These 2 “$4 Lawn Job” pieces will be in the Richeson 75 exhibit. I am a bit puzzled over why the bridge is in the book but not the exhibit and these 2 are in the exhibit but not the book. Life is full of mysteries!
Redwood & Dogwood, 9-1/2 x 6″, pencil, $400
Wood, Wind, Waves, 11-3/4 x 7″, $500
Our lawn mowing boy spent a fair amount of time thinking about what Mr. Persnickety told him. “No one has ever done a $4 lawn job for me.” He decided that he would be the first. I’ve forgotten much of what the boy did, but it did involve some sort of a roller device to flatten any slight bumps and there was a nap in the middle of the day so he could continue on in the afternoon. When he had finally exhausted every possible method of perfecting that lawn, he knocked on the door and announced to Mr. Persnickety that he had done a $4 lawn job. Mr. Persnickety was skeptical and began inspecting his work. After going over every inch of his yard, he agreed that the boy had indeed accomplished the impossible and he paid him his $4.
What does that have to do with my art? Hang on, I’m getting to that part! You may have noticed that I don’t participate in many competitions or shows that are juried and judged. Earlier in my career, I tried those. After several rejections, (one show was a consistent winner – Madera Arts Council Ag Arts) and after reading a great deal about ways to build an art career, it seemed best to just focus on the local market.
Then, along came the Richeson 75. This is the first show I’d heard of that separates dry media from oils from wet media, which means pencil isn’t competing against painting. Something told me to try this show, and I knew I was facing my own $4 lawn job challenge. (REALLY! That is how I thought of it!)
First, I chose my best subject and found the best possible photo of it. Then, I cropped it to the Golden Rectangle proportions, drew it carefully, shaded it, took it to my students to evaluate, layered a bit more, lightened here and darkened there, put it under a magnifier and sharpened all the edges of the bridge, studied it, changed a few things, and finally, sent it to the Richeson 75 in the Landscape, dry media category.
Rappity, tappity, bingety, BANG, BOOM!!! chhhhhhhh (that last noise was a cymbal.)
Rural Dignity, pencil, 6×9-1/2″
It will be in the exhibition book for the Landscape, Architecture and Seascape 2011 show!!
The Hidden Gardens Tour was a booming success on Saturday. Zillions of people came, and the weather was perfect. I was supposed to be painting plein air, which means “on site”, but really probably means “OHMYGOSH This Is Impossible”. I did paint but probably more words were spread around than paint was applied. Wow, what a gorgeous place I got to be!
The plan: take photos in advance, and do the first pass over the canvas of about 8 paintings. On site, move about every 45 minutes and work on a new painting. By the end of the day (a five hour time chunk), have 8 paintings almost completed. (Please don’t hurt yourself laughing nor snort coffee out of your nose onto your computer)
The reality: 1 painting finished in advance of the day, 2 sort of finished during the 5 hours. changed location once. Lots of conversations, visiting with old friends and making new ones, lots of just dabbing at the canvas thinking “I’ll just have to fix this later”,
Some people asked if it was my place – I said “In my dreams!”One woman asked me if she could use my bathroom – I said “Sure, but you’ll have to walk a mile to get to it”. It was just a very very nice experience, and when it was over, my feet hurt but my heart felt happy.
The 2 lower paintings got sort of done-ish, and the wisteria was completed last week.
Hi. If you haven’t gotten your tickets for the Hidden Gardens Tour, you still can. It is one week from today. And if you are wavering, I’m hoping these photos will whet your appetite and push the doubts away.
In addition to painting on location, I will have a few paintings with me. A percentage of the proceeds from the sales of those paintings will benefit our little Three Rivers School. Have a sneak preview:
What I really mean is will it be finished in time for the show at the Tulare History Museum, opening May 5. My good friend DJ and I love to discuss business. I asked her to look at the paintings I have for the show to see if she thought it was a good mix. She said it could use one large central point, a grab-’em-and-pull-’em-in kind of painting. We tried on several ideas. The mail came, and there was a large envelope from Kodak. I opened it, showed DJ some of my photos, and she said “THAT’S IT!” She pointed to a pair of photos, asked if I could paint the two together for a large picture. After dithering a bit, I asked Michael if he minded being painted for a show. He liked the idea, so here we go!
This is HUGE for me. 36×24″ is MASSIVE. It feels bigger than a mural, because with oil I layer and layer and layer, and use as much detail as I can manage. Murals use acrylic, and sloppier strokes look tight and careful on a giant scale. Murals are fast compared to this size of oil. Oh-oh, I’m shutting up now or I will talk myself out of trying to finish this! If it is finished, I will tell you but not show it. I want you to come to the show! The opening: Tulare Historical Museum, May 5, 5:30-7:00
And, just in case you may have forgotten, this is a painting of a man fishing in a stream in the Sierra Nevada, in Sequoia National Park, in California. I am a California artist!
Just in case you were wondering, I am continuing to produce oil paintings for my upcoming solo show at the Tulare Historical Museum. The opening will be May 5, a Thursday. May sounds far away, but there are really only about 5 weeks left for painting. Instead of showing you paintings as I complete them, I will just give you hints of what will be in the show. Ooh, is that fair? Is it causing you to get out your calendars? Good! 😎
There will be poppies. 4 paintings, each 8×8″, $75. Just sayin’, as the popular cliche goes. I think it means that I am making sure you have the information, but what you do with it is up to you, no pressure. OF COURSE there will be poppies – I am a California artist!
Tenth in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays”
One of the most visible ways of selling art in a place like Tulare County is the ubiquitous arts and craft fair. There was a time when these were rare events, and one of the best was and still is our very own Redbud Festival. The Redbud had an aura of specialness around it to me as a girl. My great Aunt Mary would tell us about her weaving or the Tibetan “boys” who sold the exquisite rugs of their native country to support themselves through COS.
When choosing shows to participate in, one needs a sense of the show – is it organized, publicized and well-attended? Does one’s work fit? Is there too much similar work already at the show? Will it be worth the work and travel time and expenses? As with much of the business of art, a crystal ball would be a great asset!
The vendors must decide what to take, then gather, package, price and load it. In addition to the merchandise, there are all the display items. Once it is all transported to the site, it must be unloaded and carried to a 10×10′ square where it gets arranged into a beautiful but temporary show space. There are little details to be worked out with neighboring vendors, making sure that displays don’t cause tripping hazards or sometimes sharing the backs of screens for others to use.
But wait! There’s more! After all that, the artist gets to talk and smile and listen to many visitors all day. Everyone wants to tell about their aunt’s next-door neighbor’s kid who loves to draw muscle men and race cars, or a daughter who “needs to do something with her art”. There is a fine line between listening enough to be polite, and getting trapped while potential customers are lost. The vendor can’t lose sight of the fact that she is paying for a temporary store to sell her work, not running a How-To-Be-An-Artist clinic!
One of the most awkward parts of these shows is the way they end. Almost every show contract requires a signature agreeing to stay until the advertised ending time. And, almost every show’s traffic just vanishes about an hour before the end. Unfailingly, there are vendors who pack before the show ends. Often I have found that by staying until the final moments, there are last minute buyers who are grateful to find exhibitors still in place.
When the vendors are about to croak from exhaustion, it is time to box it all up and haul it back to the car. Often it feels as if I am taking more home than I brought, probably because packing on site is much more rushed than packing in the studio. At times, I’ve relied on photos of how it came in the trunk of my car so that I can fit it all back in!
Craft shows are about much more than just selling art. Marketing, exposure, future sales, credibility, visibility and connecting with the public are less tangible aspects but just as important In addition, participating in shows right here in Three Rivers is a huge social occasion for the producers, vendors and visitors.
What a strikingly beautiful weekend! This type of day is why February is my favorite month. This is the depot where the workshop was held:
This is the mirror so I could show the massive crowds my work and they could watch me produce it. Nice idea, but there were about 9 folks who braved the storm Friday night, so I was able to pass around my examples and let each person examine them closely.
These are the folks who decided to return on Saturday for the hands-on workshop. There could have been a crowd of 30, so this small group was almost just like my regular drawing lessons. It was a real treat to get to know each person a little bit and spend more time helping each one.
Baxter was my host on Friday night. Terrific dog!
On February 25 and 26, I will be giving a demonstration and workshop in Porterville for their very active art association. There is still space if you’d like to register. The cost is $30 for members of the P’ville Art Assn. and $35 for non-members. I may have mentioned a time or two that I love to draw, and pencil drawing will be the subject of the events.
Everyone likes a freebie – door prize, raffle prize, pick-a-prize, silent auction, live auction, buy-one-get-one-free. (I like free stuff too, particularly consumables, specifically dark chocolate.) This is what I am donating to the Porterville Art Association – not sure how they will turn it into a freebie. Guess we will all have to attend!
This is 16×12″ oil on wrapped canvas. It represents 2 days of exploring Yokohl Valley last March at the height of wildflower season. I spent an inordinate amount of time on it, and almost had to break out my blow dryer to have it dry in time for the show! “Yokohl Valley Revisited” at the Tulare Historical Museum opened last night.
The title of this paintings has 2 meanings: a fair amount of trespassing was involved in gathering my photos. Number two: in the Bible “trespasses” means sin; I think it would be a sin to turn this gorgeous place into a city. I can just hear my Very Wise Dad saying in his overly calm voice meant to soothe but also a bit infuriating, “Everybody has to live somewhere.”
