The summer storms continue in Mineral King.
This is how things looked on Thursday, July 2, 2015.
Trail Guy went hiking the next day to check out the effects of the flood. Trail erosion, high water marks, usually empty sink holes now full – none of that makes for good photos. So, have a look at White Chief with water flowing!
Dragon flies – can you see them?
My oil paintings of Mineral King are selling steadily. This means I’d better get those paint brushes moving. Now that there are no drawing lessons, I have an extra day each week for painting.
There is a method. I don’t just paint whatever floats my boat. Instead, I take inventory. Hmmm, how many Farewell Gaps of what size? Is there anything else with water? How many Sawtooths of which sizes? Haven’t done any animals lately. . .
And while I’m on the subject, there are a couple of Mineral King paintings in the “I Paint Better Now” category. Might as well freshen them up.
First pass, hanging to dry.
Will these 2 Sawtooth paintings dry in time to scan before I take them to the Silver City Store, 4 miles below Mineral King? Better hang them outside in the summer heat.
A bear and a marmot! Trail Guy is getting great photos for me. The bottom 2 are the I Paint Better Nows.
This scene is so classic. 2 sizes, 2 different times of summer.
P.S. Call me “Butter” because I’m on a roll!
The last time I was in Mineral King, I did almost nothing. Accomplished quite a bit of knitting, but went nowhere and did nothing else. Read a little. But went nowhere.
The shadow beneath the bridge was nice. This photo has been enhanced, because the reality is that there is mostly brown, brownish gray, and brownish green in the scene. California is very brown, including the governor. Brown, brown, brown.
Sawtooth looked quite fetching on the way up the hill. (It is gray, not brown.)
There is some subtle color (enhanced browns?) on Vandever, which is the right half of Farewell Gap.
Each of these photos will make a decent painting, particularly if I juice up the colors.
Hey! I did do something. Gathering photos for future paintings is something. In fact, I think it must have been a business trip!
Despite the relentless heat and lack of water in Central California, it is green in Mineral King in the summer.
Here are some recent photos taken by my husband, AKA Trail Guy.
Can you see the pika? (Pronounced “PEE-kuh”)
Upper Cobalt Lake.
The drive up the hill was sunny, clear and hot. I stopped at my favorite bridge to contemplate some rock formations that confound me each time I paint the scene. I’m not sure these photos will add any clarity.
A few hours later, it was HAILING in Mineral King. It hailed for about 3 hours.
Look at the back steps of the cabin!!
Look out the front windows. What a hardy (dumb?) bird!
When it was over, it was over. No more precipitation, no more clouds.
But look how deep the hail is on the ground!
The water was really flowing, like it does in a normal spring after a normal winter. Wait. Is normal wet, or is normal dry? The recent normal has been dry. So, I am very very thankful for all the rain and hail we have gotten so far this spring in Mineral King. VERY. VERY.
The hail turned the corn lily into shredded wheat.
Monarch Falls was charging full! It was running like chocolate milk for a little while.
The side of West Florence reflected nicely in this puddle on the road.
The following day we walked up to Crystal Creek. These are mud flows across the trail. It was a mess.
And Crystal Creek was running at a much higher volume than over Memorial Day weekend. We didn’t measure the precipitation from those storms, but this one told our rain gauge FOUR AND ONE QUARTER INCHES!!
Because it was almost a non-winter, we had early access to Mineral King this year. However, it didn’t act very summerish in those early weeks. (You may recall our cold, gray, overcast, foggy and rainy Memorial Weekend.)
Two weeks later I was back, and had an exciting afternoon in the cabin.
Is this hail??
It is, but the mountain quail doesn’t mind. Wow, it really piled up out there!
It cleared up for an evening stroll, so we got to see the alpen-glow on Empire (this is the rock outcropping, not the highest part of the mountain.)
Despite our lack of precipitation during the so-called “winter” of last season, these spring storms are providing water, for which we are very grateful.
Hail remained on Sawtooth for much of the next day.
If a bit of judicious pruning was done, the point of Sawtooth would be visible in this view. I have made it visible with pencils several times (all sold, no records, sigh.) I think of this as Tim and Judy’s view, because they were married close by 19 years ago. (or was it 21 years??) We’ve lost touch with several moves and 3 adopted children later, but they will remain forever in my heart.
Maybe it is time to paint this scene. Mineral King provides an endless source of inspiration.
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While I was painting diligently at home in Three Rivers, Trail Guy, who is retired, was hiking in Mineral King. He now has possession of the little camera that I used to carry around, so he documents his hikes for me to share with you. Or maybe he does it simply to share with me? Whatevs. Here are some photos from a couple of forays in the earlier spring months.
Trail Guy met a couple of guys from Germany. If he told me their names, I forgot. How about Gunther and Rolf? This was on the way up toward Farewell Gap.
Isn’t it cold and gray here? Brrrr.
It is actually a great time of year to see stuff when all the growth is low and the bears are out.
Hi, Bear.
Pussy Paws! (and some sunshine)
Marmot!
Evidence of human habitation, back in the mining era of Mineral King
A splendiforous view from the Timber Gap trail. Trail Guy has a couple of loop hikes that he repeats several times over the course of a summer. This one is the Empire loop.
And this is the view I used on my first big mural in Exeter, called “Mineral King: In Our Backyard” (named by Trail Guy, of course!)
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Sometimes, instead of going to Mineral King, I stay home and paint it.
Sounds stupid, but it is my business. My mission is to represent, portray and show off the beauty of Tulare County.
As a studio painter, it helps me to be in the studio.
If I painted plein air, I’d be at work instead of on leisure time while in Mineral King. Forget that noise!
This is 3 paintings in progress, working from 2 photos. (The photos are the ones with the completed tall trees.)
This is on a 4×4″ board with a very smooth surface. The smooth surface gives me the option of putting in a ton of detail. It will look sweet sitting on a little easel.
Here are the 2 6×6″ oil paintings that should dry quickly since summer seems to have arrived. The one on the left doesn’t look anemic in real life.
Apparently I got confused as to which photo I was using. When scene is this familiar, sometimes I forget to look at the reference and just go.
And when I see these as photos, I think they still need more work. Interesting, because I spent HOURS on these. HOURS, I tell you! (And those were hours I could have been relaxing or hiking in Mineral King out of the heat – anyone appreciate my dedication to work here?)
Mineral King was overcast, cold, rainy and foggy on opening weekend this year. Guess it makes sense to get March in May since we had May in March.
What’s a Central California artist to do? How about read, knit and discuss colors? I said blue, Michael said purple, and neighbor Annie said purplish blue. (Discussing the yarn color with a purple glasses case thrown in for comparison.)
How about a some bird watching out the window? Down the hill we have California quail and scrub jays; up the hill we have Mountain Quail and stellar jays.
Is the sun starting to break out? Let’s go see!
Reminds me of a couple of paintings! Mineral King is definitely a major source of inspiration behind my art.
Well, oops. There seems to now be a tree missing from this scene.
Farewell Gap XVII, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×10″, $100
Honeymoon Cabin XX, oil on wrapped canvas, 8×8″, $90
As a Central California artist in Tulare County, it is my mission, goal and duty to portray the beauty of this place I live.
Yesterday I showed you oil paintings as examples of the various subjects I paint that fall into a category I call “Because People Like It”.
However, I didn’t show you my latest paintings in several of those categories.
Let’s try this again:
