This represents a typical day at the easels for me, working on a few paintings, hanging out with my cats, taking a break to go see the river from the Dinely Bridge which crosses the middle fork of the Kaweah River here in Three Rivers.
My favorite thing to draw and paint is the Oak Grove Bridge, 6.5 miles up the Mineral King Road. I think a bridge is the most perfect blend of architecture and scenery. It is sort of a cliche, but so what?
I made up the rocks beneath, which one might think I would have memorized by now. Closies count on this. Ditto with the growies (since I am talking in weird abbreviated words). It will prolly take a week or so for these to be dry enough to continue.
Memorial service for The Cowboy
Bert Raymond Weldon, May 21, 1956 — January 8, 2019
CELEBRATION OF LIFE AND RECEPTION Friday, March 15, 2019, 11:00 a.m. CrossCity Christian Church, 2777 E. Nees Avenue, Fresno, California 93720
Recently, I’ve focused on my weaknesses in drawing and painting. If I can’t see it, it might not be possible for me to draw or paint the thing. But, if I push through and have help and take lots of time, sometimes I can succeed.
If these weren’t commissioned pieces with a paycheck at the end, I would have given up. Much of what I choose to do is speculative work – will it sell? Will anyone care?
But, both of the recent ultra difficult pieces are not speculation art. There were real customers with an idea of what they wanted, and they counted on me to figure out how to do the job. They each gave me as much time as I required, trusting my ideas and judgement.
These are good friends and good customers; knowing my limitations, I wanted to please them in spite of the difficulties.
If I was more business oriented, there would probably be a contract, a down payment, and the contract would talk about things like “Change Orders” and “Photo Availability”.
I showed you the completed Mineral King Pack Station last week (and since learned that the white horse’s eye is too high, but too late, it is at the framer now).
Today, have a look at the completed Homer’s Nose with the Oak Grove Bridge.
The customer is very happy and so am I!
About the truck on the bridge: the customer’s husband was heading down the hill, while a friend was coming up the hill. When the friend arrived, Mrs. Customer asked the friend if she had seen her husband on the road. The friend said she hadn’t. Later, the friend shared the photo she had taken of the bridge on the way up, and Lo-And-Behold, she had photographed Mrs. Customer’s husband’s pickup-truck on the bridge without knowing it!!
P.S. What is “lo and behold”? I think it means “oh my stars!”. . . My neighbor, who died at age 94, was very fond of that expression, and I think of him every time I hear it.
After doing the 10×10″ oil painting Oak Grove Bridge XXIV, I felt ready to return to the commissioned oil painting that combines the Oak Grove Bridge with Homer’s Nose (AKA Snozz Rock).
It was engrossing work. There were more design changes to be made, and I was eager to see if they made it more appealing, both in the execution and in the viewing.
There is still much work ahead, but now I feel capable, thanks to my little guide buddy, Oak Grove Bridge XXIV.
P.S. Tonight is a public information meeting about the bridge’s future at the Three Rivers Veterans Memorial Building at 6 p.m. The plan is to “rehabilitate the bridge” to “correct seismic and structural deficiencies”. Maybe They will explain how, or more importantly, when and how long.
I thought about calling this “Final Chapter”, but I hope I live on to keep painting the bridge and improving with each one.
We made it through about 23 oil paintings of the Oak Grove Bridge. There were repeated views, color adjustments and exaggerations, brighter versions, muted versions, paintings with sharp clean edges, paintings that looked sort of blurry, and the last one from a completely different angle.
Then, I began working on the commissioned oil painting that combines the bridge with Homer’s Nose, a prominent landmark granite rock outcropping. The bridge felt too hard in this one, so I decided to do a smaller version of the exact same view in order to work out some difficulties.
“Difficulties”? I might be a slow learner, or perhaps a bit simple. I’ve painted the thing 23 times and still have difficulties?
Just try to be polite here, ‘kay?
Here is Oak Grove Bridge XXIV in a few steps (although it took many more than a few steps to do this).
There were some shenanigans by some hooligans while I was trying to concentrate.
This photo tells me that perhaps when I have finished all the commissioned paintings and drawings, I might do a bit of shelf straightening.
We made it through Oak Grove Bridge #18. Is there a #19? Yup. All the way through #23, which may or may not be the twenty-third oil painting I’ve done of this, my favorite bridge.
I may have found a clue to the Oak Grove Bridge oil painting numbering problem. I was preparing for a show of oil paintings, and had several new paintings going at the same time. One was on a collapsible easel, and true to its nature, it collapsed and tore the painting on the table behind it. After feeling sick for awhile, I removed the canvas from its foundational frame and sewed it into a tote bag.
Numbering problems continue – there is no #12 or #13, and I jump between Roman numerals and normal numerals (what are those called??)
Now back to the completed oil paintings of the Oak Grove Bridge. I started messing around with exaggerated colors in 2014.
But wait! There’s more! More Oak Grove Bridge oil paintings.
Here we encounter a numbering problem. When learning to oil paint, every artist has her own system for keeping track of completed paintings (or not.) It took me awhile to sort things out. Hence, here are two Oak Grove Bridge # Nines and Tens.
Happy Birthday, Cory!!
It is easy to go on and on and on about this subject. Tulare County landmark, favorite bridge, art. . .
All of these paintings are sold and todayI’m giving you a break from all the “ads” (although you may commission me to repaint any of these bridge scenes for you!)
There will be several chapters in this series about my favorite bridge, the Oak Grove Bridge on the Mineral King Road in Tulare County, California. (All those specifics are just in case you are new to the blog; if so, welcome!)
Yesterday we looked at three pencil drawings of the bridge. Today I will show you some of my earliest oil paintings of this wonderful subject.
Keep your seat belts on – it is a long and winding road with about 20 more oil paintings of this beautiful Tulare County landmark to go!