Three Rivers Studio Tour Ten Wrap-up, part 1

The very popular flowering quince.

The gregarious Kaweah Kitty in the painting workshop.

 

Just the facts, Ma’am.

FRIDAY FACTS

1. It sprinkled when I removed the cover from my #13 sign to open for the day.

2. There were 30 visitors.

3. Most of them were women. (I think there were 4 men, and 1/2 were named Bob.)

4. 5 women came by themselves; the rest came in pairs or groups.

5. I knew 2/3 of the visitors; the other 1/3 were new to me.

6. Kaweah Kitty was very popular.

7. My flowering quince were very popular.

8. There were people from Porterville, Fresno, Visalia, Three Rivers, Santa Clara, Sandy Eggo, and Minnesota.

Friday was overcast.

Remember the chairs? Our experiment with sequoia trees engraved and painted has not yet been perfected, but the painted trees definitely dress up the chairs.

Three Rivers Studio Tour Ten. . .

. . . begins today! You can get tickets at the Three Rivers Historical Museum. The Tour runs today, Saturday, and Sunday from 10-5. My studio is one of 22. (Actually it is probably #13, but since I am not superstitious, this does not upset me.)

The flag is from First Saturday. There will be a different type of marker at the base of my driveway for Studio Tour. The weeds will be taller too.

 

The blooms got knocked off the tree by the snow. The snow got knocked off the tree by Michael. Hopefully Michael won’t get knocked off by anything or anyone.

If you are lucky, there will be a welcoming committee.

Peculiar Sight

One recent afternoon my husband called me into the living room to see something. I could tell from the sound of his voice that I should hurry and bring a camera. (25 years of marriage teach all sorts of non-verbal communication.)

Outside our living room we have a ladder leading up to the roof. I don’t know why. Michael wants it there, so there it is. He is a great husband – bit of a neatnik, loves to putter around the property, and an awesome BBQer, so if he wants a ladder outside the living room window, he may have his ladder there. (Why am I digressing into his good qualities? It is at the suggestion of my friend Jennifer in her blog.)

The raccoons like the ladder. The cats do too. This is Kaweah and Perkins. If Zeke was there too, all three might not have fit into the frame (or the ladder might have collapsed).

Isn’t it odd what amuses a California artist? Not much going on in Three Rivers (outside of planning for the studio tour or working on The Cabins of Wilsonia)

“Get a life”, I hear some of you thinking. (Yes, occasionally I can hear your thoughts.) Guess what? I have a life and I love it!

Three Rivers Studio Tour Ten

Of all the 22 studios on the tour, mine is the smallest and the most rustic. That’s okay – it IS called “Cabinart”.  (And please excuse the First Saturday flag – this post is about the Studio Tour.)

Tickets are on sale for $15/person and available at The Art Co-op in Three Rivers and Arts Visalia Gallery in Visalia. They are also available online at Three Rivers Art Studio Tour

After March 4 the price increases to $20 per ticket.

March 23-24-25 will be a beautiful weekend to drive around Three Rivers and visit 22 artists studios. You can do it at your own pace and pick your own route. You can even spend the night, or two nights. Soak up some spring time green and wildflowers in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Meet many California artists, remember why you live in Tulare County (or perhaps why you don’t), enjoy a rural weekend, slow things down a bit.

Most Popular Pencil Drawing

Whenever I put on an art show for my drawing students, it includes a popularity contest. Anyone who views the show may vote for his 3 favorite pieces. I do this because it causes visitors to spend more time studying the work. When folks say, “How am I supposed to decide?”, I respond with this: “Vote for the pieces that call you back”.

The piece that called the most viewers back was . . .

Kirby’s “Swan”!!

In addition to being the most popular, it sold! In addition to selling to one eager customer, there was another person waiting in the sidelines for the first buyer to change his mind! (And Kirby, it wasn’t a “mercy purchase” because he said it cost too much for that!!)

Congratulations, Kirby!!

Colors, a post event list of thoughts

  1. What a confusing weather day. It was frosty out when I loaded the car, and I was just sure I’d shiver all day long.
  2. I set up in the direct sunshine on Wendy’s porch and was just sure I’d hot to death.
  3. Notice the spacious spacing on the display panels. What do you think?
  4. It was weird to weed through my paintings and figure out which to show and which to leave out.
  5. Many friends showed up!
  6. I met some new folks.
  7. Despite the counsel to drop pencil and focus on oil painting (from Those In The Know About Such Things), more pencil items sold than oil paintings.
  8. The pencil things cost less; is there a correlation between price and sales?
  9. Does Mickey Mouse have ears?
  10. Colors is a beautiful store/gallery/happening place, and this California artist is grateful to be in such a fine artsy place as Three Rivers!

A List and request for your opinions

Hope you all enjoyed the week of fall photos! I loved taking and posting them for you. Okay, I did it for me too. 😎

With shows on three consecutive weekends thus far, I feel a little tired. Lists are an easy way to blog choppy unrelated ideas without sounding choppy and unrelated.

  1. This is the last week of drawing lessons for the year. I have a waiting list to get into lessons now so will have to ask the folks who aren’t attending regularly what their intentions are. Sometimes that feels very awkward – “Sorry to hear of your troubles – will you be continuing in lessons?” Or how about this version: “Haven’t seen you for a few weeks. Since you haven’t come, called, or paid, did you quit and forget to tell me?”
  2. The Perfect Gift Boutique was fun for several reasons. I like that little old building, it is a chance to hang out with some artist friends, and it is a chance to see folks who regularly visit Three Rivers over the Thanksgiving weekend.
  3. The Perfect Gift Boutique wasn’t fun for several reasons. It was hard to be indoors for 2 very nice days. It didn’t seem as if we had nearly as many visitors. Sometimes it feels as if shows aren’t really worth the amount of work. (I must be a little tired to be admitting that!)
  4. My husband thinks maybe I cram too many paintings into my booth and it overwhelms customers. He may be right. May I have your opinions in this matter?
  5. The handful of blogs I regularly read often use bold in the middle of their posts. I wonder why. Do you find it distracting?

Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad we had this little talk.


Bonus Fall Photos!

But wait! There’s more! First, remember the Perfect Gift Boutique today at the Three Rivers Arts Center from 10-4. This little building is the first building on the left, just over the bridge on North Fork Drive.