The owners of a ranch used a hand drawn map to show visitors (for various reasons) how to find the right pastures, and they decided that a pretty map would better serve their purposes. They brought the hand drawn map along with a county map showing property lines and buildings. Think, think, think. How do […]
An Unusual Job in Three Rivers
Some folks in Three Rivers with a horse-breeding ranch asked me to turn their hand-scratched map into a thing of beauty. It doesn’t need to be to-scale, but all the pastures, corrals, gates, arenas, barns, ponds, and various buildings need to be in proper relation to one another. This necessitated a walk around the place, […]
An Old Drawing Reappears
Someone I’ve never met called and actually left a message. I returned the call to learn about someone (Let’s call her AF) who bought an old home and had seen a pencil drawing of the house. The seller was supposed to leave it behind, but took it away. AF had the foresight to take a […]
Begun, Finished, Improved
Begun These oil paintings have their first layer down. Finished These paintings are dry, scanned, and delivered to their stores. (And in the category of Wishful Thinking, perhaps they are sold.) Improved These paintings have some minor items added to make them a smidge better.
Working Through the List on the Commissioned Oil Painting
And writing the longest blog title ever. Does this look finished to you? It’s not. When I was driving home a few evenings ago, I really studied the way the ridges change color as they recede into the distance. So, I messed with them again. The differences are subtle, and now that I see it […]
Layering, Layering, Layering, Layering Some More.
The sky was bugging me, not just because of the uneven brush strokes. It seemed to be the wrong color. So, I repainted it. Yeppers, better. Those hills don’t look far enough away. So, I lightened them and made them duller in color. (a little shiny-wet here) Then I redid the dirt and the trees. […]
Because I Felt Like Drawing
In 1990, I drew the Exeter Woman’s Club. (Yes, that is the correct name—I just work here.) It was part of a set of notecards called Tulare County Landmarks. No one can find the original drawing. All I have is this scan of a notecard with a hole punched in the corner. The club asked […]
Layer by Layer
I spent a morning inside that open door, working on the unusual commissioned oil painting. Let’s do a series of progressive painting photos (the first two appeared on February 27). The studio sat empty beneath the flowering pear tree. Pippin waited for me patiently, until he found something more interesting to investigate.
The Emerging Drawing Continues
While I was waiting to hear if JM approved the house, I began one of the dogs. Just like on the itty-bitty-face drawing, I am leaving a gap between the different subjects to fill in later. (This picture is overexposed on the left side of the house because my giant magnifying light is washing it […]
A Drawing Slowly Emerges
Many years ago, there was a fabulous little place in Lemon Cove called Foothill Fruit. The owner was a terrific baker and sandwich maker, and some mornings I woke up just ravenous for one of her scones and French Roast coffee. I worked there for a few brief months (it used to be necesary to […]