

Yep. No problem. I am an artist, and artists make art. Here are the beginning steps of the commissioned oil painting of Sawtooth:

First I assign an inventory #, title the piece and attach a hanging wire.
Second step is to prime the canvas, or “tone” it as another artist names it. That was even more boring than Step #1, so this photo is showing the paint from the tubes and the colors I mixed to begin the painting.
Painting from back to front means that the blue sky strips go on first.
Then some clouds, and the realization that it would be helpful to crop the photo to a square.
More clouds and the beginning of Sawtooth’s shape.
The angle looked too steep on Sawtooth’s right side slope, so I pulled out my angle finder tool. It was a little tricky to take this photo so I am not holding the thing correctly here (vertical needs to be vertical, not tipsy). I’ll recheck the angle in the next layer.
At the end of the painting session, everything had a first coat of paint.

Wow, it is time-consuming and interruptive to photograph the steps in this much detail. But, this customer has become a friend and likes seeing the progress. I’ve heard from others that seeing the process is interesting, so here we go. . .