What’s Happening Now in the Work Life of This Artist

Today’s posting is a list of information about what is happening now in my life as a Central California artist.

Mineral King Aspens, oil on wrapped canvas, 6×6″, $50

1. I have another blog –  www.thecabinsofwilsonia.com where I post about the upcoming book The Cabins of Wilsonia.  “Upcoming” as in should be here in several weeks. “Several weeks” as in I don’t really know for sure because the book printer doesn’t really know for sure.

2. This week on my other blog there will be posts about the following subjects:

  • quilt squares in Wilsonia
  • who is interested in buying the upcoming book (and who isn’t – a rather surprising factoid to me!)
  • a story by possibly the most interesting cabin owner in Wilsonia (but he did not end it with “stay thirsty”)

3. I’m still too busy with more important and interesting things to figure out why the comments won’t work and too busy to figure out how to post new work to my website galleries.

4. Maybe I’ll start showing new work on the blog.

5. There is an upcoming show in November called “Hidden in the Leaves”. I could fill the entire space all by myself with this subject, but we are limited to 2 pieces each. It will be here in Three Rivers at Sierra Subs & Salads, preparers of the best food around!

Odd Job #10, Part Two

Our Bride-To-Be of the rustic wedding selected the typestyle and chose the solid version, so I began burning numbers on wooden discs.

At first I tried to trace and transfer the numbers. That didn’t work on the wood. After thinking it over, I realized that every table will be separate, so no table numbers will be displayed together. This freed me up from having to perfectly match every bump and bite and wobble of Papyrus. It also freed me to make each number whatever size looked best on its own individual disc.

After burning the #1 solid, I realized that this job just might delay the wedding, due to the slowness of the artist and the process.

I went rummaging around in the workshop and found some wood stain. At the risk of upsetting The Bride To Be, I stained #2. It looked so good that I proceeded to numbers 3-7. Then I got a little nervous, so I photographed and emailed them to her.

She loved them! (This is an Angel Bride, not a Bride-zilla.)

Because the wood burner is borrowed, I felt an obligation to complete this task as soon as possible. I liked drawing the numbers, fitting them around the center of the branch. I liked painting them with the stain. However, burning with fancy expensive tools is a tedious task. Next time I may ask to scratch it in with a nail and then fill it in with a Sharpie!

Oh, and the location of the rustic wedding? Malibu!!!

Here are links to some more previous odd jobs:

Ornament

Chair slat

Cabin sign (gotta scroll down to see this one)

Tiles

RV Decal

Odd Job #10

When you need an artist in a rural place such as Tulare County, chances are you don’t know too many. When you need an artist for a specific job, chances are you will simply ask the only artist you know.

The question usually sounds like this: “Do you know anyone who can do this obscure, one-time, peculiar semi-art-related task?”

Often, I say, “ME! I CAN DO THAT! I WANT TO DO THAT! THAT SOUNDS CHALLENGING AND FUN”!

It gets me all excited so I might raise my voice a bit. Sometimes I might even jump up and down, although that is rare.

A friend has a friend who has a sister who has a daughter who is getting married and wants things rustic and woodsy. They found someone to cut and sand 1″ thick wooden discs, about 5-8″ in diameter. (Thank goodness they didn’t ask me about that part!)

Then came the question about who could put table numbers on the discs.

ME! I CAN DO THAT!

It’s all who you know, and I know Rosemary who owns a stable of wood-burning tools. She lent me a fancy one that just might be worth more than my car.

I sent The Bride To Be several type styles. She chose Papyrus, which happens to be my favorite in spite of great contempt from all young graphic designers (Cory, I know you are listening). I practiced numbers on a board, and gave her a price.

Have a look at the practice board. If you are a real wood burning artist, kindly avert your eyes.

Here are some discs next to the numbers:

In tomorrow’s post, I’ll tell you (and show you) the rest of the story of this Odd Job. (Funny – I have the strange urge to spell “job” with 2 b’s when writing it next to “odd”.)

Here are some links to previous odd jobs:

Painting on a quilt square

Houseboat sign

Pet clinic sign

Painting on an antique window

The Cabins of Wilsonia Now For Sale

After 3 plus years of planning, designing, photographing, editing, drawing, designing some more, exploring, computing, planning, and more drawing than you can possibly imagine, The Cabins of Wilsonia  is available for PRE-ORDER.

Pencil drawing of Wilsonia Club House

 

This means that you have to trust me to deliver a great book to you in 2-1/2 months.

So that you will be inclined to trust me, the pre-order price is $15 less than the real price.

The pre-order price is $70, which includes tax and mailing costs. (Mostly – I will be eating a little bit of those costs to keep the price to a nice round number.)

If you wait until the book is here to buy it, the cost will be $86.

pencil drawing of Wilsonia cabin

You may buy it here, using Paypal. When you get to Paypal (you need to already have a Paypal acc0unt for this to work), it will allow you to choose the quantity you want to order.



The special pre-order price of $70 has expired.

If we see each other regularly,  I will refund the mailing prices because I can simply hand the book to you.

You ready? I sure am!

Random Facts About Squirreliness

Sometimes a list helps. I’ve been making lists for years, sometimes as an aid to memory and efficiency, and sometimes for the sense of satisfaction gained from checking off things.

Today’s list is in the first category. I hope this is helpful for you.

  1. The comments on my blog may be working again. Anyone want to try?
  2. I’ve updated my page called “Where To Buy“. Want to look? It is under the Artist tab on my website. There are addresses, phone numbers and website links for most, and hours when I know them.
  3. The contact button works intermittently. This has to do with my ability (inability?) to update pages on my website. When it is disabled, supposedly I am able to add new pictures to the pages. Sometimes I forget to reactivate it. (Maybe a list would help me. . . ?)
  4. I haven’t been able to successfully update the oil paintings and pencil drawings on my site. It seems as if I have added them, but the pictures just appear as little question marks.
  5. My former web designer is working to simplify the design of my website so I am able to update things without getting in line to hear back from her replacement. He must be very very popular. I could give you a list of the steps to update, but you’d be bored silly.
  6. When the design has been simplified, things might be squirrely-looking for awhile.

 

Questions and Better Questions

As a self-employed artist, I must puzzle out many dilemmas and questions that come my way, out here forging along in the big wide world. Here is a random sampling:

1. Why did a customer not pay me for selling a boatload of paintings for 5 years in spite of numerous attempts to collect and then simply write a check when my husband asked him too?

2. Can a mural be successful on a business with 3 partners, 2 of whom are enthusiastic and 1 who is less than happy about it?

3. Why do people want to buy books of my photos or drawings or paintings when I only have them to be used as a portfolio?

4. By not painting in 2013, my painting inventory feels much more manageable.

5. When paintings haven’t sold in a long time, I do a careful evaluation to determine why not. Sometimes I decide it is because the public is unworthy of such gorgeousness, but other times I decide they are just not good enough. I paint over the top of those. When I feel relief at the disappearance of the old image, I know it was the right decision.

6. Why does Photoshop Elements sometimes show tools and other times not show them?

7. Will I ever learn to Facebook?

8. Where is the Botmobile?


 

There is a book called The Question Behind The Question by John G. Miller that teaches how to ask better questions. So, let’s try this again:

1. How can I learn to collect immediately from a customer so that a problem doesn’t develop?

2. More will be revealed in the fullness of time. . .

3. Is there a way to have these books printed at a reasonable price instead of the super-high-no-room-for-profit prices of Shutterfly? (Start shopping, Toots!)

4. What’s the question??

5. What’s the question??

6. Where can I find help on Photoshop Elements, helpful help, not the so called “Help” menu that comes with the thing?

7. When will I call the helpful Elsah, so she can walk me through this most irritating thing called Facebook that is supposed to be a MUST for every business that wants to succeed? (Now that I am on it, I definitely think it is 1/4″ deep and 6 miles wide, BUT in learning a little of how it works, I’ve learned a better way to enjoy both Pinterest and LinkedIn!)

8. What is the Botmobile?

(The Question Behind the Question is available on Amazon, of course. )

A Question Artists Don’t Like

The question that most artists don’t like is this:

Will you donate a piece of artwork to My Good Cause?

And then it is followed by something like “You can write it off on your taxes” or “It will bring great exposure”.

The answers to the follow-ups are “Only the cost of the materials” and “People die of exposure”.

If a good Cause needs items for raffles and auctions, it would behoove both parties (the Cause and the artist) to buy the items. 

All those causes are good. One year, I donated more than I sold. It didn’t bring me more business; it brought me more requests for more donations.

A Cause can spend some of its resources on an item and then sell the item for more than it paid. It will make a profit. If it doesn’t make a profit, it can write off its expenses.

An artist who gets asked to donate her individually produced items depletes her inventory, can only write off the cost of the materials but not her time or the value of the item, and gets worn out.

An artist who gets worn out begins donating items of lesser quality, items that haven’t sold, items that aren’t her best work. (Honestly, I had an artist friend say to me one time, “Just give them your junky stuff that hasn’t sold – that’s what I do!”)

In a small community like Three Rivers or even anywhere in Tulare County, word gets out that you can either buy a piece of art for full price or you can just wait for the next fund raiser for The Good Cause. Then, Mr. Good Taste who spent money on art, sees that someone got a similar piece for 1/3 of the price, and the artist’s credibility goes down.

So, I don’t give my art away anymore. If your Good Cause would like to buy a piece, call me or email me. Perhaps we can work out some sort of a discount. When you truly value my art, I may be more likely to value your event.

Hint: if you have never bought any art from an artist, how do you have the chutzpah to ask for a gift??

There are a few Causes I choose to donate to, because they are part of my life. One of them is the mural project in Exeter, which was started by me and an awesome group of volunteers in 1996. Someone called me for a piece for their upcoming Garden Party fund raiser (a very nice event on May 5 this year); I explained my point of view because I’m teachy like that, and then I offered a painting.

Because it hasn’t sold in spite of the fact that I really like it (Obviously, my opinion does not causes pieces to sell), I took a hard look at it.

I paint better now.

Before

After (New and Improved!!)

If you don’t think it is improved, just be polite, ‘k?

I wrote about this a few months ago and called the post “Donations Bloviations”.

Mineral King Paintings in Progress

Every year summer happens. This is not a surprise. Summer means lots of time in Mineral King. It means paintings of Mineral King get sold at the Silver City Store. This is not a surprise either.

Every year I am just certain that this will be The Year I Paint Ahead. This year I actually am painting ahead, but that’s because the Redbud Festival is next weekend, May 3-4. Then, if Mineral King paintings haven’t sold, I’ll be a little bit ahead for summer in Mineral King.

A painting begins with a flip through my extensive photos of Mineral King to see which ideas float my boat. No matter how many terrific views there are, Farewell Gap with the Crowley Cabin is the most popular. The Honeymoon Cabin is always #2, and Sawtooth is next. After that, no discernible difference. No matter what, always always always have a painting (or two or three) of Farewell Gap on hand, in multiple sizes if possible. (I keep the words “Farewell Gap” on a sign in my painting workshop in case I forget. . . Middle-Aged Mush Brain requires more reminders than Youth.)

I chose the canvas sizes that are most likely to sell (this IS a business), put hardware on the back along with the title and an inventory #.

Sometimes I “draw” the painting with a brush first.

Sometimes I do two paintings at the same level of progress. (I almost wrote “at the same time”, but then you might think I am painting with both hands. Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not THAT good.)  If I’m going to mix the paint color, I might as well mix enough for two!

These are drying. The top one might need more detail and a signature, the second one needs wildflowers and a signature, and the bottom one may just need a signature.

There is cat hair on my computer keyboard and Perkins is on my lap. It makes it awkward to type, but my boy might know that Mineral King season is coming, and he isn’t invited. We miss each other, and that is the season when I lose cats. Perkins has survived 15 summers while his comrades have been picked off, one by one. It ain’t all roses and lollipops in Three Rivers. . . sigh.

Invitation to Visit Wilsonia Blog

Did you know that I have another blog?

“Cabin on a Sunlit Meadow” – sold

 

Yeppers.

It is called The Cabins of Wilsonia. For almost three years I’ve been working on a book of pencil drawings of the cabin community Wilsonia at Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park.

The process is documented here. If you click on the highlighted word “here”, it will open in a new window with my other blog.

Today and tomorrow I’ll be posting over there. I didn’t want you to think I’d quit on my real blog.

This is my real blog. Did you know that? I love writing this blog. Yeah, yeah, I know we are supposed to love people and use things. . . it is just the sloppy vernacular of my lazy generation that causes me to state it that way.

For over a year I’ve been missing from this blog about one day a week. You might have thought I had gotten lazy about regular posting, but I was over there.

I’m sorry for not inviting you sooner.

You are invited now.

How to be a Professional Artist in Tulare County

  1. Love the place
  2. Be flexible
  3. Never quit

 

Easy sounding? Here are the details:

1. Love the place – take a camera everywhere, always be on the lookout for a different angle, another landmark, better light, something never noticed before. Take what feels like endless photos of Sequoia trees, Mineral King, oranges, poppies. Learn as much as possible about the landmarks. Meet as many people as possible who have lived here a long time, especially those who know people who know people, go places when you’d rather stay home. Pay attention to the geography, the seasons, the agriculture, the flora and fauna.

2. Be flexible – learn to teach drawing lessons, figure out how to give both private and group lessons and workshops too, learn to paint when you’d really only prefer pencil, learn to do murals even if you think it seems impossible. Accept commissions of things that don’t seem worth painting or drawing and figure out a way to make them look great – find their beauty and show the customer. Enter shows, schlepp your work around, try new shows, take your work to different places of business so it gets seen because there aren’t many galleries in Tulare County. Listen to suggestions by people of what to draw or paint. Be willing to give talks to groups. Be willing to open your private studio to the public from time to time. Reproduce your work as cards, prints, tee shirts, whatever it is that people are wanting to buy. Write a blog. (NEXT WEEK IS MY 6 YEAR BLOGIVERSARY!) Maintain a website when you’d really rather be drawing or painting or blogging.

3. Never quit. Get a second job if you have to, but don’t quit trying to make it with art.

P.S. Every so often, publish a book. Upcoming from me, The Cabins of Wilsonia.

Any questions?