Growing a Big Tree

The Big Trees, AKA Redwoods, AKA Sequoia Gigantea, take centuries to achieve their height and girth. Nay, millennia! In my painting workshop, they take about 2 days to 2 months, depending on the size of the canvas. 

Orange groves were holding my interest more than Big Trees for awhile. But, this is an art BUSINESS, and it is prudent to paint what people want to buy. So, I returned to this painting. Here are the steps of growth.

The tree is unnamed, based on a photo of a named tree, but not followed exactly. Why not? Because the colors were a bit dull and the details were obscured either by poor light or branches. Exactness is required in architecture, portraiture, and some landscapture. 

I made that last word up so it would match.

Big Tree, 6×18″, oil on wrapped canvas, $165 plus the dreaded state sales tax (which most likely will be wasted but it is one of the prices we pay for living in the Golden State.)

Usual disclaimer that all my paintings look better in person.

P.S. It costs a fortune to have a transplant, and while insurance covers much, there is much more that it does not cover. If you feel generous and inclined to help my friend, Rachelle, this is the best way to do so: HelpHopeLive.Org

New Place to Show and Sell

Three Rivers has a new retail establishment. It is called “Kaweah Arts” and is an art consignment shop, run by a generous, brilliant, and organized woman who simply wants to help artists get their work in front of the eyes and into the hands of the buying public.

There is no sign on the building yet but here is the front door and the address.

Kaweah Arts

41841 Sierra Drive

This is the former office for the Kaweah Commonwealth, which was a weekly print paper for Three Rivers until about a year ago when it converted to digital. A few months ago, the husband of the owner couple had a severe stroke, and now the “paper” (we still called it that even when it wasn’t made of paper) is silent.

The shop opened quietly on Thursday, May 6, and will have a real “grand opening” on Saturday, May 15. 

Step inside to this:

Look to the right:

Lots to see here, much of it familiar. I don’t know the number of participants but I do know the owner, Nancy, is a very thoughtful, and conscientious person to work with.

Congratulations, Nancy and Kaweah Arts!

Grand opening on Saturday, May 15

Two New Paintings Begun

With several paintings sold through Arts Visalia and Mineral King summer paintings finished, it is time to review my inventory. This is simply part of the business of art. Some artists paint what they love, others paint what sells, and the lucky ones get to do both. I move freely among all three categories.

Subjects that I always need to have on hand are: Kaweah Post Office, Kaweah River, Alta Peak/Moro Rock, Sequoia trees, oranges, poppies, citrus groves, and of course, the basics of Mineral King such as Farewell Gap with the Crowley Cabin, Sawtooth, the Oak Grove Bridge, and the Honeymoon Cabin.

This is not as boring and repetitious as one might think. It is a challenge to continue to paint the same subjects, finding different sizes, types of light, and angles, all while trying to paint better and better. After all, I want to be an artist, not just a painter.

Here are 2 new ones on the easels to beef up my inventory, or in ArtSpeak, “body of work”.

Upside down forces me to see the shapes more accurately.

Right side up helps me enjoy the process a bit more.

When I get to this stage, I am eager to start drawing with my paintbrush.

If that new retail establishment comes to fruition here in Three Rivers, I imagine I will be knocking out quite a few of these big trees in this format. 

P.S. My friend who has been waiting for new lungs GOT THEM ON SATURDAY!!

Post Show Thoughts

“Still Here” is over. This is my first time to exhibit in Arts Visalia, and I don’t have anything to compare the show to, particularly in light of the virus approach to handling things. Four pieces sold, and the director thought that was great, because some shows have no sales. (That would be highly disheartening.) Many cards and a few books sold too. The last day had steady visitation, a great time to visit with friends and meet some new people with an interest in art. In spite of the low-key approach, not knowing if the video interview and the virtual show was viewed much (thank you, those of you who told me you watched!) and the wondering about actual visitation levels, I think the show was a good experience and worth doing.

These are the pieces that have new homes (when they are shipped or retrieved).

Yokohl Creek was by far the most favored piece, both by those who saw the show in person and online. One smart person wasted no time claiming it; I will package it up to ship on Monday.

Someone I don’t know bought Yokohl Sky, which is always a boost of confidence.

Dear friends bought the cabin drawing while we were hanging the show! They had to be sneaky about it because I would have happily just given it to them. (A wise friend once taught me this: “If your friends won’t do business with you, who will?”)

Of my 13 pencil drawings of flowing water, “Rough and Tumble” has been the favorite (It is the background of the homepage on my website), most often spoken about or wished for. A friend bought this one too, which really warmed my heart.

Extra, Extra

Today I went to Arts Visalia to gallery sit. It was closed!

Tomorrow’s hours are noon – 8:30 p.m. and there are some available appointments, if you’d like to see my work in person. Here is the phone # to call: 559-739-0905. Ashley is there until 5:30 today (Don’t quote me on this because the operation is a little bit squishier than I realized) to make an appointment for you.

 

The Show Goes On

On the first Saturday of the show, I gallery sat. Yep, that’s what it is called, like babysitting. The night before, the other artist’s work was featured on a local teevee news program. That brought a few people in specifically to see the show “Seen and Unseen” by Ricardo Favela. I visited with those folks, had relatively little to say but asked questions and listened to them, and then followed them into my show in Gallery 2, “Still Here”. Then I had much to say but managed to let them talk too.

This was my view from the babysitting desk.

I could also see into “my” room.

Doesn’t it make you want to go closer?

But wait! There’s more! Someone visited the show virtually and bought this painting! (Thank you MB)

Red dots are good in galleries.

And this is interesting: two other friends, one who saw the show in person and one who faithfully reads my blog, both told me that this painting, Yokohl Creek, is their favorite one in the show!

You too may visit the show in person, virtually, (VIRTUAL TOUR) and if you are so inclined, you may watch my interview (but don’t make me watch because I will think that I am ugly and my mother dresses me funny.)

Gallery Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, noon-5:30

Gallery Address: 214 East Oak Avenue, Visalia

Gallery Phone Number: 559-739-0905

Last Day of the Show: April 30

 

 

Dithering Over Decisions

Still Here, my upcoming exhibition for the month of April has me dithering about how much is enough, how to prioritize the work ahead, and wishing for the umpteenth time that I had a functional and accurate crystal ball.

When Arts Visalia asked me if I’d move from January 2022 to April 2021, I decided that I would finish 4 of the 5 paintings in progress and not try to add anything else. The fifth could just wait for another opportunity.

This might be finished now.

Because I am painting larger than normal for me, I am not able to guess how long a painting will take to finish. The ones on the easels seemed almost impossibly far from completion. Then suddenly 3 of the 4 looked ready to sign. So, I pulled out #5, because it will be a nice addition.

Maybe there is time to finish this one.

 

Incrementally closer to completion with each painting session.

Meanwhile, I went through my framed pencil drawings and decided a bit more variety will be good. So, I delivered 3 more drawings to my framer with the usual instructions of “Make them look good and call me when they are ready.” I believe in hiring the best people for the job and then just getting out of their way.

I wonder if Arts Visalia will rethink the decision to hang my work in Gallery 2 and move me into the Main Gallery. I could fill it up. My work could fill both galleries. HEY, ARTS VISALIA, DO YOU READ MY BLOG?

Probably not. Guess I’ll head back to the easels.

A Torrent of Words about Freebies

WARNING – this is a long post.

An old family friend (which means our parents were friends but he and I didn’t know each other very well) invited me to design a cover for a publication for the college where he is a professor. This is our emailed conversation (and I corrected a few grammatical errors so it isn’t verbatim-you are welcome, Professor Friend):

“I have enjoyed the CABINS OF WILSONIA book.
 
I would also like to know if you might be interested in doing the cover for the next issue of [unnamed university] JOURNAL.
 
I have edited this journal since 2006.  It is published annually by [unnamed university] and is thematic, including a mix of scholarly articles, literary pieces; artwork and personal reflection — all peer-reviewed.
 
You can view back issues at:
[oops, he gave an email address here instead of a website link]
 
For each issue, I have asked local artists to do the cover with original art.
 
The theme for the 2021 issue is EARTH, AIR and WATER. 
 
If you are interested, I would need something by mid-July.”
 
I responded:
“I’m glad to know you have enjoyed my book–thank you! If a picture is worth a thousand words, that book is about 265,000 words.
 
I’m interested in doing the cover – thank you for liking my work enough to ask.
 
Here are some questions:
1. Do I email someone at the address you put in your email in order to see back issues?
 
2. Is this a competition?
 
3. What is the image size needed? For publications, I make art to the right proportions, but larger because it all looks better reduced.
 
4. Is this a freebie?
 
5. Do I submit a sketch for approval before beginning?
 
I’ll probably have more questions. I almost always do.”
 
He replied:
“Your artwork is invited so there would be no competition. On occasion cover art contributors have provided more than one creation. Our editors do sign off on all of this but it is not peer reviewed like articles submitted. 
 
I think that [accidental email address] is accessible to anyone even though we typically publish 250 hard copies for subscribers, etc. 
 
It is true that the cover art created is a “freebie”, the only consolation being that your work will be publicized in a different way.
 
With reference to size, our hard copies are 6 by 9 inches.”
 
I wrote back:
“The link you sent does not take me to a website; instead, it opens up a new email message box.
 
In the many years of earning a living with my art, the promise of exposure has yet to generate any income-producing work. So, instead of creating something new, I will send you work that I already have. I have accumulated a large body of work and am happy to share with friends and often with strangers. 
 
If you have any specific ideas in mind, let me know; it will help me narrow the selection for you. I’m guessing you lean more toward rivers than the ocean (water) and mountains rather than farming (earth). (We can forget about air because my work is far too literal for that one!)
 
The size of 6×9” doesn’t tell me if it is horizontal or vertical, but I imagine you have a graphic artist who can adapt the design of the cover to the direction of the art.”
 
Look how much time it takes just to clarify what is being requested for a freebie. University professors may know a truckload about their particular subject, but sometimes get handed tasks for which their degrees have not prepared them. I am enjoying our correspondence and do feel privileged to have been asked.
 
More will be revealed in the fullness of time.

Real Mail

Back in the olden days, people bought things from me in person and wrote personal checks. I collected addresses from these transactions and built a mailing list of 1000 names. Whenever I had a big event, I would get postcards printed and then hand address all 1000. Yeppers, by hand.

Kaweah Post Office #4, pencil and colored pencil, unframed, 11×14″, $275

Printing and postage costs became prohibitive, and big events became fewer, winding down to a big fat nothing last year.

For April’s show Still Here, Arts Visalia will have postcards printed and mailed. This means I have to provide a mailing list, so I pulled out my address files.

It was sobering to see the number of people who have died, moved, and divorced. It was also quite astonishing to realize that many were simply names and addresses, with no memory of how we met or what they bought. 

My list is now about 250 names, all of whom I can identify. If you would like to receive a real paper postcard with a real stamp in your real mailbox, use the Contact button on my website or email me (spelled out here to confound the robots) cabinart at cabinart dot net. The gallery has promised to not use the addresses unless someone requests to be added to their list.

What is an “Artist Statement”?

An artist statement is not a biography, nor is it a list of accomplishments and awards. It is a few paragraphs meant to cause someone to want to view the artist’s work and provide a bit of insight into the reasons the artist makes the art.

The most helpful questions I’ve read about writing a statement are these:

What do you want people to see in your work?

What is a distinguishing characteristic of your art?

Based on your conversations, what do people find delightful or surprising about your art?

The least helpful “advice” I’ve read about writing an artist statement are these questions:

What informs the color in your work?

What are the paradoxes in your work?

How do your cultural roots inform your practice?

This is what I have come up with. Does it make you want to see my work or help you understand why I do what I do?

My artistic goal is to show people that Tulare County has beauty, and we can feel proud to call it home. I also want my art to ignite the viewers’ curiosity about the places that I paint and draw.

Using pencil and oil paint, I am a studio artist who makes art that people can understand. My style is straightforward realism with tight detail, a somewhat cleaned up and brightened version of real life. I like my paintings to look good both close up and from a distance, which is a result of having used nothing but pencil for the first decades of my career.

My favorite place, Mineral King, is clearly a huge influence on my choice of subjects; I think it is the most beautiful place in our county. Recognizing art of familiar places brings delight, so to that end I gladly accept commissions of the places and things that people love.

And you thought I just sat around drawing all day.

Pippin would like to know what in the world I am going on and on about.