Painting Big Some More

Yeppers, trying to figure out how to paint big is occupying my time and mind these days. As I struggled with the Mineral King Honeymoon Cabin and got stuck again, I decided to start another big painting.

Sure. That makes sense. If something is hard, do it more. Practice makes perfect. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. But wait! Mrs. Kline taught us in 4th grade to “Never trouble trouble ’til trouble troubles you”.

Never mind.

Let’s try a simpler, more forgiving subject.

Bet you can guess what this will be. (The little circle is a wooden knob on the end of a pull chain for a lamp in the ceiling. You are welcome. I could feel you wondering about it.)
I could barely reach the top of the canvas so I rested it against the easel on the table instead of securing it inside the easel.
This looks like a good beginning.

Painting Giant Sequoias big makes sense. One day there will be a fancy “boutique motel” in Three Rivers which will be clamoring for large paintings by local artists of local subjects, and I will be ready!

Painting Big

Painting big in oils is harder than painting big on a mural. Not sure why just yet, but not giving up either.

This painting sat for a week or so at this stage.
The smallest tree in the main central clump of trees is there in real life, but it adds nothing. Looking at the painting for a week helped me see this. Now it is gone from the painting.
I was looking at several photos and couldn’t figure out which was my main reference. So, I asked Trail Guy which lighting situation he preferred, and for him, it was a “no brainer”. That helped me stop jumping from this angle to that one and back again. Then I covered the canvas with a first layer so almost no white space remains.

There are many hours remaining to complete this painting. I am the Central California artist, my specialty is Mineral King, and I can do this! (a little pep talk to myself.) Maybe if I think hard enough about this, I’ll figure out what is so difficult and then find a way through.

Odd Job

As an artist with a lengthy reputation of reliability and skill in the same county for several decades, I get asked to do many odd things in the name of art. It is just part of the business of art.

Some friends have a painting of Mineral King by a long-deceased relative, someone who wasn’t very familiar with Mineral King. They didn’t like something about it, and asked me if I could change it. I enjoy challenges like this, so I said yes. The back of the painting is signed with the year 1964.

What’s wrong with this picture?
My friends’ beef with the painting is the scary face in the rock.
The lump on Farewell Gap really bothered me.
Little Red Riding Hood is seriously out of proportion; the upper body is too big for the lower body.
Scary face gone!
Lumpectomy performed on the right flank of West Florence (and Bearskin added to Vandever).
Now Little Red Riding Hood will be able to hike better.

Mucho Bettero. My friends reassured me that Great Aunt Whose-it won’t haunt me for messing with her painting. Someday in the future, someone may retouch my paintings, and to them I say, “Go for it!”

Going Bigger

In the post “Eight Things I Learned in October”, #3 said, “It is time to think about painting larger.”

Doing rather than just talking is something I value, so. . .

. . .I began a larger painting, and am slowly coming to understand the reason it feels necessary. Most of my paintings are 12×16″ and smaller, with a handful of 18×24″; this is fine for the art and craft fairs, but not so fine if I ever want to get into galleries. Do I? Not sure, but it can’t hurt to be prepared. (What I’d really like is for the hoped-for boutique motel to come to Three Rivers and buy my paintings!)

Here we go – 18×36″, practically a mural in my world.
Working from a previous version of the same scene, 6×18″, on my laptop screen.
The proportions of 18×36″ are different than the 6×18″, so I am struggling a bit with placement and sizes. I can do this!! (One would hope so, since I have painted the scene about 3 or 4 dozen times).
Looks as if we will be on this for awhile.

I need a bit more gratification, a quicker sense of accomplishment. First, I’ll go outside and enjoy some fall colors, try to get a sense of something other than “OH NO WHAT HAVE I BEGUN?”

Tomorrow you will see my quick fix to fulfill the need to complete something.

Good Season at Silver City

Yesterday the gate to Mineral King shut for the season.

Since 2010, the Silver City Store at the Silver City Resort, as they are now officially called, has been selling my oil paintings. 2019 was the best year ever!

6×6″ remained the most popular size (it costs the least), the Crowley cabin with Farewell Gap in the background remained the most popular scene, with the Honeymoon Cabin, my favorite Oak Grove Bridge and Sawtooth running neck and neck in second place.

Have a look at a few of the paintings that sold. I’m not showing the most popular scene because the other ones need a chance to shine too. (Except for the bridge, because you know it is my favorite subject to draw and paint.)



P.S. We also sold quite a few packages of Mineral King notecards (assortment of 4 pencil drawings) and many Mineral King Wildflowers: Common Names.

Thank you, Silver City Resort/Store!

Recently Completed

See? I have been working, despite the all the travelogue posts. (It takes more days to show and tell about a trip than the trip actually lasted).

“First Granddaughter” (no, not mine!), 8×10″, pencil, private collection
Mineral King Alpenglow, 6×18″, oil on wrapped canvas, private collection

Little Odd Job of Wildflowers

A friend-collector (collector-friend? friend/collector? How do I call these wonderful folks??) brought me a hand mirror, requesting that I paint wildflowers on the back.

I began with a sketch in colored pencil to see if I was on the same track with her.


When she approved, it was time for oil painting in great detail, my favorite way to paint.

The upper flowers will be wildflowers of Mineral King; the lower ones will be foothill wildflowers.
Green always makes things look better.
More green = more better.
Am I finished? Nope. Friend/Customer requested the leaf or two of a corn lily. I can do that! Besides, I want to do tighter detail on some of the flowers, and more solid greens in the background.
Now it is finished. This method of photographing it on top of the reference photos makes me smile.

More Mineral King in the Studio

I’ve been looking forward to painting in the painting studio/workshop for a few weeks. Going to Sandy Eggo, working on the mural, time in Mineral King – all good things, but still things that prevented painting in the studio. Life is a series of choices and consequences.

Almost finished.
Drying on the table beneath its companion commissioned Mineral King oil paintings.

Painting Mineral King in the Studio

This is a commissioned oil painting of Mineral King. The Friend/Customer wanted a painting to fit a particular space and match some of her other paintings. This magical scene was her decision, and I am happy to comply.

Here we go, step by step.

From the top: the original reference photo, the reference photo that her other painting came from, first layer of the 6×18″ painting, a print of the other time I painted this scene.
What’s going on here? I already like the painting! Normally I just hold my nose (figuratively, not literally) at this stage of a painting.

Maybe something I learned in the plein air painting sessions is improving my studio painting. (Or maybe this is just a magical scene.)

Another Do-Over

These colors aren’t right.
Better!

When I was new to oil painting, I was bound to photos. That is the best way for me to learn – mix the colors to match the photo. Finally, after many years of painting, I have developed the ability and confidence to just make scenes look as good as I am able.

P.S. This is Mineral King, which I am sure you figured out.