I have been commissioned to paint Sawtooth on a saw blade. Hence, saw/saw.
The blade is about 4′ in diameter and is heavy metal. I lifted it onto my round table and then couldn’t figure out whether or not I should lean on the teeth to get the balance off myself and onto the table. The weight made the decision for me – it was too heavy to hold while I decided whether or not the teeth would hurt me.
Round blade on a round table.This photo was the customer’s preferred view and seems to be the most popular version of Sawtooth I’ve ever painted. I got lucky with my timing on that photo, which is how most of my good reference photos happen. Wait. It isn’t luck; it is Divine Intervention.Most of the colors were already mixed in my mural paints.Starting from back to front means sky first, clouds next.That went fast. Here are the colors I might need for Sawtooth.Sawtooth’s colors look different all the time, so I don’t have to match the photo, just make it look good.Oops. The camera was on a weird setting (Poster effect? What means that??) I wondered why things were looking darker on my camera than in real life!
And that’s all you get to see today. Tomorrow is Friday, and Fridays are for Mineral King.
See you on Monday? I’ll show you . . . the rest of the story! (Anyone else around here grow up listening to Paul Harvey?)
Each year, summer comes and Mineral King opens at the same time. This year I felt very prepared, having completed 30-40 paintings of Mineral King, many of which sold as I was working on them. Small paintings sell at the Silver City Store Resort, and that is my main place to sell during the summer.
In July, I decided that I still didn’t have enough. There were too many Sawtooths, not enough general subjects, and definitely not enough bears. Because of the difficulty of getting photos of bears, I don’t have much reference material. However, the one bear painting I did sold immediately, so I decided to paint from some of my other bear photos, even though they aren’t that good. After all, if I can draw horses that I can’t see, certainly I can paint bears that I can’t see.
All that was hanging in the painting workshop was the 10×10″ sold bridge and a retouched “Leaving Monarch”.
After a little self talk (Who cares if you don’t want to paint bears from photos that don’t offer enough detail? Would you rather wait tables somewhere? Be a nanny? Pack fruit? Come on, let’s move it, hubba hubba hubba!!), I began two 6×6″ bears, and prepared to do another painting of the famous view from the bridge of Farewell Gap with the Crowley Cabin.
Turning things sideways helps me see the shapes more accurately.
Then I slapped out the 6×6″ painting of the most photographed, painted, drawn and recognizable scene in Mineral King. Very few people notice that the tallest tree, the red fir on the left is no longer there. A shorter red fir is now in that position, but I have a collection of “old” photos that I don’t want to waste. So I paint it and people buy it. (Thank you, Buying People!)
Top to bottom, left to right: Bear IV, Mineral King XI, Leaving Monarch, Oak Grove Bridge XXIV, Bear III
(Lest you worry about my attitude, I actually enjoyed the painting session in spite of the rattling swamp cooler and excessive heat. It helped to listen to The Recappery, where the History Chicks gave a thorough account of an episode of “Anne With An E”. They are so much fun, and they bleep their cuss words.)
July is a busy month in Mineral King. One could just sit on the porch, knitting and reading, or one could get out and see and do. I am one of the latter types, sometimes. These photos represent the activities in about a three day stretch of time in Mineral King.
Flowers along the trail to Eagle meadow (below the Eagle/Mosquito junction)The flowers were beautiful; the biting bugs were horrible.Scary scary tree situation along the trail; I wonder how many people look up.We climbed up and up and up, including over this boulder field, “just over that rise” to White Chief.This is looking back down toward Eagle Lake, which we did not go to because it was supposed to be a pleasant walk to see some wildflowers. (fall down laughing)Weird, weird, weird (and an excuse to stand still and catch my breath)YES!! We found our slippy slopey way down to White Chief!Another scary tree situation above the trail on the way down from White Chief.
The next day, my friend and I strolled down the Nature Trail. I stood in the middle of the creek to get this photo of water with Sawtooth in the distance. If I draw or paint this, I will exaggerate the size and contrast of Sawtooth.
Next, Trail Guy worked on tightening up the railing on the bridge that he helped build in 2011. That’s a pretty strong work ethic–improving one’s work 6 years after retiring, off the clock, no supervision, just wanting his work to hold up. I’m proud to be married to this man!
We had the privilege of guiding a group of students from Western Michigan University Lee Honors College who are on a trek, following in the steps of Walt Disney. They call themselves “Waltineers”, and are a delightful group of folks who all have a great love for Uncle Wally and all things Disney.
Not a whole lot of sitting around at the cabin. Mineral King is a busy busy place in July.
Last week we took in the 2 best canyons, White Chief and Farewell, with a friend on one long mostly off-trail day. The flowers were spectacular.
The lupine were at their peak.Almost there – a steep climb. The fit folks would say “just a short hop over the ridge”. The sort of fit would say, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” The unfit wouldn’t even be present. (Putting it this way makes me feel better about my own personal struggles in the fight against gravity.)The wildflowers were truly stunning on the south side of Farewell Canyon where the old route is.The photos never do the real scene justice; however, I bet your legs aren’t sore.
My recent time in Mineral King was varied. Have a look:
The art show and sale, “Art: Inspired by Mineral King” was a hit!
Some of my paintings on the display screens; everyone else’s were on the other side.Botanical watercolorist Joan Keesey demonstrated.Watercolorist John Keesey told another disappointed potential customer that the piece they wanted was not for sale. . . sigh.
Trail Guy couldn’t get out of the driveway to come help me bring the show home and I couldn’t get in with all my stuff because 2 cars parked directly at the end of our road.
If you recognize either of these cars, please explain to the owners that it is a bad thing to block a driveway.
We enjoyed a bonfire with our neighbors (and we were a bit short on sweets so I went to them a-beggin’).
We shared our roasting forks and they shared their marshmallows.
We walked the 4 miles to the Farewell Gap/Frankin Lakes junction. It felt like 6. Who moved this spot that we call “The Wildflower Cafe”??
It was worth 8 miles round trip to enjoy the wildflowers.Franklin Creek was crossable – Trail Guy rock-hopped, and I walked straight through.I learned a new (and difficult to photograph) flower called “Blue-eyed Grass”.
I had some fun going to Soda Springs and then to a swimming hole above Soda Springs with some friends/neighbors.
This is how a crazy 7 year old enjoys cold water with his grandma, who is not very traditionally grandmotherly!
When we could exit our driveway, we went to Silver City to retrieve my display screens and were happily surprised by dear friends/neighbors, who helped Trail Guy rehang our wedding photo. (We were the first to go on the wall, because the former owner was a great romantic and felt she had a hand in our meeting and marrying.)
Just a few of the many wedding photos, 2 couples with whom I worked at the store and married the same year.
Another hike ensued, but you’ll have to wait until next Friday to learn about it.
Farewell Gap, a pencil drawing, will be available as a framed original for $400 and in card sets.
After 7-8 months of painting toward a show about Mineral King and (almost) in Mineral King, it is tomorrow!
Is it considered shouting to use bold type? Or is that only for capital letters? I’ve always always always considered italics to be whispering, so maybe this paragraph will be more soothing to your ears.
Four artists with cabins in the Mineral King area will be showing and selling our work on the deck of the Silver City Store tomorrow, June 30, 10 AM until 3 PM.
The Silver City Store is 21 miles up the Mineral King Road. It is a long way there, a long and winding road, and it is well worth the effort it takes to get there. The store is at about 6700′ in elevation, and it is no longer called “The Store” but now is “The Silver City Resort”. The store itself has been remodeled into a new rustic elegant interior; the artists will be on the spacious outdoor deck.
Linda Hengst, Joan Keesey, John Keesey and I will be there. Linda paints in acrylic (or is it oil? Hard for me to tell the difference), Joan does tight realistic botanicals in watercolors, and John does whimsical playful watercolors of somewhat stylized scenery of the area. Linda’s work makes you say “Ahhhh”, Joan’s work makes you say, “Ooooh”, and John’s work makes you smile. My work? Um, let’s see. . . “How much for this one?”
I am taking 23 oil paintings (some of which I have shown you on this blog), 5 pencil drawings (all of which you have seen on this blog), Mineral King cards (old and new designs), a few reproductions of pencil drawings (also of Mineral King, duh) and some copies of my book The Cabins of Wilsonia. (The Cabins of Where? Yes, they have been requested.)
Let’s roll! See you tomorrow??
Art: Inspired byMineral King
Show and Sale
FOUR ARTISTS: Jana Botkin, Linda Hengst, Joan and John Keesey
SILVER CITY RESORT, 21 miles up the Mineral King Road
Saturday, June 30, 2018
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Honeymoon Cabin #33, 6×18″, $160 inc. tax. (I like this one so much that if I saw it in a gallery, I’d probably buy it.)
Trail Guy’s favorite place to hike is White Chief. Mine too. I wasn’t there for this hike, but he graciously and eagerly shared his photos with me to share with you.
Oops. This is from a hike up toward Timber Gap, not White Chief. White Chief shows in the distance.Phlox, also from the Timber Gap hike.The square top is White Chief peak.This is a scene I painted over the winter, but with lots more color, mostly greens.
Several friends have taught us to be on the lookout for heart shaped rocks. Trail Guy has gotten very good at spotting them.Western Wallflower
A marmot, probably fixing to do an ear-splitting shriek of a chirp.What’s hiding in the rocks?
Today’s painting is for sale:
White Chief III, 11×14″, oil on wrapped canvas, $275
Opening weekend in Mineral King in 2018 was cold, drizzly, foggy and not conducive to any photos. Besides, my camera battery was dead.
The skies cleared briefly on Sunday evening. I borrowed Trail Guy’s camera for this:
Monday was glorious, sunny, bright, and warm(ish). I took this from our friend’s porch
The little cabin is actually an outhouse. It is where I found that gigantic snowball in March. Wow, 2-1/2 months later, and now the snow is only on distant peaks.
Finally, here is the classic photograph.
Would this look like camera distortion if it was painted in oil?
And thus we begin another summer season in Mineral King.
Painting Drawing of the day:
Farewell Gap #4, pencil drawing, framed to approximately 11×14, $400 including tax
The Mineral King official season begins around Memorial Weekend each year. The gate was unlocked and opened to the public on Wednesday, May 23. Since at the time of this blog post I haven’t yet been to Mineral King, I will show you some photos from years 2007 forward. Why 2007? Because that is the year I first used a digital camera. The weather varies tremendously from year to year.
The business of art is full of choices and decisions, and rarely is there a map or an instruction book. I can find things on the World Wide Web, but often the advice is contradictory, or geared toward folks who live in cities or sell in galleries. This forces me to do my own thinking, an exhausting proposition at times.
For the upcoming show on June 30, “ART: INSPIRED BY MINERAL KING”, I have been painting diligently since January. Many pieces have sold, so I just keep painting more.
Last week I made a small decision: I am not going to show photos of the newest pieces I’ve finished on the blog. Instead, I am saving them for the actual show. Afterward, I will post them here, hopefully with a SOLD sign on them.
This is a marketing decision. Might be good, might be dumb. As my dad used to say, “Time will tell”. (I prefer “More will be revealed in the fullness of time”.)
Then what shall I show you today? How about Piper and some weird white poppies:
There are white poppies in my yard. Piper is puzzled by this.
