Is “goalless” a word? I do set goals – finish X number of paintings, get website redesigned, finish drawings for the next calendar, etc. But I don’t set big sweeping overarching business goals, or as one of those motivational speakers says, “BHAGs”, which stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goals. And many of us have heard […]
Non-boring White Flowers
Have you heard me say that I think white flowers are boring? There are a few exceptions, and dogwood is one of them. Have you read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard? It is considered one of the classics of tree-hugging literature. In it, the author mentions a “tree of lights”. I am just sure that […]
Last Spring Hurrah
That title might be a little bit over the top. May always feels like the end of spring with heat coming and bringing its browns. But my yard has been so beautiful in the early morning light. . . Trail Guy and his power tools, me and my girly pruning and weeding, but mostly God […]
April Distractions in Three Rivers
I tried to oil paint last Friday but the greenery and wildflowers overcame my sense of duty. So, Trail Guy and I drove up North Fork Drive to the end. The road was longer, rougher, narrower than I remembered and all very worth the drive. After we got back home, I painted a little bit […]
Easel Time
Have you noticed that the word “easel” is pretty close to the word “easy”? It’s merely a word illusion. Nothing easy about being at an easel. This fact, combined with April as the most beautiful month in Three Rivers, has made it even less easy to plant my feet in front of the easel recently. […]
New Mineral King Cards For Sale
Last summer I had a hankering to draw some new Mineral King pictures in pencil. I did four of them without a plan for reproduction or framing. Artists make art, and I am a Central California artist making art of the flyover center of California, my main source of inspiration (along with liking to drive […]
Shedding More Light on Those Lanterns
The lanterns languished. Finally, I reminded myself that I am the Mayor of Realville, the lanterns were too hard for me at that size (a paintbrush will never quite behave like a pencil), and it was time to make them go away. So, I turned the painting into one of pomegranates. Still, I wanted to […]
Flowers in my Studio Yard
Ever heard of a studio yard? In my case, it is the yard area around my studio, a shabby little shed on the property. I suppose the proper and popular term is “garden”, but that feels wrong to me. The place is only partially planted, definitely not professionally landscaped; I’m not growing tomatoes and zucchini around […]
New Year’s Day Walk
The New Year’s Day walk could have been a hike, had we taken food and more than one measly little water bottle. Alas, we did not. We went to the Salt Creek/Case Mt. BLM recreational area and walked from the Salt Creek road (rather than Skyline Drive) up, up and up. It was a smoggy […]
Interesting Place in Three Rivers
The Perfect Gift Boutique is an annual event held by the Kaweah Artisans at the Arts Center in Three Rivers. This is an old building, vaguely Craftsman in style, somewhat shabby, and in its third life – it has been a home, the Womans Club (Yes, that is the way a national club for women […]