Every commissioned oil painting begins with a conversation. From there, it progresses to photographs. After photographs, there is an editing session. Then, a decision, which requires more conversation. Eventually money changes hands, and the job begins. In the olden days, nothing began until money exchanged hands. Now, I don’t have to pay for film or developing […]
The Oak Grove Bridge Saga Begins
Or perhaps it continues. . . This commissioned oil painting of the Oak Grove Bridge is signed, sealed and delivered. On Monday, February 8 at 6 p.m., there will be a public meeting at the Three Rivers Memorial Building concerning the future of this bridge. A hearing? Something about the planning commission? Not […]
Happy Recipients
Here are some works of art that were done for Christmas gifts. I heard back from 3 of the 5 about the happiness of the recipients. The fourth and fifth are most likely very happy – an email and a phone call would confirm it, but I don’t like fishing for praise. So, I will […]
Bridge Paintings
My favorite bridge is currently my favorite subject for oil painting. (Brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Dept.) The Oak Grove Bridge crosses the East Fork of the Kaweah River, 6.5 miles up the Mineral King Road, out of Three Rivers, in Tulare County, California. Some governmental agency has declared it to be […]
Fruity
Remember seeing these commissioned oil paintings in progress? The customer was very happy and asked for more! Remember these three commissioned oil paintings? This customer was also very happy and asked for more! Here they are in their infancy. And here they are finished: detailed to the nth degree, signed, scanned, and now with varnish […]
Kaweah Post Office Duplicate Painting Progress
What a weird sounding title. Never mind. Have a look at the progress on the Kaweah Post Office oil painting for Chuck. First I drew it on the canvas. Then, I put the first layer of paint down. Don’t be scared, Chuck! They all start out this rough. It is a long layering process, and […]
New Paintings, Squished Orange
My friend/customer LOVED these paintings, including the extra thick canvases. Yea! However, I studied the orange painting and realized it isn’t symmetrically round like an orange – it is squished on the left side. Back to the easels. . .
Jumping the Gun With Paint
Do you ever wonder about the origins of sayings such as “jumping the gun”? That is an easy one – it refers to racers (horses? people?) who take off before the starting gun. In commissions, the “starting gun” is when the customer pays 1/2 down and we decide exactly what she wants. A conversation alone is […]
Wildflower Oil Paintings
Remember these wildflower oil painting beginnings? First, I drew them with my paintbrush. Stage two was to get the first layer of color down. The real fun was putting in the detail. It isn’t often that I get to paint with these colors, and it just makes my heart sing. Lalalalalalala! LALALALALA! Excuse me. Got […]
Do-Over and other juvenile expressions
When you were a kid, did you sometimes allow do-overs on the playground? You know, you go to serve the volleyball, the class clown belches your name so you drop the ball instead of hitting it, and you get a do-over because it wasn’t fair? I began a painting of pumpkins several years ago. It […]