This is the traditional opening weekend for many people in Mineral King. While the gates will be unlocked, the road is still blocked by snow from about Highbridge on up. If you are up for a walk, you can go into the valley. Here are a few more pictures from my show at the Tulare Historical Museum, this time of Mineral King in the summer to just whet your appetite. If you are planning a visit to the area, stop by the show!
Vandever V, 8×10, $90
Mineral King Morning, 14 x 11″, $175
The background trees are finished. Hmmm, about 1/3 of 864 square inches = 285. That leaves 589 square inches to paint. Approximately. Careful inches. (Fishing Guy appears to be in need a superhuman orthopedic surgeon.) This photo represents 5 days of painting. 10 more days on this??? Needs drying time. Needs to be varnished and more drying time. Needs to be delivered May 2. Guess I’ll just try not to get distracted by any more yarn paintings or other odd items and see what happens! You all will have to visit the show in Tulare, opening May 5, to see if this Giant Oil Painting made it!!
Day Four resulted in more trees, brushy material, layers, working back to front, left to right. This left to right and top to bottom is the method I use when drawing with pencils. As a right-hander, it prevents smearing. As a Get-‘er-Dun Chick, I love the efficiency, and when it is finished, I’m in signing position.
Knitters often discuss the topic of Process Versus Product, deciding if we enjoy the process or just desire the finished product. In drawing with pencil, I’m usually 75% Process and 25% Product. I’ve found that in knitting, drawing and painting, the enjoyment of process increases with my skill level. In painting, it depends on the subject, photo quality, paint behavior (or misbehavior), brush obedience (or disobedience), and deadlines. Sometimes deadlines motivate me; other times they “pressurize” me. (My friend/neighbor Charlie says “Don’t pressurize yourself”.) This painting is probably a 50/50 situation of enjoying the process as much as I am looking forward to the finished piece.
P.S. Isn’t this a classic California Sierra scene by a California Artist? đ
Living in a beautiful place often inspires people to create art. Lots of people get the yen to paint, often when retired. (Sometimes I have to bite my tongue to keep from saying, âOh yeah? I think Iâll try practicing law when I retire!â) Most donât understand that drawing comes before painting, sort of like grunting and pointing comes before public speaking.
A painting without drawing skills behind it is usually a weak piece of art. By “weak”,  I mean weird shapes, bizarre perspective, and lacking in contrast. Unless one can see proportions, perspective and understand values  and composition, the resulting paintings will most likely be exercises in frustration. Throw in color, paint consistency and brush behavior, and you get a recipe for visual chaos. (Of course, if one is more process than product oriented, poor paintings may not be considered a problem.)
Drawing is a skill that can be taught, learned, and developed through repetitious practice. I have been teaching people how to draw for 17 years and always tell beginning students âdrawing is a skill, not a talentâ. It is like typing – everyone can learn to type. Some type 25 words per minute, and others hit 90. Those speedsters are the ones with talent, but all are typists.
Despite knowing the proper sequence of skills, I do understand the desire to just dive in! When I was learning to knit, my attitude was âScarves? We donât need no stinkinâ scarves!!â My first project was a sweater, and not just a simple pullover but a cardigan, complete with button bands and button holes! Needless to say, I own many weird sweaters, and, after almost 6 years of knitting, quite a few good ones too. So, it is probably possible learn to paint without first drawing, if one is learning from mistakes in the process rather than just cementing bad practices. Of course one must also be willing to have a collection of weird paintings!
Musicians, particularly pianists, have to practice like crazy. They play lots and lots of scales, repetitious exercises, picking apart songs line by line, phrase by phrase, note by note. Artists sometimes forget to practice and treat each new piece as if it were the performance of a lifetime, or thinking in athletic terms, an Olympic event. Practice, practice, practice. This is how you learn to draw and to cement those skills of proportion, perspective, value and composition.
The drawing above was done when I was competent in my drawing skills. This painting was my first attempt at the same subject  when I was brand new to oils (try to be polite!):
Here it is again after 3 years of practice with oils (and I’m sure it will look hideous to me in another 3 years!):
It is all speckled because I photographed it wet in bright sunlight and the sun reflected off the texture of the canvas. Photography is another skill that requires training and practice!
2 comments I hear from people over and over are “I’m out of wall space” and “I’m trying to be careful with money”. Here are my responses to the first: “You can rotate your art” or “Look! Small paintings on little easels look nice on a bookshelf, lamp table or fireplace mantel!” To the second, “Look at these little bitty paintings, hand-painted ornaments and packages of cards – all $20 or less!”
Here are a few more 4×6 oranges in progress – they sit on easels and are $30 each
And these little bitty paintings are $15 each:
So are these ornaments:
. . . is finished!
Mineral King Morning, 11×14″, oil on wrapped canvas, $175
There are several commissioned paintings that need to be done before the mural begins. This is not one of them – it is a commission, but the commissioner said, “No Hurry”. (music to my ears!) He has a great 16×20″ photo of Sawtooth with Mineral Peak behind it and has been wanting a painting. His vision is a panorama shaped painting on wrapped canvas. I looked up available sizes, and he chose 18×36″. I cropped his photo using brown craft paper and began to outline the shapes in a gray-blue color.
Next, I turned both pieces upside down, changed to a reddish brown, and corrected the shapes. Sounds crazy, but it works! Why? When it is right side up my brain tells my eye “You know what Sawtooth looks like; just draw it!” When it is upside down, my eye says “A little longer here, a little wider there, this is in line with that, that is to the right of this. . .” while my brain says, “Hunh?”
Yep, a paintbrush in each hand, in my teeth and one per foot. . . of course I am joking! But all of these paintings are wet and in progress and won’t be ready in time for Redbud Festival.  Orders can be taken for commissions. . . đ
The bridge is slowly advancing – the changes are probably too small to notice yet. The one on the right is in its very first stages – a single layer of paint just indicating where things will be and the general color.
This was one of the first scenes I tackled 4 years ago – wow, it is ever so much easier this time!
On top is the beginning of a commissioned painting of Mineral King in winter. The lower painting has been “mulling” for a long time but now the part above the bridge is finished as are about half the stones in the bridge.
The top painting should look familiar – I have painted it numerous times, but this time it will be a wedding gift. (Giving my art as a gift is a careful decision – does the recipient like my art? Have I chosen the right subject? ) The other 2 paintings are also Mineral King, also repeats. If a subject is great (and if it sells) I repaint it as often as I want. Why not? Can’t think of an good answer, so I’ll keep repeating myself!
