Let’s Go To The Beach

  Up through the summer of my tenth year of life, my grandmother had a house at the beach. This house may explain my predisposition toward shingle siding.  When I lived near the beach, I missed the mountains. Now that mountains are a regular part of my life, I miss the beach. So, let’s go to […]

Mineral King Trail Art

Being on a roll with pencil drawings of Mineral King makes me think very carefully about what I should draw next.  This is a view I recently painted, and it sold right away.  Allllrighty, then. Looks and sounds like a logical next pencil drawing. However, all the other drawings are vertical, so this scene will need […]

A Better Sawtooth

Sawtooth is that very visible and distinctive peak in Mineral King that shows up in Visalia on a clear day. Here is a pencil drawing of Sawtooth from 2003. It isn’t bad. Here is a pencil drawing of Sawtooth from last week. It is a different view, and I think it is better.   Here: […]

I Draw Better Now

Over a year ago, I was at a dinner and ran into someone who had bought a colored pencil drawing of oranges from me in the early 2000s. He mentioned that it was still hanging in his office. I said, “I draw better now; can I have it back to fix it?” Yes, I actually […]

Drawing Mineral King

It is Friday, and the only new thing I have to show you of Mineral King is a drawing. My weekends have been taken with memorial services (one last Saturday and another one tomorrow), drawing workshops, art receptions, business presentations.  I’m not complaining, just ‘splaining. The drawing is new. The scene is old, or perhaps “classic” […]

One Day Drawing Workshop

Happy Birthday, Lauren!! At Arts Visalia, a non-profit gallery in (duh) Visalia, I gave a drawing workshop on Saturday. There were 6 participants, all attending for different reasons – used to draw, always wanted to draw, tried it before but wasn’t successful, a painter who wants better shapes, draws a little but wants a boost. […]

Jennifer

Jennifer Logan was a friend of mine for about 30 years. We met in Lemon Cove at the Womans Club (yes, that is the correct spelling); I was taken with her English accent and for some reason, she liked me. She called me “Janner” and referred to herself as “Jennifa”, which tickled my fancy.  When […]

One Day Drawing Workshop

Are you interested in a one day drawing workshop? Here is your opportunity! Place: Arts Visalia, Visual Art Center 214 East Oak Avenue Visalia, CA 93279 Phone: (559)739-0905     Date: June 10 What: Pencil Drawing Workshop Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Instructor: Jana Botkin Details: This workshop teaches realistic detailed pencil drawing from photos. Advancing your skill set or new […]

Opening Night at Gray Matter

The show “Gray Matter”, consisting of pencil drawings by 3 of my advanced drawing students and me, opened on Friday evening. This is the Brandon-Mitchell Gallery from the front, 117 S. Locust Street, Visalia, California. That is the county seat of Tulare County, in Central California where I live and work as an artist. (In […]