The California artist will be discussing an upcoming oil painting commission. The interviewer will be black, and The Artist will be teal, because it is her favorite color and this is her blog. What are you working on these days? Oh I’m so glad you asked that question! A friend/student/customer/client/all of the preceding titles told […]
A California Artist Goes Coastal
I said “coastal”, not “postal”. Living in rural Tulare County in the foothills of the Sierra in Three Rivers is great. But, I’m 50% beach girl, and the ocean calls to me. A dear friend and neighbor just graduated from a college in Santa Barbara. We stayed in the lovely town of Ventura, enjoyed her […]
Spring Walk in Three Rivers
This California artist would like to share some inspirational photos with you. She took several walks in Three Rivers in the last 2 weeks with her camera in hand. Since a picture is worth 1000 words, here is 6000 words worth for your gazing pleasure. (But remember it is usually hot and brown and dry […]
California Poppies Oil Painting
This is another painting of California poppies, working from a photo supplied by my thoughtful and generous mailman. I painted it as an 8×10, loved it, and decided to repaint it 16×20. Practice makes perfect, someone said. It is not a commission. The 8×10 hasn’t sold yet, so maybe I am just getting ahead of […]
From Pencil Drawing to Oil Painting
During Three Rivers Artists Studio Tour Ten, some folks saw the pencil drawing of Redwood and Dogwood. They liked it, but color sells better than black and white and shades of gray, and oil paintings have a greater appeal than pencil. I LOVE PENCIL. Just sayin’. Something new happened to me as a California artist: […]
A Painting is Born
I gave a 4×6 oil painting on a little board to my friend Carol. She has it in her den. Or is it a library? Maybe it is a family room. . . Anyway, it is on a lamp table in her home, and I don’t think she just put it out because I was […]
Four Benefits of Learning to Draw Before Learning to Paint
As a self-confessed color junkie, I’ve pondered the question of why pencil? Was I just a chicken? That’s all water under the bridge, and now I am just accepting the fact of 13 years of drawing with a late start to oil and mural painting. It ain’t all bad! Drawing in pencil helped me develop […]
Eight Reasons this California Artist Chose Pencil
My last post ended with this question: if I am so taken with color, a “color junkie”, then why did I choose graphite as my medium? Simple – I love to draw. Oh come on, there must be more to it than that! Okay, yes there is. 1. It is easy to find pencil and […]
Committing Commissions
This is not a commission. It is a do-over. I painted this when I was new to oil painting, and recently I figured out how to do it better. I painted right over the top, so I didn’t have to figure out any shapes or placement. (Three Rivers is gorgeous in the spring. I […]
Committing more Commissions
I painted three pomegranates for a nice lady of impeccable taste that came to my studio during Studio Tour Ten. She asked for one, and I painted three so that she would have choices and I would have more to sell at the Redbud Festival. I also began this sequoia in snow for someone else. […]