Currently I am doing a final edit, photo edit, and formatting a book that has been a long time coming (about the TB hospital in Springville, here in Tulare County). Things are a bit urgent, so here is a post about my road trip 10 days ago, because this is my blog and I can […]
How Fast?
Walking Partner and I noticed something different a week or two ago here in Three Rivers: new speed limit signs on a private road. This is one post. 15 mph heading upstream, 5 mph heading downstream. (This is along the river—could you guess that?) Here’s another one: This time it was 15 mph going downstream […]
About My Cousin—a Quick Roadtrip
This post is almost entirely personal. My oldest cousin died, and his family and friends gathered to remember him. He was almost 12 years old than me. I always looked up to him, my big cousin, sort of intimidating, remote, distant. In spite of not really knowing him, I always loved his wife and felt […]
Tempted Away From Painting
On a fabulously springlike day in February, Trail Guy tempted me away from painting: easy to do when there are wildflowers and it isn’t hot and I don’t have a tight deadline. First, I noticed all the chemtrails. Yeah, yeah, I know, “contrails”, but I still think there are way more than we have passenger […]
Eight Things Learned in February
1.The most fun thing I learned is that Reader Sharon had a heart-shaped potato. 2. My friends went to Jordan and Israel, and I recognized all but one of the places just from their photos. Actually, I recognized that they were in Petra, which I knew was in Jordan, but I don’t understand the Biblical […]
Just thinking about inspiration
People love to ask artists what inspires them. This is kind of annoying, because generally speaking, artists just love to make their art, not sit around contemplating the reasons. An artist who helped me get going in oils said that what inspired him were the bills in his PO box. I’ve occasionally pondered the question […]
A List of What’s Occupying My Time and Thoughts
Taxes We haven’t gotten our 1099s from Social Security yet and don’t know if they will come in the mail or if we have to do something impossible online to receive them. As if doing taxes wasn’t abhorrent enough, there are so many obstacles and difficulties just getting stuff ready for the accountant. Shoes I […]
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 […]
Indoor Oak Tree Finished
The fourth and final day’s plan was to complete leaves and add birds. So, that’s what I did, very systematically, working from right to left. Yes, that’s backward, but I chose that direction because it involved less couch moving. After studying real oak trees for awhile, I thought I could be more realistic about the […]
The Building in the Library Mural
When I was designing the Ivanhoe Library mural, I dug around for photos of a building that is cemented in my memory as a beautiful old structure. (Apparently, I’ve loved old buildings all my life.) I found a photo of the Ivanhoe School auditorium in Laura Spalding’s book Ivanhoe—the Town with Three Names: Klink, Venice […]