I Paint Better Now

Sometimes progress sneaks up on us incrementally.

I’ve been oil painting since March 8, 2006 (Yes, I remember the date. It was memorable and remarkable and important.)

I pulled out an older painting (haven’t been painting long enough to call anything “old”) that a friend requested. She saw a scratch on the surface, so I said I’d patch it up. When it was time to paint, I realized that an entire area wasn’t good enough for me anymore!

Here is Morro Rock as painted in 2008:

 
Morro Rock

The rock wasn’t good enough for me anymore. I repainted it in 2015.

 

 Morro Rock II

 

Morro Rock II, oil on board, 11×14″, Not For Sale

Yes, the color is different. Last time I photographed it with a camera I no longer own. This time I photographed it with a newer camera, one I bought for Trail Guy so he’ll leave my camera here for me. He preferred the older camera, because it is hateful to try to learn new buttons and switches and digital baloney.

Anyway, I paint better now and wanted you to see the difference so we can be happy together about this thing called “growth”.

Do-Over and other juvenile expressions

When you were a kid, did you sometimes allow do-overs on the playground? You know, you go to serve the volleyball, the class clown belches your name so you drop the ball instead of hitting it, and you get a do-over because it wasn’t fair?

I began a painting of pumpkins several years ago. It was to be a gift for someone who did me a favor, but the favor went south and the friendship did too. I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. I tried and tried to disassociate the painting from the incident, but every time I looked at it, I felt yucky.

Wow, this is a juvenile sounding post. “Do over” and “yucky”. Wonder what’s gonna sneak out next?

A customer requested a painting of Sawtooth after she saw my cards with that scene. I am always willing to paint something again, so I thought “Do-over? Sure!”

When I went into my canvas stash, I saw that dreaded pumpkin painting. Hmmmm, I wonder. . . Then, I couldn’t find the photo. No problem, because it was part of the first calendar of paintings I had printed (the 2013 calendar).

Look! Something weird is happening to those unfinished pumpkins!

Isn’t that weird?

I think it worked! The colors will be a bit brighter on this second version of Sawtooth because I am working from the printed version, which has exaggerated colors. I think it is funner this way.

There! Got in another juvenile expression!

When this dries, I will detail the branches in the foreground.

P.S. Sawtooth is the name of a prominent peak in Mineral King, the part of Sequoia National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada where I spend the most time.

More Secret Oil Painting Workshop

Here are more photos and commentary from the secret oil painting workshop that I gave for my advanced drawing students.  There are perquisites to taking drawing lessons – I lend photos, do scanning and photoshop prep for turning drawings into cards, and give secret oil painting workshops, among other benefits.

We decided that the fruit on the left must be a pluot. This painter was not happy with her painting but the rest of the group thinks it is a fantastic first layer, because IT IS!!

This painter photographed the Tetons while on a road trip. I borrowed a photo to paint from, then lent her my painting because often it is just easier to work from other people’s paintings than a photo or live scene.

This one looks a little weird because the paint was so wet that it really caught the flash on the camera. This painter is very brave – I suggested just picking one pomegranate to paint, and she chose to do all three. This is the first time in at least 40 years that she has oil painted, and this painting will be gorgeous!

This painter is used to extremely detailed pencil drawings and is a little doubtful that her orange will look good. She really dislikes the color of the shadow side of the orange, so next time we will mix something that pleases her.

Oil painting is a ton of work, so I want my students to be very happy with the results. I also have told them that anyone who doesn’t like her painting or can’t finish it can pass it to me and I will complete it for her.

See? Perqs!

Secret Oil Painting Workshop

That’s right – SECRET oil painting workshop! I’ve only been an oil painter since March 8, 2006, learning by guess and by golly on my own, experimenting and bumbling along, taking and quitting a couple of classes, reading up, asking questions of other painters, watching some videos. What I know, which is precious little, I am willing to share, but only with my drawing students.

Why only them?

I know my students’ abilities and their individual methods of learning, and they know my abilities and style of teaching. The secret oil painting workshop is just for those who are interested (Duh) and for those who are comfortable enough with their drawing skills and the terms we use and techniques we practice.

Because I don’t give drawing lessons in December, we have several Tuesdays to work with. We will do two, but the dates don’t matter, because it is a Secret painting workshop. Two days are necessary because of the slow drying time involved with oil paints, and besides that, it is hard to focus on a project for enough hours to get ‘er dun.

There were 7 students, and at one point I said, “I FEEL LIKE A WAITRESS WITH TOO MANY TABLES!” Lovely people, each one, and a privilege to share what I know about painting. So often I have to say, “I don’t know but I’ve heard you can do this, that or another thing.” Just bumbling along together, and look what we achieved!

After seeing the photo on the digital camera, this painter commented, “I like my wrist”.

We thought this painter had cut out a photo of a lemon and decoupaged it onto a black canvas! Then she began enlarging it, and next week will be adding some sort of a shadow or something in addition to deepening the colors. Next year I will probably be taking painting lessons from her.

The pomegranate looks distorted because of the angle of the camera. The Sequoias need another layer or two and the orange just wants one more layer. Can you tell my students borrow my photos? 😎

To be continued tomorrow. . .

The Perfect Gift Boutique

First of all, in case anyone is wondering, I am thankful. Very thankful for many things. Didn’t want you to wonder, since I’ve turned Thanksgiving into a commercial here on my blog.

(This is because I forgot to post it on Wednesday. Besides, who reads blogs on Thanksgiving anyway??)

The 13th Annual Perfect Gift Boutique will happen on Friday and Saturday of this week!

Friday, November 28 and Saturday, November 29. Three Rivers Arts Center, North Fork Drive (just across the bridge, first building on the left), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

These are some of the returnees from previous Perfect Gift Boutiques.

Ahem. Me too, but maybe you figured that one out all on your own. 2015 calendars, paintings, cards, prints, Mineral King tee shirts.

Have a look at some little cuties I’ll have with me – these are original oil paintings on canvas, 2×2″, $15 each.

A List of Art-Business Items

I’ve told you that I love lists. Here is an updated list of art related items, matters of consequence taking place in this business of art called Cabinart.

  1. The printer still cannot tell me when The Cabins of Wilsonia will be shipped to me. This means I cannot tell you when I will ship it to you. All I can do is tell you that when it arrives, I will ship it to you.
  2. I finally found a new web designer! This means that I have hours and hours of work ahead, transferring all my info to a new and improved site, a working site, a site where you can see what is new in my available art and comment on my blog!
  3. The web designer is from outside of Austin, Texas and I found her through Linked In. She is a dream to work with. Wow! One of those social networks actually has benefits besides simply passing time.
  4. There is a show in Three Rivers on Friday and Saturday of this week. “Boutique” is a better word here than show. I’ll send an email to those on my list and also post info on the blog on Friday.
  5. With a new website, there will be a WORKING subscribe button on the blog!
  6. There are still plenty of 2015 calendars available.
  7. IT RAINED!!
  8. I started a new oil painting of my favorite bridge. My plan is to exaggerate the colors.

2015 Calendar Reminder

The 2015 calendars titled “Beautiful Tulare County” with my current best paintings that fit the format (can you say “run on sentence”??) are available.

 



 
$15 each, including tax and mailing If you don’t use Paypal, you can mail a check to Cabinart at P.O. Box 311, Three Rivers, CA 93271. US only, with apologies to my foreign friends.
Everyone uses calendars. They used to be freebies, handed out at drug stores and hardware stores and coming unasked for in the mail. The thought of buying one was bizarre, unless you had a friend who was a nut about horses and you happened to find a horsey calendar.

Then, businesses pulled back from freebies. I refused to pay for calendars except for the custom one I made for Trail Guy each year. There were a few years when the only way I had the month on paper was to go online and print one from the internet!

Now, I print 100 a year, and hope maybe there might be just one left over for us. So far, it hasn’t happened. There was that one year that one of the calendars was upside and backwards. I kept that one. It had the days on top and the picture on the bottom.

No worries. All these calendars are done correctly on good solid cover-weight paper with my best oil paintings of beautiful Tulare County!

Ahem. This was going to be a short post. No more caffeine for you, Young Lady!

New Mineral King Paintings

It’s Friday, so here is what I have that pertains to Mineral King. These are new oil paintings, some of which are already sold!

Mineral King Flowers, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, sold

 

Mineral King Big Rock, 6×6″ oil on wrapped canvas, $50

 

 

Mineral King Cottonwood Trail, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $50

 

Hiking Mineral King, 6×6″ oil on wrapped canvas, $50

The 2015 Calendar is HERE!

The new calendar for 2015 has arrived!

 

These are my best oil paintings. Sort of. My best oil paintings that fit the calendar format and fit the months. Sort of. The best blend of my best oil paintings that sort of fit the calendar format and sort of fit the months.

It is called “Beautiful Tulare County”. (Stop laughing – there is lots of beauty in this rural place in Central California and it is my job to find it and paint or draw it!)

$15, includes tax and mailing to you!

Want one? There are several ways to get one.




1. Use this Paypal button and your Paypal account.

2. Mail a check for $15, made out to Cabinart at P.O. Box 311, Three Rivers, CA 93271

3. Come to the Senior League Bazaar on Saturday, November 15 at the Three Rivers Memorial Building from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and get yours there.

4. Call me with a better idea – maybe we see each other on a regular basis and I can just bring it to you.

THERE ARE ONLY 100 AND WHEN THEY ARE GONE, THEY ARE GONE.

Ahem. Excuse me for shouting. Sometimes I get excited when I see all my best work together in one place and then think you all might like it too.