Did you miss the opening reception of my show in Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery, “Images of Home”? Here is another chance to see the show while I am present and, most important, while snacks and beverages will also be present.
Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery is having another reception for me.
Okay, it’s not really for me. It is a celebration at the gallery to thank docents and gallery association members, and the gallery asked me to invite you, my friends, collectors, and other interested parties, because my art* is still there. So, if you wanted to attend the opening and weren’t able to come, this is a second chance for you.
Here is an abbreviated version of their official invitation:
Let’s celebrate! Come to the Museum and Gallery and enjoy some snacks and refreshments – and great art by Jana Botkin – on Sunday, December 12, from 1 to 4 p.m. It’s a great way to thank our friends for their support!
It would be fun to see you there! Where is “there”? 125 South B Street, Exeter, California
*Yes, I still have a few 2022 calendars.
P.S. I will be painting at the gallery today, Friday, December 10, from 11-3.
“The Show” refers to my solo show at Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery. I have not been given an end date other than “sometime in January”.
IMAGES OF HOME
Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery and Museum
125 South B Street, Exeter, California
HOURS: Saturday and Sunday, 12-4
Eight pieces have sold, which means there are 41 left for you to choose from. (If you want to take your piece home with you, the gallery will let me know, and I will bring something else to fill that empty spot on the wall.)
In addition to original oil paintings and original pencil drawings, there are:
2022 Calendars
Heart of Tulare County, a new coloring book for grownups and older children
Notecard packages
Single cards
Collector matted cards from Christmas in Exeter in the 1900s
ONE original colored pencil drawing of a poinsettia (in a mat)
IN ADDITION TO THE SATURDAY/SUNDAY HOURS, I WILL OPEN THE GALLERY (but not the museum) ON TWO MORE FRIDAYS FROM 11-3.
The new drawing was in place, but I thought the type was overpowering to the drawing. The customers had a different thought, which really surprised me: they preferred the placeholder drawing to the new one!
I realize that what I consider to be a good drawing versus what people who don’t draw consider to be a good drawing differs. But, I could not not not let this drawing from the last century go into the new logo. NOT.
So, I drew it again.
Before:
Edited to:
After:
The road and the fence were what spoke to them in the old drawing. I did better mountains, better foothills, and because they grow both oranges and lemons, we included both.
Now, it was time to do the original drawing to customize the logo for them.
They requested color, but before I added it to the drawing, I put it into the logo instead of the place holder.
Getting there, but more polishing and adjusting ahead. Logo design is tricky stuff, and there has to be clear communication between me and the customers in order to get it just right for them.
I sent 3 rough-drawn logo options to my customers, and they chose this one for me to refine.
I downloaded the typeface that was closest to this, and then began manipulating it to fit around the circle. We began talking about what to do with “Orchards, Inc.”, whether or not to include it, how to make it look good.
After looking at Western typestyles, sketching out some ideas, and turning a pencil drawing of a citrus scene into a circle, I began refining the five design ideas.
Time to mull it over, chose three, and show the customers. I sent the first three and scrapped the other two. They might have been workable, but enough already!
Trail Guy loaded the pickup (not the Botmobile — the fancy pick-em-up). I had already taken a load of paintings and drawings, and there also were large pieces propped up behind the front seat. We headed to Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery for a day of hanging art.
After spreading all the pieces around the gallery, figuring out a basic arrangement and groupings, we started figuring out how to hang the pieces. The system is a little bit of a challenge, but we were up for it.
Look at these wonderful friends! They made a big job, full of unknowns, into a fun day together.
This photo is to show you that there will be more than just original pencil drawings and oil paintings.
COMING SUNDAY
IMAGES OF HOME
Exeter Courthouse Gallery, 125 So. B Street
Opening Reception, November 14, 1-4 PM
You can read about me and my art in an article from the Visalia Times-Delta by going to the Mineral King District Association website; the article is “Recent Fires Don’t Deter Artist From Highlighting Tulare County Beauty”. Lisa McEwen is the most accurate writer/freelance reporter/journalist I have ever had the pleasure to work with.
Please excuse the interruption. “This just in”as the news folks say.
This is the link to view the article in the Visalia Times-Delta online “paper” today. I clicked on it, and it said “one free article left”, so I don’t know how it might behave for you.
When my customers told me that they liked Western type, I started digging through the internet to see what was available. In general, Western typefaces are very easy to recognize, but after studying them, I realized there are many variations. (Remember when I told you a list of the goofy names of some of the typefaces?)
Those websites selling typefaces allow you to put your info into them and see what it might look like. Here are a few:
This last one is the prettiest, and it has the surprising name of “Eastwood”. I don’t associate old Clint with the description of pretty.
Being on one’s own in a completely flexible profession is not always easy. There is no specific roadmap, operator’s manual, or industry standard and even if there were, it would probably not apply here in Central California’s flyover country. The only galleries in Tulare County are non-profit, run entirely by volunteers, most of whom are good-hearted individuals without training in such matters. Artists may have some training, but generally it was decades earlier, completely outdated, or just various bits gleaned from the highly diverse internet, where one can find anything, everything, and nothing.
This brings me to a boatload of questions about my upcoming show, Images of Home. Some answers have appeared since I initially wrote this post.
If the gallery is normally open on Saturday, will people be able to see the show the day before the reception? Nope, the gallery will be closed.
When will my show actually end? With December 25 on a Saturday, will the gallery be closed on the Sunday of that week? How about the following week? It will end on an as of yet unspecified date in January.
Will anyone actually come to the reception? Oh Crystal Ball, where art thou?
Should I have kept my art in Three Rivers in the art consignment store that is open many more days and hours than the Courthouse Gallery? Shoulda, coulda, woulda, prolly not, ain’t nobody knows nothin’
Is it “Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery”, “Exeter Courthouse Gallery”, “Courthouse Gallery of Exeter”? None of the above; it is Exeter Art Gallery and Museum Association
Why do I have so many questions? Do other people? Why is it so hard to find answers? Does anyone beside me actually care about these details? silence. . .
How will I decide which “occasional Fridays” to be at the gallery? I will be there four consecutive Fridays from 11-3 beginning November 26.
How shall I publicize those Fridays to interested parties? Good question. . .
How can anyone think with the neighbor’s dog barking incessantly? focus focus focus on the task at hand
Why doesn’t the neighbor care? Or answer emails or return phone calls? If we decided to sell and move, would we have to disclose the barking dog to the buyer? Some folks just are not community minded
And you thought all I did was sit around and draw or paint all day! This self-employment as an artist is harder than it looks. Let’s just contemplate something peaceful to calm ourselves as we wait for more to be revealed in the fullness of time.
Yokohl, oil on wrapped canvas, 10×20″, $350
Images of Home
Exeter Courthouse Gallery (Is this the right name?)
125 South B Street, Exeter, California
November 14 – December 30 (Is this the actual closing date?), 2021
Opening Reception – Sunday, November 14, 1-4 p.m.
I know the title of the show is correct, as is the address and the date of the opening reception. Now, what am I going to wear? Should I get my hair cut? Why do we say “hair” when it is all of our hairs that get cut?
I need a cigarette.
WAIT! I don’t smoke! Never have, never will.
If you see me out in front of the gallery pulling weeds, just be polite, okay?
“The Show” refers to my solo show at Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery. I have not been given an end date other than “sometime in January”.
