More Ornament Eavesdropping

The conversation between Mr. Communicator and The Artist (that’s me) about the custom ornament for Christmas continues.

Mr. Communicator:
That’s great news. The hunt for that thing took me forever, so I’m glad it made it. However you decide to paint it is fine by me.  It will have to be able to survive years of being on a Christmas tree.  Maybe there’s a lacquer or coating that can be put on after to give it some strength?
Best of luck on your show tomorrow.
Mr. C:
Thanks for the update.  I can already see the entire scene; it looks great thus far.
I don’t have any objection to you posting this.  I don’t know that Dad and Mom follow your blog, but doubt it since they’re not big blog readers.  It does make me nervous (most likely irrationally so) that it might ruin the surprise.  Is it something you could post after the holiday or is time of the essence?  Otherwise we could post it with a top secret status, just in case someone might recognize the house.
The Artist:
So glad you can recognize the elements – painting at the first stages always messes with my self-confidence.
No worries about the yellow ribbon – it is in the category of microscopic last details.
If I post the progress, I will say it is TOP SECRET and Do Not Utter A Word If You Think You Recognize This House! My blogging experience is that people love love love the posts that show the progression of work.
Mr. C:
Blog away. I think it’s safe to put it up.
The Artist:

This is now hanging from the fireplace mantle drying above the woodstove again.
I’m a little fuzzy on what to do on the left, behind the house. I copied what I saw in one of your photos, but wonder if I’m on the right track here.

More details will come with each successive layer. That is where I’ll straight some of my wobbly or crooked lines. I tried on a couple of these, but it just mushed everything up I touched! (It is weird to paint on glass and on roundness) I think there will be 2 more layers, and the address will happen on the next one. Maybe. Don’t know if I can paint the backside while the front is wet or vice versa!
Mr. C:

Your second pass has filled it in quite a bit. It’s coming together.


On the front of the porch are you able to add the American flag at the top and maybe the pedestal and goose figures at the bottom right of the steps?

Thanks for all the work thus far.  I’ve never been this excited to give a Xmas gift! (usually receiving is better than giving, no matter what they say!)

To be continued. . .

Ornament Eavesdropping

Working with a customer via email or telephone without any face-to-face time is a great challenge. (By “great”, I mean both large and enjoyable.) Mr. Communicator and I are having so much fun with this process that I decided to share a bit of our conversations with you. The personal and mundane parts have been edited for your ease of reading. Enjoy eavesdropping here!

Mr. Communicator:
I realize there are just a few weeks left before Christmas, but I wanted to reach out to you to see 1) if that’s something you do (we’re not the National Christmas tree!), 2) if it’s something you could do before Christmas and 3) what it would cost. Don’t let this cause you any stress. If it can’t happen then I’ll just give them coal!
The Artist:
Let’s roll!
Mr. C:
While I’d never encroach on your artistic talents I figured I’d point out a few things on the house:
1 – Feel free to trim back some of the shrubbery under the windows and porch and fullness of the trees in the front yard to let the house stand out a bit more.  They probably all need a trim anyway! . . .
. . . 6 – Feel free to ignore all of my suggestions above, as your previous piece of the house is awesome and everything on your site is amazing.
The Artist:
Thanks for the suggestions, Mr. C. When I am chosen to do a custom piece of artwork, the most important thing to me is making the customer happy. So, any and all suggestions are welcomed! That is a frosty looking ornament – bet you had to go to a zillion stores. . . almost gives me a twitch to think of it. I’ll let you know when it arrives, and will photograph the process.
The Artist:
It is here in one piece! It was almost gift-wrapped in a silver box with a bow and then floating in a huge carton of fluffy paper. Whoa!
I was so nervous painting the ornament for the White House because what in the world would I do if I dropped it? Turned out it was plastic!!  😎
I will begin this Monday morning (have a show tomorrow). I’ll try the oil paint directly on the glass and see how it dries. Even if I put acrylic beneath it, it may scratch off, and because it is clear-ish, it will look dumb with a white blob showing through instead of the backside of the painting. We’ll just have to let your folks know it is fragile. . . no fingernails!
Clearly, this has been a long conversation. Guess I’ll leave you on this cliff-hanger and continue the story tomorrow.

Antithesis defined

Mr. Communicator aptly pointed out that the ornament is the antithesis of the mural I just finished. Oh so spot on! The word means “opposite” or “in stark contrast to”.

I’ve tightened things up even more. First, the photo. Second, the list of thoughts.

  1. This thing is almost impossible to photograph. Can’t hold it in the light because both sides are wet; the flash is too reflective and wipes out some of the detail. But, I rose to the challenge, time and time again, both for you and for Mr. Communicator.
  2. It is wet on the back because it has the family name, address and years of living in this house. You don’t get to see that part. Remember, this is a secret operation!
  3. I found a smaller brush!  Must have been saving it for this very project.
  4. I may not have charged enough. On the other hand, I may have overcharged, because Mr. Communicator has had to listen to a fair amount of whining.
  5. Can you see the goose?
  6. Some of the fuzzy/wobbly looking lines are because the paint thickness varies and the light reflects off of it unevenly.
  7. It looks better in person.
  8. Isn’t my fireplace mantel/surround pretty? It is one of the 4 things I liked about this house when we bought it 13 years ago this very month.
  9. Notice the yellow ribbon.

Mineral King Bridge Painting, Done!

(Happy Birthday, Deb! Or was it yesterday??)

When I was a child, my sisters and I had to say “May I be excused?” before leaving the dinner table. This was to signal many things:  we were finished eating; to give our parents an opportunity to review our plates; to teach us how to be civilized;  to consider other people;  to become accustomed to decent manners.

So, now I say to my customer, “Please may I be excused?” This is because I believe the oil painting is finished, because I am civilized, and because I am never finished until the customer is happy!

Mineral King Bridge Painting, 3rd Layer

Branches and leaves on the cottonwoods, a pine in the right foreground, and some branches added to the red firs back by the cabins.

Sounds like a lesson in native trees of Mineral King. Might be, if I knew what sort of pine that is. Bet it isn’t a pine but is another red fir.

There is more to be done. There is always more to be done.

Sounds like a life lesson.

(Hey Mr. Google, this post is about a Mineral King oil painting, a commissioned oil painting, and I am a California Artist. Just sayin’.)

Mineral King Bridge Painting, 2nd Layer

Getting better all the time (wasn’t that a song by Chicago?)! Certainly isn’t a Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Long Way There is certainly correct for the road, and Long and Winding Road  is even better. Wait – it was called Getting Stronger Every Day by Chicago!!

Clearly I digress. This is about visual art, not auditory art.  Here, have a look at the painting after round 2:

It will take at least one more layer to get the colors, textures and shapes right, and then I can start the leaves on the cottonwoods. (Those are the trees on the left).

Mineral King Bridge In Paint

We all know that procrastination is not a virtue. However, I’d like to present a few benefits to procrastination:

1. Sometimes the problem fixes itself.

2. Sometimes new knowledge or skill is acquired so the difficulty diminishes.

3. Sometimes the problem becomes a moot point.

4. Sometimes someone else takes care of it.

I’ve been contemplating an oil painting of the Mineral King bridge for several weeks. In the meantime, I’ve made progress on my Huge (yet unrevealed) Project, finished a pencil commission, assembled a new spinning card rack, finished some other pencil drawings, prepared for the upcoming student art show, decided on and ordered covers for my display screens, completed the application for the next Studio Tour, and many other things that might bore you right off this page.

Finally, I’ve run out of excuses. The real reason for procrastination in this case is a little embarrassing: when I’ve gone several weeks without painting, I get a little fearful that I won’t be able to remember how to paint.

Then, when I begin a new painting, my fears appear to be confirmed. Sigh.

p.s. Don’t worry, CL, it WILL get better. They always do!

Not Out of the Woods

A friend saw a painting in a book of a deer that she just flipped over. (Not literally, thanks for your concern for her back health.) She showed it to me and asked if I could copy it for her living room wall. I could, but I won’t. There are copyright laws, and I am observant because I want others to show me the same courtesy. I love this friend. I love her a lot. She is nothing but sweetness, light, help and encouragement to me. Oh, and fun, too! Tons of fun! And wise, oh my goodness. I want to please her, but what to do, think, think, think. . .

I know! I have a great photo of a deer. Really great! I can paint that deer, and match the style of the painting in the book! Nothing wrong with imitating another style, trying out new ways of paintings, experimenting a little. No matter how hard I try, I can never truly duplicate that person’s style, whoever he or she is.

The style of the painting in the book is COMPLETELY UNLIKE anything I have ever attempted. It is loose and thickly layered and possibly completed in one time (ala prima) It is only in browns (or it that umber or sepia?) I cannot show you the photo from the book because of copyright laws. So, here is my first pass over the canvas.

I hope this hasn’t caused you to scream and smash your head on your computer or desk. I know it looks as if someone needs to put this deer out of his misery. I will, I will – next pass over the canvas, I promise!