Told you I’d be back! Okay, I didn’t say that – I said “Tomorrow” which is now today.
The other very popular subject to paint in Three Rivers – wait for it – ooh, bet you can guess – The Kaweah River!!
The Kaweah River in Fall, 10×10″, oil on wrapped canvas, $130
Available through Colors, the Three Rivers gallery.
There are two subjects for painting that are always popular in Three Rivers. Here is one of my latest:
The Kaweah Post Office VIII, 8×8″, $75, oil on wrapped canvas
Available through Colors in Three Rivers
But Wait! There’s More:
Sorry. Tomorrow!
This summer I have been contemplating the fact that there are thousands of people passing through Three Rivers each year. Most of them come through during the summer, either on their way to or from Sequoia National Park. They come to see the big trees (sequoia gigantea), bears, and vast views of mountains. They come to escape the heat. They come for camping, river rafting, and to see deer and wildflowers.
I know they come; I see their cars!
The big question is WHERE ARE THEY? We don’t have many restaurants, not too many stores, and very few galleries. Where are these People Who Visit Three Rivers hanging out??
They aren’t hanging out in Three Rivers during the day, but they are hanging out in the evening at the motels.
One of my favorite motels in the Buckeye Tree Lodge. It is the closest one to the Park entrance, owned, operated and staffed by friendly people, many of whom I am fortunate enough to have as friends.
I want these People Who Visit to take home an original oil painting as a permanent reminder of their trip to Sequoia, to have something of value rather than an unnecessary plastic item stamped “Sequoia National Park” or “Mineral King” or “Kings Canyon”.
Now, the lobby of the Buckeye Tree Lodge has original oil paintings and cards for sale. Gotta take it to The People Who Visit, because they don’t know where to find me.
Time will tell if this is a good move or if I am just storing art in a motel lobby. This business of art sure is a blurry route at times.
Last week I experienced some things that only happen when one lives in a small town. Three Rivers in Central California qualifies as a small town, with a population around 2600, and many of whom are weekenders.
(The Kaweah Post Office in this pencil drawing isn’t my post office, but it isn’t very far from home.)
As I passed South Fork Drive, a car pulled across my lane onto the highway going the opposite direction. I almost locked up my brakes to avoid him, but there was no audible squeal. He didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.
At my next stop, my very good friend pulled into the lot behind me and said, “I saw that! Are you okay??” Wow, what what a thoughtful friend she is! I was fine, and was especially touched by her kindness.
She told me who the driver was, and we both were a bit a worried and puzzled as to his behavior. We speculated about his state of mind and hoped he was shaken awake.
Back at the studio, I ripped into my mail. It included a bank statement, and I was astonished to see that I’d taken a trip to the coast. My first thought was “OH NO! Identity theft!” Then I had the presence of mind to read the top of the statement. Aha! It belonged to someone else.
I grabbed the phone book and called her. She was home, so I jumped back in the car and zipped over to her house. And, I apologized for reading her business, but hoped she had a great time over at the coast.
Where else but in a small town would you know the one whose mail you received by accident, know where she lives, and just run it over to her?
And, where else would you understand that the more experience postal clerk has hand trouble, so she switched places with the other clerk who isn’t quite as experienced with loading up the P.O. boxes?
P.S. I noticed that this is full of exuberance – “ripped into my mail”, “grabbed the phone book”, “jumped into the car” – may you all be blessed with such energy as fall arrives.
This is definitely shaping up to be a summer of animals in Three Rivers and in Mineral King.
I’ve been asked more than once why I don’t paint animals. The answer is that I don’t have good photos from which to paint. It is unethical and illegal to paint from other people’s photos without their permission, so I don’t use National Geographic or calendars or even google images. My own photos of animals rarely turn out well, and not in enough abundance to produce more than an occasional painting. And my understanding of animals (other than my cats) is limited.
Just as authors are exhorted to write what they know, artists should also paint what they know. Why? Because if you don’t know your subject, someone else will, and they will know that you don’t know it. The business of art means knowing things like this.
Authenticity is a driving force for me, and painting unfamiliar subjects make me twitch with stress about being exposed as a poser.
Back to the animals. The next door neighbors called on Sunday to ask Trail Guy (AKA Retired Road Guy) to dispatch a Snake. It was their first Snake in 9 years. Most of the Snakes come to our address. (Snake spelled with a capital S is explained here.) I’ll spare you the gory details. Suffice it to say that Trail Guy is a neighborhood hero.
And, on Monday I witnessed this in my front yard.
This is the patriarch of a flock with 12 little turkeys. Yes, I counted!
Sometimes I gobble at them. I think the last time I did that was on a walk, and I didn’t see the AT&T guy up ahead. He might have asked for a transfer to another area shortly afterward. Lost that walking partner too.
What wild animals do you have in your daily life? This rural California artist likes to hear how normal, non-gobbling folks live.
This summer is shaping up to be full of wild animals for this California artist.
First, we were hiking in Mineral King and saw this:
While on that hike I thought of doing these oil paintings:
They are each 4×4″, and from left to right are a mule deer buck, golden mantle squirrel, yellow-bellied marmot, and a black bear. (They are called that even when they are brown or cinnamon or blond.)
After that, I painted this bear for the Sierra Lodge in Three Rivers:
After which, they asked me to refresh this bear:
So that he would look like this:
With all that wildlife around, particularly the ferocious bear, you might be a bit concerned about unfriendly encounters or a bit of danger. There was one small incident that ended up looking like this:
I love teal. It looks particularly striking with brown.
P.S. The bear on the flag of this California artist’s state is a grizzly, not a black bear. I’m happy to report we don’t have them in California any more. This is not an environmentally correct view, but I am more concerned with personal safety than being correct. This might make me a pig. See? animal summer!
While I was painting the bear at the Sierra Lodge in Three Rivers, several things came to mind.
1. There is always more to a job than first meets the eye. In this case, it was the scraping of peeling paint that I didn’t anticipate.
2. Whoa! Who knew that painting on a roof would cause one’s shoes to get all sticky with tar??
3. What a nice place to work – the staff was hard-working and friendly, both to one another and to me. Eric, the maintenance guy wouldn’t leave until I was safely off the roof. Ruth offered me cold water. Nice thoughtful people!
4. You can see the place is maintained and cutened up like crazy! (I KNOW it isn’t a word, but find me a better one, ‘k?)
5. I love views from rooves. (I know that isn’t a word either – can’t seem to help myself today.)
6. I sure get to live and work in a grand place! (that is Three Rivers, Tulare County, California, in case Mr. Google is listening to this conversation.)
7. Commissions are certainly full of variety and challenge. There isn’t a single thing about my job that is boring except for the bookkeeping.
The repainting job at Sierra Lodge in Three Rivers went very smoothly. What an amazingly helpful and friendly staff! And it wasn’t a hot day – maybe mid 80s at the highest? In addition, it was only 1/2 mile from home, so when I needed a different color of paint, it was easy!
Once I was eye level with the bear, it was obvious he was faded and peeling.
After scraping off the loose parts, I mixed up the color of the shadow tree and painted it. I also touched up the lighter paint around the tree.
The owner allowed me to choose my own colors. I made this guy a cinnamon bear, and put a teal coat on him. Why? I like the two colors together, and teal is my favorite color. Then I stood back and made a decision to change the candle.
I remember little pink candles from somewhere in my foggy distant past. The final touch was all the black outlines. Since this was initially designed and painted by a former Disney artist, it had to have black outlines for the cartoon effect. (I couldn’t resist adding a bit of shading to the coat and hat tail – my bent toward realism almost always sneaks through.)
Do you remember pink candles from somewhere? Let me know so I’ll learn if I just made this up!
Commissions are a challenge. They are a main component of the business of art, so unless you like a good challenge, you may want to rethink a career as an artist in a rural place like Three Rivers.
Back about 6 years ago, a man asked me to draw his parents house in pencil. No problem. That’s what I did (and still do). Then he asked me to paint it in oil.
Since I’d been painting about 10 minutes when he asked, I thought it prudent to refuse. But, being helpful and knowing lots of people, I referred him to a well-established artist.
He was happy with the drawing. I never heard from him about the painting until the Redbud Festival in Three Rivers in May. He said he “hated it”. I asked if he discussed it with the artist, and he said he hadn’t because he figured it was a done deal.
Being an opportunistic artist, I told him I could paint the house for him now. He liked the idea.
A week later, he came to my studio and laid out 6 photos. He wanted to know which I wanted to paint.
I said, “umm, well, I need to look and absorb and think a bit”.
He wanted an immediate answer. I felt pressured. I picked one, and he said, “That’s the view you drew, remember?”
Actually, no, I don’t. It was 6 years ago and a few drawings and paintings have passed through my hands since then. “A few?” More like several hundred!
Then, he pulled out a photo of his parents and said, “Will you put them in the painting?”
I almost fell over. Or, as they say in the South, “I like to died!”
I explained that my experience in painting people is limited to the back views.
To be continued. . .
One With the Stream, oil on wrapped canvas, 36×24″, $800
Would you allow yourself to be painted or photographed from the backside?? Tell me the truth here!
Monday a.m. (that’s today) you can find me up on the roof at Sierra Lodge in Three Rivers refreshing a mural of sorts on an old sign.
It’s complicated to explain, so let’s let the photo do the work.
This is formerly a neon sign that was visible from way down the road. Now the trees have grown, and very few of us in Three Rivers had any idea it was here at all. (Not much neon in town!) I remember when this was called the “Mountaire Motel” and occasionally my family of origin would join Aunt Mary and Uncle Ritchie in the coffee shop for Sunday lunch. Now the coffee shop is the lobby.
The owner was an art major in college and his appreciation for art is evident. The place is charming with many styles of art, all containing bears and/or some sort of conifer tree.
I don’t get to begin working until 9 a.m. because guests on vacation don’t like to have artists walking around on their heads.
Ever had anyone walk on your head while on vacation? Tell me about it here!