There is a house above us on the hill that has been empty for a little over a year. The residents got old and went the way of all flesh, but the family can’t stand the idea of letting the house go. So, it is becoming a vacation rental, and granddaughter of the residents is […]
River, lake, sequoia tree, river, lake, sequoia tree, river. . .
With the exception of Jeff’s Garden (a commissioned oil painting) and painting a giant sequoia on a wooden panel, I have not painted this summer. This was planned, not accidental. The swamp cooler in the workshopo is loud, fairly inadequate for our summer heat, and has been springing leaks all summer. Kaweah Arts, a great […]
Drawing an Iconic Business in Three Rivers
Reimer’s Candies and Ice Cream is a destination and a landmark in Three Rivers, California. It is now on its fourth owner in my lifetime, and it is just as busy as ever, just as popular, just as magnetic. I drew it for the second owners, people with the name of Reimer, who bought it […]
Another Someone Else’s Book | Visalia Electric Railroad
In 2018, Louise Jackson and I worked together on a second edition of her book, The Visalia Electric Railroad: Stories of the Early Years. We published it with a printer that may or may not still be in business. You can read about it on this old blog post: The Visalia Electric Railroad Book. Very […]
Two More Terminus Dam Questions Answered
After the tour of Terminus Dam, I had questions. Ranger Tim’s answers were posted yesterday. And as is usually the case, questions and answers beget more questions. Here are my further questions and Ranger Tim’s answers. 1. What is a “stilling basin”? Stilling Basins Behind Dams — USACE Design and Function A stilling basin is a critical […]
Answers to the Terminus Dam Questions
Ranger Tim replied to the questions I asked after our dam tour. You can see that blog post here: Terminus Dam and Lake Kaweah. Great Questions! Thank you, Ranger Tim! We love the pencil drawing! That is down at the outlet where the water comes out of the 12’9” pipe and flows into the stilling […]
Bridge Building (With Paint)
Incremental Improvements Painting #38 of Tulare County’s best bridge (according by your Central California artist) is inching forward into excellence. Can you see the incremental improvements? We can probably consider it all finished now, EXCEPT FOR THE BRIDGE ITSELF! Ahem. Excuse me for shouting. It just surprises me that after I put an enormous amount […]
Moving Forward on the Two New Paintings
Eagle Lake Such an ugly start. Let’s git ‘er dun! Eagle Lake (a painting formerly known as a dog’s breakfast), 7×14”, oil on wrapped canvas, $200, currently drying, destined for the Silver City Store, unless it sells first from this little spot on the interwebs. Oak Grove Bridge The Oak Grove Bridge is a bit […]
A Tour | Terminus Dam | Lake Kaweah
No more confusion* over “Lake Kaweah” or Kaweah Lake: here is an official sign. The Mineral King Preservation Society organized a tour of the dam that creates Lake Kaweah. I have been there, but it was before the new fusegates were built in 2004. The purpose of that previous trip was to get photos for […]
The Business of Art | Many words today
This might take more time to read than you want to spend. You also might not find it interesting. You can skip it today—I’ll still be your friend. In thinking about all the distractions and how long it has been since I last painted, I realized several things, the most glaring that. . . . […]