When a painting doesn’t sell, I study it to discern what can be improved.
This painting has been with me for awhile, so I gave it some thought and then made a few subtle changes.
I don’t expect you to be able to discern what I did to it, but maybe after it is dry and scanned, I’ll show you the before and after scans.
This painting has also been with me for awhile. It took about 4 years to complete because of not having a clear vision of what it ought to be. The photos meant something to me, but just didn’t translate into a nice scene. While I thought it was finished, it hasn’t rung anyone else’s bell
More thought, more study, and some useful input from Trail Guy resulted in this version.
Again, I don’t expect you to be able to discern what has been improved, but now I am hopeful that the right customer will come along.
Next week I’ll show you a more drastic do-over as we contemplate those finishing tasks in the painting workshop.
My life is full of random things lately. Some projects at church, a colorful scarf using up scraps to surprise a friend, walks by the river, minimal Christmas decorations, an oil painting workshop. And power outages, internet and phone outages, and road blocks.
Work consists of selling calendars and reminding folks of my show at CACHE* in Exeter, “Simply Home”, which ends December 29. Is that the last day or is that the day the show is coming off the walls? (Volunteer-run organizations tend toward squishiness, so I am unclear on the meaning of the ending date.)
Those words all describe my recent blog posts. I haven’t shown you any work in progress, only the pieces hanging at CACHE in my solo show “Simply Home” until December 29. (Have you been yet? Live too far away? I can ship paintings. Just sayin’. . .)
So, let’s enjoy a few more autumn photos from Three Rivers, taken before the storm. Chinese pistache trees remain the star in the landscapes; flowering pear is the champion outside my studio.
SIMPLY HOME
Sawtooth XXIII, 18×24″, $850
UNTIL DECEMBER 29, CACHE, 125 South B Street, Exeter, California
CACHE’s hours are posted on their website under the “Visit” tab. Scroll to the bottom and look on the right side.
When thanking the Veterans you know, embrace this observation from Army Veteran Charles Province:
It is the Soldier, not the minister, who has given us freedom of religion. It is the Soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the Soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to protest. It is the Soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the Soldier, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote. It is the Soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.
My drawing students are used to hearing me tell them, “You can be fast or you can be good; I get to be both.” Everyone still laughs, in spite of the obnoxiousness of the second part.
This is an indisputable truth, when it comes to the highly detailed, accurate type of drawing that I teach.
Alice worked on a drawing of her Desert Painted Sheep, nicknamed “Oughtie”, for several years. (Hey Alice, I didn’t mean THAT S L O W!) But things take as long as they take*. She was very meticulous about every shape, every texture, every value, and she did a fantabulous job.
I didn’t take any photos of the process, or more accurately, I don’t remember if I took any photos of the process. We discussed various background ideas, tried some different textures, and ultimately, she decided that the drawing is finished.
During the process, I learned that goats’ tails go up and sheeps’ tails go down. She made some good friends to play pickleball with. (My drawing students have varied interests and are some of the nicest people you could ever spend time with.)
Here is the final outcome, scanned, but not yet scrubbed up with Photoshop (the junior version).
The artist forgot to sign the drawing before she sent it home with me to scan, so she emailed me a few signatures. I chose one and placed it on the scrubbed-up scan.
My classes are full but you are welcome to get on a waiting list. If there are four people waiting who can all meet at 1 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons, I will add that 1 p.m. class.
Seeing a collection of paintings that has sold provides fuel to keep me painting during a season of slow sales. This is a season of producing; November-December was a season of selling.
1.Quill Driver Books is a traditional publishing company in Fresno. Fresno?? How could I have not heard of this place? They aren’t accepting any submissions, but the books they sell look very interesting.
Reading Rabbit, AKA Salt and Light
2. Just for fun, have a look at this tree called the “wonky conker”. I don’t remember where I saw it, but it is a real curiosity.
This is a live oak, not the wonky conker, but I needed a photo here so you wouldn’t get bored with too much typing.
3. I heard someone say in an interview, “I’d rather have questions without answers than be told answers without being able to ask questions.” Amen!
Tucker and Pippin mainly want to know why we can’t keep the vehicles engines warm for them at all times.Jackson’s main question is “May I have more food now?”
4. My feet hurt. I thought it is peripheral neuropathy (from 2 different podiatrists), but now I have learned that it could be Morton’s neuroma, something I had never heard of. I am figuring it out on my own, and not having much confidence in doctors right now. (I’m afeared* that it’s both.)
Could this foot apparel from 1979 be why my feet hurt in 2024?
5. No cussing in pickleball. Really! If you cuss in a tournament, there are penalties. The friend who explained this to me said it has to do with respect for the game. In today’s world of coarse language, this is refreshing. (I thought the pickleball players that I occasionally watch were just all on good behavior because most of them attend the same church!)
6. If you grow yourhair to have it made into a wig or hairpiece, when it is time to cut it, it’s best to divide it into 4 ponytails, then cut it 1″ above the rubber band. AND, don’t cut it wet because it could mold. (Eeewww) Most places that take donations need a minimum of 10″, and some require as much as 12″. I wonder if I can hold out against a haircut for another 6 months. . .
7. Grocery shopping in new stores is kind of stressful; in one day I visited Sprouts for the first time (shockingly expensive and fancy), Aldi’s (priced about the same as Winco with much less selection), and finally I went to Winco with tremendous relief. Good grief Charlie Brown—I need to get out more if visiting new grocery stores stresses me.
I’d rather pick my fruit in an orchard than in a new grocery store.
8. You know those cartoons of pretty ladies from the 1950s with sarcastic and inappropriate captions? The originator of many is someone named Anne Taintor, and you can find 102 of them on The Bored Panda. So funny!! (Maybe other people have done these captioned funnies too, but I just learned about Anne Taintor.)
*I know that’s not a word. I’m trying to put a little levity into a rather alarming situation.
I worked on all manner of small things. Here is the progression. The final one is too small for you to see my signature, indicating completion.
Next, I added a bit more color to my yarn painting. Ooo-eee, the colors are SO WRONG on the screen! Guess you’ll have to wait until I am finished and scan the painting to understand what is here
For dessert at the end of the painting session, I worked on the background of the rose.
At the end of the day, I made a list. Farewell Gap – sign and paint edges; Take Me Home – make those oak trees more believable, keep painting, ain’t no fat lady singing on that mess yet; Rose – paint the rose, sign it, paint the edges, give it a name; Orange Groves – the list is too long; Yarn – some blue? enough green? enough red?
The indecision is helped by a list, but not always.
If you receive this in your email and want to see the photos, click on the title “Favorite Internet Places for You”.
A favorite place NOT on the internet (not a recent photo)
There are some places on the internet that are too good to not share with you. It is hard to find well-written blogs with regular posts, blogs without ads or with too much self-focus or excuses for not writing or no posts for months at a time. So many that I used to like have just gone splat or poof, but these have endured.
STILL is a blog with photos of natural found objects arranged in patterns. The background is just plain white without ads or words, but if you want to know what you are seeing, you can click on the tiny word “Details” on the lower right. It is simply stunning.
I took this screen shot off the site without permission. (Ahem, STILL blogger, please forgive me, and I hope this results in more followers.)
Tim Cotton Writes is a blog written by a retired policeman in Maine. He tells stories and observations about his life in a manner that feels a bit like Prairie Home Companion meets Mike Rowe (which is where I “met” him). You can read about him on his home page here. (I have his first book The Detective in the Dooryard if you’d like to borrow it.)
The Frugal Girl has become my favorite blog. Kristen is consistent, honest, personal, and responsive to her very active commenting community. She regularly posts lists of frugal things and things to be thankful for, encouraging her readers to do the same. She feels like a friend, and she even answers emails.
“Frugal Pear”, painting from The Frugal Girl’s photo, now sold to one of her readers.
Everyday Cheapskate has so many helpful tips about almost every aspect of life. Look under the heading ARTICLES on her site and be stunned by the tremendous amount of wisdom available. Want to clean your shower? Keep brown sugar from going hard? Want to read some “News You Can Use” articles?
GoodReads is not a blog but it is the best place to learn about any book you might want to read, WITHOUT A USER NAME AND PASSWORD! It is also a place to keep track of what you have read, what you are reading now, and what you want to read. (That requires the hated user name and password routine). I use it regularly to decide what to read next and to keep track of what I have read. And you can sign up for give-aways, when authors have random drawings for their books. (I won one once!)
Reading Rabbit, AKA Salt & Light
Happy New Year! Consider these sites and recommendations a gift to start your year off with learning and entertainment.
