A friend of Trail Guy’s family has been in touch with me via email, and we have been enjoying our correspondence. She recently decided to commission me for an oil painting and 2 pencil drawings, all related to the Silver City Store*. After a great deal of communicating, sending photos, clarifying, and just discussing things, […]
New Beginning
Isn’t that title redundant? Probably. Every time I begin, it is on a new project. A thoughtful mom bought a painting of an iris for her daughter named Iris. She has another daughter named Camille and requested a camellia for her. Luckily, I have a good photo of a camellia in bloom, remembered the month […]
Birthday Drawing
Someone very dear and important to me recently had a birthday. Awhile ago, she sent me a photo of her cat and said she wanted to commission me to draw it. Or maybe she said to paint it. I forget – it has been awhile. With her birthday coming (do they ever stop coming, faster […]
Saw on a Saw, Done
Stick a fork in it, it’s done. (Better not – the tines will bend.) I gave this another good look. A few more branches on the left, another tree straightening, and my signature were all that it needed. Trail Guy and I wrapped it in 2 pieces of cardboard using duct tape around the […]
Saw/Saw 3
Saw/Saw, a mini mural of Sawtooth Peak on a round saw blade, was almost finished. I fixed the camera setting, stood on the ladder to photograph it, and then realized that the trees on the bottom were crooked. Of course I only noticed this after putting the photo in an email to the customers, but […]
Saw/Saw 2
Welcome back! I knew you would be interested to know how Saw/Saw turned out. Not sure if this qualifies as a real mural or not; I think it might just be an Odd Job. Finally, I figured out what was wonky with my camera. I had been experimenting with the settings, still not quite understanding […]
Saw/Saw
What is “Saw/Saw”? Glad you asked! I have been commissioned to paint Sawtooth on a saw blade. Hence, saw/saw. The blade is about 4′ in diameter and is heavy metal. I lifted it onto my round table and then couldn’t figure out whether or not I should lean on the teeth to get the balance […]
Pushing Through For Good Customers
Recently, I’ve focused on my weaknesses in drawing and painting. If I can’t see it, it might not be possible for me to draw or paint the thing. But, if I push through and have help and take lots of time, sometimes I can succeed. If these weren’t commissioned pieces with a paycheck at the end, […]
No Head Banging Necessary
My horsey friend didn’t respond to my request for help on the drawing that is too hard; my horsey drawing student did, and we experienced a serious role reversal! She offered detailed advice and supplied photos to help me understand the things that weren’t visible in my photo. I followed her instructions as best as […]
A Little Bit Too Hard
A dear friend asked me to do something almost impossible. He wanted me to draw something for which he had no photo: the Mineral King Pack Station as it appeared in the 1980s. This was before everyone and his brother carried a camera around, documenting lives as if getting paid for it. (Or is it that […]