Lest you worry that I am spending too much time taking walks, visiting friends, admiring daffodils, and weeding my baby poppies, here is some evidence of forward motion toward completing the paintings needed for the upcoming show Still Here at Arts Visalia in April.
It was getting dark, so it was hard to see the right colors and the detail. Plus, the cats were ready to reclaim their home/jail/safe space for the night.
As a thank you gift for a gift of oil paints, brushes, and an easel, I am painting a Karmann Ghia.
No, not painting a car, making an oil painting of a Karmann Ghia.
This is for a former drawing student, and because my students and I always tell each other the truth about our art, I asked him to tell me if the painting was finished.
In the photo he sent to me, there was a piece of chrome missing from the door. I wasn’t sure what he was referring to, so I took a close up photo of the door on the painting to ask.
He replied with another photo of the car. (I deleted it before remembering that you might want to see it.)
Aha! I fixed the painting.
This received approval, but I told him that I think oil paint is so wobbly compared to pencil. It is. The canvas has texture, the paint doesn’t often flow smoothly, and the brush hairs go rogue. But I keep trying to make my paintings look as good up close as they do from the back of a fast horse (or across the room).
I touched up the sky, brought the painting into the house to dry, and then scanned it.
Another one of my drawing students asked me why I painted it so small. BECAUSE IT IS FREE! Besides, when you give someone a piece of art, it isn’t wise to assume they will love it as much as you do or that they might have space for something large.
Isn’t that a lovely word? I love the juxtaposition of agriculture, especially citrus, against foothills. It wasn’t until I looked at my entire body of work that I realized this subject wasn’t adequately represented.
This painting of Lemon Cove is still in progress, an afterthought to my upcoming art show, Still Here, coming to Arts Visalia for the month of April.
This last photo was taken after dark, when I was painting using a light. I wonder how the color will look in daylight.
Meanwhile, I recently spent a bit of time with a friend in Orange Cove, another beautiful area of the Central Valley where citrus meets the foothills.
Orange Cove is in Fresno County, so I won’t be hustling to make any paintings from these pictures for the upcoming show. Its focus will be Tulare County, because I am STILL HERE!!
One of my long-time drawing students took as many art classes as he could cram in for several years at the local junior college. (Sorry, not sorry – “community college”) He completely immersed himself in art until suddenly, he was finished. Done. His interests moved into mechanical subjects, and currently he is immersing himself in all things automotive.
A few weeks ago he asked me if I’d like to have his oil painting supplies. REALLY?? Yes, please! What a generous gift!
So, I decided to paint a gift for him.
It isn’t quite finished because it needs me to draw with my paintbrush in order to reach the level of detail to do justice to his Karmann Ghia.
Yes, I still have paintings to finish for my upcoming show, Still Here.
But, in spite of those necessary paintings for the show, I am still. . .
I was tempted to work on the Mineral King paintings, but cowboy logic steered me toward finishing the ones with the closer deadline (April, Still Here, an exhibition at Arts Visalia).
This new one (not the Mineral King ones – were you paying attention to the first paragraph?) is 8×16″, a new shape and size for me to paint. It is lacking some detail, a signature, and paint on the edges.
This painting is almost finished. Here are three stages:
It lacks a couple of wind machines, some oranges, a signature, and paint on the edges.
This one will take several more layers because I am covering over some old painting on this canvas, which a friend kindly brought to me from a yard sale.
Because these 3 new pieces were going well, I decided to try a 4th new one. A realtor friend advertised a Springville ranch with a photo so beautiful that I asked him if he could connect me with the photographer for permission to paint. The photographer replied to me directly in the affirmative.
Rose-colored glasses might help you see the potential. (That’s just a figure of speech.)
You can see that I am really taken with scenes that combine foothills and agriculture. I feel certain that a cowboy would agree with the appeal of these paintings.
When I thought through the oil paintings that are ready for the upcoming show, Still Here, for April at Arts Visalia, I realized there were a few more subjects that will add to the mix. Round it out. Complete it.
These are looking scrappy and rough, as paintings do while in progress. This isn’t a very satisfying step in the painting process; hence, the odd job kept pulling me away from the easel. But with a looming deadline (doesn’t that sound ominous?? It doesn’t truly feel that way), I will get back to these paintings and see if I can finish them for the show. They are 16×20″, 8×16″, and 6×18″, all manageable sizes.
P.S. Hi Tucker. You’ve already been fed three times – thank you for just sitting with me instead of begging.
Take a deep calming breath. There are no new ones yet, but “Starting New Mineral King Oil Paintings” is too long a title. However, I have fired up the Mineral King Painting Machine (that is a particular part of my brain that gets a little time off in winter).
First, I read through my lists of what sold, what remains, what subjects and sizes are missing. (That step isn’t one that I can photograph for you.)
Then I decide on canvas sizes, look through my photos, and make decisions. Last year more medium sized paintings sold than small ones. I have plenty of small ones remaining, so the sizes I’ll be painting now are 8×8″, 10×10″, and 6×18″. “Medium”? In my world, yes, these are medium sizes. (This step was tricky in that I had to figure out what to do with my large oil paintings that are still wet in order to use the table.)
There are many ways to start oil paintings. I chose a haphazard semi-lazy just-draw-it-on-the-canvas method. I don’t have a lot of hustle right now – just plodding forward is getting the job done. (More coffee? Start eating sugar again? Nah.)
Scribble scribble, dab, pick any color, just do something.
That’s a decent start.
Can I take a break now? A little recess, perhaps? Maybe I’ll go weed my baby poppies, because I love February.
Those large oil paintings were looking so good that I carried them out into the sunshine for a little recess.
After recess, I made a few additions and changes in spite of having signed them. They will need another recess for yet another photography session.
This one was too wet to carry outside. It is also unfinished and unsigned.
Now it is a little better. This one requires copious amounts of studying and thinking.
(Sorry, no hopscotch or tetherball at recess, although Tucker may have considered playing tag at one point.)
Still Here, my upcoming exhibition for the month of April has me dithering about how much is enough, how to prioritize the work ahead, and wishing for the umpteenth time that I had a functional and accurate crystal ball.
When Arts Visalia asked me if I’d move from January 2022 to April 2021, I decided that I would finish 4 of the 5 paintings in progress and not try to add anything else. The fifth could just wait for another opportunity.
Because I am painting larger than normal for me, I am not able to guess how long a painting will take to finish. The ones on the easels seemed almost impossibly far from completion. Then suddenly 3 of the 4 looked ready to sign. So, I pulled out #5, because it will be a nice addition.
Meanwhile, I went through my framed pencil drawings and decided a bit more variety will be good. So, I delivered 3 more drawings to my framer with the usual instructions of “Make them look good and call me when they are ready.” I believe in hiring the best people for the job and then just getting out of their way.
I wonder if Arts Visalia will rethink the decision to hang my work in Gallery 2 and move me into the Main Gallery. I could fill it up. My work could fill both galleries. HEY, ARTS VISALIA, DO YOU READ MY BLOG?
Probably not. Guess I’ll head back to the easels.
The weather was stunning last week, which made it difficult to focus on work. Trail Guy invited me to go enjoy the great outdoors with him, so I spent 2 hours doing non-work. Then I dove back into my show prep.
First, I chose photos for Arts Visalia to use for publicity. They requested 4; I chose 12. Oops.
Then I worked on the artist statement, which I streamlined a bit more (thank you, Blog Reader Sharon!)
Next, I filled out the contract. Seems a little bit out of order, but maybe they know that I am a woman of my word.
Finally, I painted.
These big boys are a little cumbersome to move around and store while wet.
Finally, I decided this smaller one is finished, no more messing around.
You may breathe easier, seeing that I didn’t put this Sequoia oil painting in the dumpster.
