To continue yesterday’s dissatisfying post about color, here is an aspen painting before I added blue: Here it is afterward: Ahem. Why is it that I can repair photos quite well using Photoshop Elements but cannot get the same painting to scan the same way 2 times in a row? Who cares? I have real […]
A Conversation About Color
A friend is learning about art, practicing diligently at watercolor, taking workshops and painting with a group in her town. She also reads about art, and has been kind enough to spend time with me, discussing various art related topics. She told me about a book called “Breakfast at Sotheby’s: An A-Z of the Art […]
Kaweah Post Office Fundraising
The Kaweah Post Office is one of our only landmark structures in Three Rivers. I am working to help meet the insurance deductible to rebuild it because a big limb from a valley oak tree smashed the roof. (We are quite rural – perhaps a bear was in the tree eating acorns and caused the […]
The Two Mister Blacks
Mister Black is the name I give to the ravens I paint. There are two so far, painted because of the Raven Festival in Three Rivers. Three Rivers does something special-ish on the first Saturday of each month. A new theme is chosen each month, and for October, it is ravens. The amazing Nadi Spencer […]
Random Topic Round-up
Here’s a catch-all, catch-up post for you on random topics. My blog post ideas are triggered by pictures, and these were just languishing in the file without purpose. This painting was very difficult. I worked on it from real life, and from several different photos taken at different times of year. This is the final iteration […]
Exciting Times While Painting in Three Rivers
Sometimes, while painting in Three Rivers, in Tulare County in Central California (not LA, not San Francisco – NOTHING like the stereotypical California), I am just minding my own business, painting along, staying calm and focused, and then stuff happens. Smoke? I smell smoke. Hmmm, there are ashes. . . that’s worrisome. I don’t hear […]
Fruit Looping
Last week we looked at 3 completed fruit paintings that included a squished orange. I began 3 more fruit oil paintings (I AM a Central California artist, after all!) because I had 3 more of those extra thick canvases. Then, I looped back to the squished orange and unsquished it. Can you see the difference? […]
New Paintings, Squished Orange
My friend/customer LOVED these paintings, including the extra thick canvases. Yea! However, I studied the orange painting and realized it isn’t symmetrically round like an orange – it is squished on the left side. Back to the easels. . .
Jumping the Gun With Paint
Do you ever wonder about the origins of sayings such as “jumping the gun”? That is an easy one – it refers to racers (horses? people?) who take off before the starting gun. In commissions, the “starting gun” is when the customer pays 1/2 down and we decide exactly what she wants. A conversation alone is […]
Painting Mineral King
This has been a fine season for selling paintings of Mineral King scenes. Very fine! Each time I go by the Silver City Store, I stop to see what is remaining. Sometimes I bring a few new paintings along, other times I just make some notes about what to paint next. Here are the newest 3 for […]