You may have noticed that I have been lollygagging quite a bit this year. I remember my dad describing himself as “semi-retired” when he was the age I am now. I think that is beginning to describe me. Go for a walk, hang out with some friends, organize some stuff, do a freebie job at […]
Buckling Down Further
I looked at this painting and decided it could wait. Instead, I decided to work on the marmot. And then the deer. Finally, I wanted to do something easy, so I put the first layer on these three paintings. I’d call that a productive-enough day! P.S. Probably shouldn’t have signed the marmot. His nose is […]
Back to Buckling Down
Here is the afternoon’s painting session after a morning of exploring around Lake Kaweah. I’m easing into the production of Mineral King paintings, with the workshop doors open to the greenery, flowers, cats, and sounds of leaf blowers, chain saws, a distant donkey, and the occasional vehicle. March is a month full of distractions and […]
March Forth on March Fourth
This pencil drawing was done from several photos taken in the campground Sequoia RV Ranch up North Fork Drive in Three Rivers. Like the other drawings used in the 2026 calendar, the original is on a piece of 11×14” archival paper. It is for sale. $375 (plus tax if you live in California) or make […]
Buckling Down
“Buckling down” is a weird expression. It reminds me of sayings such as “nose to the grindstone”, “shoulder to the wheel”, “eye on the ball”. . . How can a person accomplish anything in that awkward pose? It was a beautiful early spring day (Yeppers, February is spring in Three Rivers). After a fair amount […]
Just Some Stuff
These three topics are rattling around in my skull. ONE It rained and hailed rather ferociously while I was painting that indoor oak tree at my church; two days later I took this photo. Check out the first daffodils in bloom, in spite of the recent heavy cold storm. TWO The elephant was buried in […]
Quickity Painting Session
This stack of ten canvases was staring at me accusingly. So rude. The only way I could get them to shut up was to start working on them. I spread out the smallest canvases with their photos, mixed up a pile of sky color to cover eight of the beginning backgrounds, along with a nondescript […]
Red-Neck Ramblings
I could be oil painting but seem to want to pull weeds, write blog posts, text with a friend about a difficult situation, make yogurt, and write a few letters. We have a bit of a situation, but as a wise friend has said, “When you have a problem and you have money to fix […]
Planning Session for Summer Selling Season
Deciding what to paint for the Silver City Store this coming summer felt like a daunting task. There is no excuse for procrastination, and the better I plan, the better the sales. So, suck it up, Buttercup. The first step in planning is to look at the available Mineral King paintings. (For my out-of-the-area readers, […]
Finally Painting Sequoias Again
After a couple of weeks of messing around, I finally planted my feet in front of the easels to complete these three Sequoia paintings. First, I dabbled on this one day, and then said, “Never mind, I’d rather [walk] [pull weeds] [go to the library] [anything else]”. I girded my loins, and returned to the […]