Old Calendars

In 2012 I made my first calendar. It was an experiment, because a calendar has a short time to sell, and when it is over, a business is stuck with unsellable inventory. The calendar sold well enough, 100 turned out to be the right number, and I have continued making calendars ever since.

When reviewing the calendars, it looks as if they are random. In fact, each calendar represents the previous year’s focus (or obsession). There are photos, paintings, and drawings.

2013 – I didn’t save a picture of either the front or the back, so I don’t know what it was about or what I named it. I ordered about 10 or 20 at a time because I didn’t know how well it would sell. (Obviously I didn’t know much that year.)

2014 Tulare County calendar
2014 – Back when I only had about 15,000 photos, I was able to go through and select 12 for this calendar without too much trouble. But what did the front look like?
2015’s calendar was my best oil paintings that were horizontal and of Tulare County subjects. I called it “Beautiful Tulare County”. Again I ask, “What did the front look like?”
2016’s calendar was pencil drawings of Tulare County (of course) cabins–Wilsonia, Mineral King, Camp Nelson. Why didn’t I save a picture of the backside??
2017 front – the calendar was a blend of drawings and paintings.
2017 calendar back “The Bridges of Tulare County”
2018 was Flowing Water, because in 2017 we had a most welcome wet winter and the flowing water was to be celebrated.
2019 – was very fun because I got to draw 11 new pictures and figure out ways to incorporate color.

2019 still has many of the original drawings available. Want any? None are framed. All are 11×14″ or 9×12″. You can make an offer. If it is too low, I will not take offense but might counter-offer. (Normally those sizes sell for $200-275 before tax).

What will the calendar for 2020 be?

Mineral King Wildflowers!

Of course it is about Mineral King wildflowers, my current obsession. It is in progress, so you will have to restrain yourselves until it is for sale.

This year it will be $15 if ordered by October 1, and $20 if ordered afterward.

Little Shavers

Does this title please you as much as it does me? Heheheh. (That’s me snickering).

After having a wonderful reunion with wonderful friends in a wonderful place (is Lawrence Welk around here somewhere??), I wanted to commemorate our time together. As a Central California artist, art seemed like the right choice.

(We went to Shaver Lake. I wrote about it on Tuesday.)

I painted 5 Little Shavers. See?

An easel adds cuteness and versatility.
2×2″ paintings won’t take up much space in people’s lives.

Our hostess got the big oil painting of Shaver Lake (can’t call that a “little shaver”.)


This is actually Tunnel Creek, which comes into Shaver Lake via a tunnel from Huntington Lake, I think. Hence, “Tunnel” Creek. We are clever like that here in California’s flyover country.

Sold

In case you were wondering if I just paint and paint and paint, creating large stacks of paintings to be stored, today I am here to reassure you that my paintings do sell. (Thank you for your kind concerns.)

Have a look at recently sold paintings. Due to an onslaught of laziness brought on by summer heat, this will be pictures only, without sizes, titles, or prices.

Mineral King, Plein Air #4

I liked sitting by the stream to paint, so I set up the next day in the morning so it would be shady. The idea was to paint the same scene with different lighting, but I ended up leaving out the juniper this time. Why? Because I wanted to, and I am the boss of my painting.

This time I used the lid of the palette to balance, because the less stuff I have to juggle, the better.

But wait! Before I started this painting, I decided to try one from my memory and a sketch I had made the evening before. Because we are fairly social on our road, evenings, especially on holiday weekends, are for neighbors, not for working. So it wasn’t convenient or friendly to disappear to work when people had braved that road and wanted to socialize.

Ummm, no. This will need some work in the studio.
Vandever & Stream, 8×8″, sold.
There is a theme here.

There. I’m done with plein air in Mineral King posts for awhile. I just wanted you to know that I am still working, even though it seems as if I just goof off in Mineral King in the summer.

Plein Air in Mineral King, #3

After painting Empire and Vandever with the Crowley Cabin in Mineral King, plein air (on location), my confidence built. But, I didn’t like schlepping the easel around or setting it up, so I tried it sitting down by the Honeymoon Cabin (at the beginning of the Eagle/Mosquito trail). This was most pleasant, right by the stream. But in the afternoon, it was not in the shade, and there was no convenient place to put my palette. If it ain’t one thing, it’s anuthuh.

This scene?
No, I think this way with the juniper instead.
I had company.
Trail guy borrowed a sign from inside the Honeymoon Cabin (a mini museum) to rest the canvas on.
There was a root that made a perfect foot rest.
“Vandever, Stream, Juniper”, 8×8″, oil on wrapped canvas, $100

Practicing Plein Air Painting in Mineral King

Remember that I went down to Georgia (no, I’m not the devil) to take a plein air painting workshop from Laurel Daniel? The goal was to be able to do plein air painting in Mineral King.

I was a little nervous, having waited 3 months to attempt the techniques again. Mineral King feels so public, probably because it is, and I was glad there weren’t many people around yet. Still, I set up my easel in an obscure place, and remained invisible in the shade despite my trusty red backpack.

See? My set up is barely visible.

The plan was to paint Empire (the rock outcropping, not the highest part of the ridge) with a few cabins below.

Too much – needs to be narrowed down.
Maybe this horizontal view?
Nah. Let’s go vertical. (“Let’s”? Got a mouse in your easel?)
I reread my notes and then just began as if I knew what I was doing.
The sketch helped me see which elements I had decided to leave in the scene.
When I started adding the color, I forgot to stop and take photos of the more intermediate steps.
No one noticed, because no one passed by. I was glad.
Starting to look like something!
This was the view from my place in the shade.

Here is the finished piece, dry and scanned after I got back home. (It was tricky business finding a place to put the painting to dry in our 400 square foot cabin, but we are always innovative with the limited space.

Empire & Cabins, 8×10″, oil on wrapped canvas, $125

The whole time I wondered what Laurel would say, and tried to remember some of the things she worked on with me. There is probably too much detail in this for her, but I am the boss of my painting now.

A Little Painting

English is confusing. “A little painting” could mean I painted a little bit or that I painted a small painting. What if in this case it means I painted a little bit on 3 small paintings? And I painted a little bit on a (for me) huge painting?

Then you’d have today’s title and today’s post, that’s what.

This Oak Grove Bridge number umpty eleven needed a few more touches on the sides. Then I realized that it was going to be very difficult to photograph, so I started experimenting with settings on my PHD* camera. (Why did I give away my tripod? Because I didn’t anticipate needing it after 30 years without using it. Why did I give away my large camera? Because the lens ceased to be reliable.)
Two paintings of the same Mineral King scene, a 6×6″ and an 8×8″ will probably sell at an upcoming show at the Silver City Store. (June 29, thanks for asking).
Oops. I forgot to take photos of the stages of painting. If you are a regular reader, you’ve seen that before.

I also took some photos of the kittens, three of which remain at our address. KitCarson is settled very happily in his new home, where he will be loved beyond his wildest expectations, and Tigger, formerly known as Gilligan, is very happily settled in his new home, where he plans on becoming the boss of his people.

Alas, my PHD camera wasn’t up to the task of close up photos of these active little creatures.

*PHD = Press Here, Dummy

Oak Grove Bridge Umpty-Eleven

After our road trip, I had a large family responsibility that kept me from painting. This had the effect of causing intense focus on the day that I was able to return to the easel. Have a look.

The painting was waiting on the easel with a note from my neighbor beneath it.
My neighbor left this note.
What is necessary?? Everything needs recoating and detailing.
So, I made a list.

The list was just a compilation of obvious tasks, but by having it in increments, I was able to be systematic and keep going, section by section. It was just a way of keeping my feet planted in front of the easel, because this was the only day I knew that would be available for painting in the foreseeable future.

The bridge, water, and “growies” on the right remain.
Hey! Are you Jackson or are you Georgia? (Remember, I went to Georgia via Jacksonville in April).
Gilligan and Ginger are both males, and now their names are Pippin and Lentz. It is still difficult to tell them apart.
Hey Central Calif. artist, stop playing with the kittens and get the bridge finished.
Stick a fork in it – it is done! Maybe. I might continue finding things to polish.

Bridge Building with Kittens

The Oak Grove Bridge painting number eleventy billion is in progress, in spite of all the distractions.

These paintings want to be finished, but the bridge is taking precedence now.
This is how we last saw the bridge.
I am filling in the rest of the blank parts, a little at a time. (That sounds stupid: how else would I do it? With a paintbrush in each hand??)
Look! A kitty is sleeping on my scarf behind me.
Slowly taking shape, but definitely will need more layers. No “alla prima” for this one!
Who are you? I can’t tell without seeing if you have a tail or not.
Keep painting and stop going ga-ga over the kitten. Maybe I will go ga-ga over the painting instead. This is a work day, after all.
What? You prefer the mat beneath my feet to the scarf? This might be the tail-less KitCarson.
Nope, that’s a tail. Could be Georgia, or maybe it is the nameless other one. Look at the zebra-like striping!
At the end of the painting session, needing to dry for awhile before the next layer is added.

The painting had a few days to dry, because Trail Guy and I went on a road trip. I’ll show photos from the windshield tomorrow.

At the Easels

Almost finished.
Careful – there are babies underfoot!
New bridge painting, this time 24×30″, a big ‘un.

Normally when I paint, I don’t draw it out first. This time, the bridge needs to be perfect for the show at the County Building, and time is limited. So, I drew it in pencil on the canvas before beginning to paint. Oak Grove Bridge number eleventy billion, here we go.

I began the way that Laurel Daniel taught in her workshop but didn’t mix the grays very carefully. I may be a rebellious student. On the other hand, I am what Gretchen Rubin calls a “Questioner”, and if I don’t see the value in a particular activity, I don’t bother. Because this is too big to do all in one session, it seemed fine to not mix a perfect gray. But, part of the trouble was a bad brush. (I spiked it into the trash after awhile.)

I also didn’t do it from front to back. I’ve painted this bridge more than I can remember and just fell back into my familiar pattern.

It is much easier to put in all the architectural details when they are a size that can be actually seen.

What?? Time to quit already? but I am really enjoying this. . . tell the sunlight to wait, because I want to keep painting!