Indecision

“Indecision” sounds a lot like “indigestion” which sounds a bit like “indigent” which means “poor enough to need help from others”. These paintings might be poor enough to need help from others. I can’t decide if they are finished, if there is a way to improve them, or if they just need to be painted […]

Odd Job

As an artist with a lengthy reputation of reliability and skill in the same county for several decades, I get asked to do many odd things in the name of art. It is just part of the business of art. Some friends have a painting of Mineral King by a long-deceased relative, someone who wasn’t […]

Old Calendars

In 2012 I made my first calendar. It was an experiment, because a calendar has a short time to sell, and when it is over, a business is stuck with unsellable inventory. The calendar sold well enough, 100 turned out to be the right number, and I have continued making calendars ever since. When reviewing […]

Odd Job

An acquaintance asked a friend to ask me if I would repair a torn painting for him. The customer doesn’t want his painter friend to know that the painting was damaged (and dirty too – where did he have this thing??) So, I will only show you the section that I worked on. I’ve done […]

Sold

In case you were wondering if I just paint and paint and paint, creating large stacks of paintings to be stored, today I am here to reassure you that my paintings do sell. (Thank you for your kind concerns.) Have a look at recently sold paintings. Due to an onslaught of laziness brought on by […]

Art Inspired by Mineral King

On June 29, I participated in the 2nd annual Art Inspired by Mineral King. This is the title of a show and sale on the deck of the Silver City Store, 4 miles below the Mineral King Valley. I headed up the road the day before the show, my first time up this season (resulting […]

Do-Over

Sometimes my pencil art doesn’t sell. It might win awards, sell as a reproduction print, garner much praise, get borrowed by someone to decorate their vacation rentals and second homes, but just not sell. It is a mystery. Sometimes I can look at a drawing and see what it is lacking. Sometimes it needs a […]

Blog Idea

Since April of 2008, I have been posting to this blog, in an irregular fashion at first (I knew nothing about blogging), and then consistently 5 days a week. Current blog wisdom from the Internet-Know-It-Alls is that 5 days a week is too often. Since I am not seeking a multitude of “Likes, Followers, or […]

Wondering About Colored Pencil

A year or so ago I bought some new colored pencils. Blackwing manufactures something called “Blackwing Colors”, and I am a sucker for new pencils. With the box of 12, I did this 5×7″ drawing. I posted it on Instagram (if you like Instagram and want to follow my very occasional posts, I am JanaBotkinArt) […]