Category: Sources of inspiration

What’s a Central California Artist to Do?

reading rabbit

Sometimes I feel like quitting.

Have you ever noticed that what one must do just holds no interest?

For example, if my job was yardwork, I’d be dying to paint. My job is painting, so I’m dying to do some yardening.

What causes this?? A lingering rebellion from adolescence? A streak of stubbornness? The thing called “resistance” by Steven Pressfield in The War of Art?

When sales are slow or studio tour visitation is low or attendance in drawing lessons declines, I wonder why I push onward. The work has no sense of importance and certainly no urgency. I don’t feel the press of any deadlines, so I dink around home, avoiding the studio.

It takes discipline, thought about what is ahead, planning, optimism, leaning into past experience and sheer determination to use my “down” time wisely.

What’s a Central California artist to do??

Come back tomorrow. Maybe I’ll have an answer or two.

What do you do when you feel unmotivated?

It Rained in Three Rivers

Rain is an event around here. In the winter, we hope it is accompanied by snow in the mountains. Alas, it was a warm rain, and the river turned muddy. But what a thrill to hear the river roar again!

Kaweah River

Looking downstream, it was terrific to see the water actually reaching the measuring stick again.

Kaweah River

Looking upstream when the sun emerged, the muddiness of the water really became apparent. Every little stream and creek and ravine up to about 9000′ dumped its contents here. It felt like an event.

Then, it stayed very springlike. A friend and I had lunch at Anne Lang’s Emporium, where the food, the companionship and the entertainment were all superior.

We sat on the deck overlooking the river, and this tree with its birds were at eye level. This guy had a fabulous song, and it was a trick to catch him in the act. However, we aren’t burning film anymore, so after a zillion attempts, I caught this:

The red-wing blackbird puffs up when he sings his beautiful song.

Big variety of birds visited this feeder, but I wasn’t quick enough to catch them on camera. (on disk? We certainly don’t say “on film” anymore.) I couldn’t catch the hummingbirds without major bluration.

See? bluration. Good word, eh?

My Amazing Friends

A year or two ago, I ran a series of blog posts called “My Amazing Friends”. It was about friends who are remarkably creative and energetic. (That’s why I remarked on them.) There is Bob, Nikki and Barbara.

I have a new friend, Ron, who owns Visalia Granite and Marble Works. He wanted to be an architect, but somehow drifted or fell or perhaps even purposely dove into the monument business.

We met when a mutual friend asked for help with her parents’ headstone, as discussed in this blog post. While in his office, I looked at a glaring blank wall through his French doors and suggested a mural. (A pushy chick or an opportunist? Nah, just a Central California artist with her eye always scanning the horizon for work.) He asked for a bid, I asked for a tape measure, and we were off and running!

He asked if I could complete the mural while he was on vacation, and my response was something like, “COMPLETE IT?? I DON”T EVEN KNOW IF I CAN PAINT THIS!”

He was very encouraging and had tremendous confidence in my abilities. I didn’t want to disappoint him, so I painted with laser-like focus and got it mostly finished.

When Ron returned, he was pleased. He also had a few suggestions for improvement, and they were spot on and very welcome.

I knew I was in the presence of an amazing person just from the time spent at his business, Visalia Granite and Marble Works. His employees have all been with him for a long time, they are kind and welcoming and happy at work. His business is beautiful, and when I looked at his website to see his work, I was very very impressed.

When Ron signed one of his emails to me with his name and the initials “CM”, I asked him what that meant. Here is his explanation, which really made me realize he is an amazing friend:

You are the first and only person I have ever had do a mural for me and the first person to ever ask me what CM stands for. Thank you for asking.

CM – Certified Memorialist – It is a national recognition (MBNA – Monument Builders of North America) for Experience, Knowledge and Testing in the art of memorialization. It not only focuses on the actual art itself but also includes a lot of business acumen, marketing, accounting, leadership, grief counseling and all facets of business prowess related to our field. NOT AN EASY TEST. In the entire US there are less than 200 and in California there are less than 6 certified memorialist.

That’s amazing!

Is white a color or an absence of color?

In December and January, I was struck by the number of white things in my yard. Is white a color or the absence of color? If I am drawing, white is paper color, and I draw around the white things. In painting, I use more white than any other tube of paint.

Notice I said “tube” rather than “color”. This is because my question remains, “Is white a color or an absence of color?”

Forget it. Let’s look at pictures of white things.

White must be a color. If it wasn’t, these things would be clear, transparent, see-through.

There. Glad that got settled!

P.S. Yes, this is how December and January look in Three Rivers. Payback time is in July, August and September when other parts of the country are green and we are crunchy brown, gray, a bit of yellow, and just plain dusty.

February is Spring in Three Rivers

To my friends who live where there is winter, if Three Rivers seems SOOOO LUCKY to have spring, think about the rest of the year. Hot, smoggy, fat people, poor people, lots of diabetes, high teen pregnancy. . . okay, I exaggerate. That’s Tulare County, but Three Rivers is in Tulare County.

Not much water in Salt Creek. Colt, a miniature Aussie, liked it!

Comb Rocks in the distance, lots of green on the ground. Colt likes it here.

No water in the falls.

Lupine in bloom!

Lots of oak trees in Three Rivers. Easier to photo than to paint or draw when there are no leaves.

Does Art Have A Purpose?

This is a reprint of an article that I wrote for LinkedIn.

1441 MK Trail

Mineral King Trail, 11 x 14″, oil on wrapped canvas, $175

In the art world, one can always find a discussion about the purpose of art. Is it to decorate? To enhance? To inspire? Or, is its purpose to disrupt, to cause one to examine one’s life, or simply to disturb?

The latest news flash disrupts. The top of the hour news causes one to examine one’s life. The all-news-all-the-time reiteration of gross events in the world is disturbing.

Be honest now: is this what you want on the walls in your life? In my humble opinion, disruption, self-examination and disturbances are more the purview of news than art.

I live in a poor rural county in the center of California. Art is a strange way to earn a living here, and it is a hard haul at times. No matter how difficult it is, I am motivated, nay, DRIVEN to find and show the beauty of this place I’ve always called home. Sure, I could make art about stolen vehicles, meth, teen pregnancy, poverty, diabetes, obesity or bad air, but who wants to look at that??

Artists are told by professors, publications, websites, seminars, workshops and other artists that we must convey a message, tell a story, incite people to think.

As an artist, my response to this “must” is two-fold: first, an automatic internal reaction that I may not have anything worth saying other than “Ooh, how beautiful”, and second, perhaps that message of beauty is irrelevant.

Recently, I became aware of a transcript of a talk given by philosopher and writer Roger Scruton, called “Why Beauty Matters”. (http://www.facetofaceintercultural.com.au/a-fading-beauty/) He points out that beauty is a value, one that is as important as truth or goodness.

Scruton quotes Oscar Wilde, who said, “All art is absolutely useless”, and he opines that Wilde intended this as praise. How can uselessness be viewed as a compliment? He actually viewed beauty as having a higher value than usefulness.

What a contrary concept in this age of edgy brashness, outrageous trendiness, and ever-increasing audaciousness, all for shock value.

Once again, I admonish you to be honest: do you want to be shocked as you pass down your hallway? Disturbed while waiting for your coffee? Upset as you settle in for the evening?

Beautiful art can bring grace to your home and peace to your life. We all know that life can be hard. Have you ever considered that beauty soothes the troubled soul and takes the edge off the difficult times? It can momentarily transport us away from our daily harsh realities, and it is an immeasurably great quality that we cannot overdose on.

I’ll take soothing over shocking every day. Art serves in that capacity for me, both in its creation and in its display. Like goodness and truth, I need beauty in my life. Art helps to fulfill that need.

Mineral King oil paintings

Three Rivers in Fall

Today I want to share photos of Three Rivers in Fall with you because in spite of the drought and the sense of endless summer, there is seasonal beauty here in this fine corner of Tulare County.

Happy Birthday, Shirley Goodness!

(Why do I say “Fall” instead of “Autumn”? Because I witnessed leaves falling from a tree today.)

The best color is in the non-native Liquid Ambar (yep, that’s the way it is spelled for the tree) and the Chinese Pistache (also not a typo!)

Wild Grape?

Three Rivers

Thank a Veteran Today

The veteran I am thanking today is my friend Bob, who served in Korea.

Bob, THANK YOU for your service to our country and happy birthday this month!

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.

Home Improvement

A dear friend manages vacation rentals. A few years ago, she was asked to take on a home that needed a ton of loving care, and she had to provide it on not just a shoestring, but a frayed shoestring. (This means she had almost a zero budget.)

Because we love to do projects together, she asked for my help. Together we figured out how to rearrange furniture, do things with paint, color, pictures on the wall, fabric, rocks and pine cones.

It was an amazing transformation, and the house became a successful vacation rental.

Now the same owner has handed over another house to my friend. Of course she called me and of course I said yes. (HEY! Does this mean I am a Vacation Rental Consultant?) As a Central California artist, I am used to people needing help and not having much to spend. I don’t know what I’d do if someone actually had a real budget with real money in it!!

The upstairs loft resembled a dorm in an orphanage (not that I’ve ever seen such a room, but I read plenty of orphan stories as a child.)

I sketched layouts, wondered if we could dump various pieces of furniture, lose a few beds (there were seven or eight), get better bedspreads, buy a trunk for the foot of each bed, rip out the carpet, paint, something, anything.

My managing friend eked out a small budget from the owner. We found a few treasures at a yard sale, pulled the faded ’70s art off the walls, discussed furniture, found a nice rug at World Market (found many, but only bought one), messed with paint colors and ideas, and finally came up with a good plan for that loft.

It was a ton of work.

This is where I came in for some real work as opposed to just coming up with ideas.

We’d love to have ripped out the carpet, but the budget was just too eensy. If you want to see the whole house, here is the link. Click here. It was voted Best Vacation Rental in Three Rivers this year, BEFORE my friend and I went to work on it! (It might be wise to book it before the owner figures out that he can raise the price.)

Three Rivers Tulare County artist