Tag: Sequoia painting

Getting Real About Oil Paintings

Did you think I’ve spent the last weeks just driving and walking around, marveling at the river, snow, rain, and Samson in the water?

Nope. I’ve been oil painting every workday. See?

The 2 oil paintings of Sequoia trees are drying, along with the blacksmith shop. (The Commissioner likes it!!)

And, what is this? Sometimes when a painting doesn’t sell, I turn it into something else. This used to be a field of red tulips. No one cared except me.

Hi Samson. Stay out of my palette.

People in my life care more about Sequoia trees than tulips.

Whoa. What is this? It used to be a field of red and yellow tulips. I hope people in my life care more about pomegranates than tulips. I thought briefly about painting all the fruits that begin with “P” – poms, pears, peaches, plums, persimmons and maybe even a pumpkin. A pumpkin would be large and weird with those others. And what would I name it? “Ps”? I could throw in a quince and call it “Ps & Q”. . . never mind.

Hi Samson. Like your new perch? Stay out of my palette. That concrete block is holding down a box over the phone because you have knocked it off the hook too many times.

Part of the business of art is being honest with myself. I have to ask hard questions and face the answers. Why doesn’t a particular painting sell? Maybe it isn’t good enough, or maybe no one cares. I have to face facts and paint things that sell. Otherwise, I might need to get a job.

Sequoia painting

Sell, Sequoia Tree, Sell. I really don’t want to paint this one out. Paint it over? Paint over it? And don’t worry, this isn’t finished.

Never mind. Back to the easels. . .

oil paintings Sequoia painting

Growing Sequoias With Paint

Ever heard of growing Sequoia trees with paint? It’s figurative, not literal. Unlike the new (wrong) use of the word “literal”, I mean that I am figuratively growing trees. As in a figure of speech. . .

Please excuse the detour. Words mean things, and sometimes people need to be reminded, although I believe my blog readers are exceptional people, exceptionally smart and aware of reality. Otherwise, why would you all choose to read a blog by a realist?

This one is finished. It needs to dry, get scanned, varnished and added to inventory on my website. I can’t remember the title (Sequoia Number Something or Sunny Sequoias Number Something) and can’t turn it over to check the title while it is this wet.

Yikes. This is so ugly with only its first layer. You can see I have begun on the left side, which also happens to be farthest away.

I think it could use another layer of detail, but it will have to wait until it is dryer. “Dryer”? Isn’t that a machine for drying clothes? Maybe I mean “more dry”. Anyone know a good editor??

And this one is also ugly with only a first layer. I’m learning not to despair after only one pass over the canvas. It has only taken 10-1/2 years of painting to understand that ugly happens for a much longer amount of time than the fun part.

Layer by layer. . . this one will also need more detailing and some color correcting.

Here are all three, progressively more complete as you see them from upper to lower.

Sequoia painting

Sequoia Oil Painting in Progress

I returned to painting Sequoia trees while I waited for more information on the Kaweah blacksmith shop and for it to dry a bit.

After helping ~~the color bullies~~ my advanced drawing students with their paintings of Sequoia trees, I wanted to paint my own.

This was the first time I have painted since we got Samson. (painting these the same day I began the Kaweah blacksmith shop). He was very busy, but didn’t attack my feet or the paint brush, or tip over the turpentine, or run across the palette.

I got this far:

Helping my drawing students with their Sequoia oil paintings helped me with mine.

Thank you, ~~Color Bullies~~, Advanced Drawing Students!

oil paintings Sequoia Sequoia painting

Color Bullies

About twice a year, I allow several of my advanced drawing students to bully me into giving an oil painting workshop.

Sometimes everyone paints the same subject, and sometimes each person chooses her own subject. It is easier to teach when everyone paints the same subject. That way everyone benefits from the same instructions rather than having to wait until I get around to help individually.

Recently, the color bullies arm-twisted me into another oil painting workshop. I negotiated to get them to all paint Sequoia trees and the result was that I gave them several photos from which to choose.

OF COURSE every single participant chose a different photo.

Whoa, E, you are getting this, but why is your photo upside down? — Whoa, E, this looks great, but why is your photo upside down?? (Teeheehee, those of us who draw together know the answer to this.)

Wow, M, you are getting this and even listened to me a couple of times!

Hey, L, are you confused? (We insiders get it. . . how snobbish of us!)

Let's all go outside and marvel at the colors in the leaves. — Let’s all go outside and marvel at the colors in the leaves.

The color bullies and I had a great time. (You know I use the term “bullies” as an exaggeration, yes? These folks are truly wonderful, and we love painting together!) Stay tuned to see how the paintings turn out after session #2.

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oil paintings Sequoia painting

Sequoia Art Show Reception

The art reception for the Sequoia Art Show was well attended. It appeared that everyone had a good time. I did. Thank you for coming!

Hey, Kelvin! Look left – Nadi’s art is fabulous!

Look at all those people having a nice time.

A lull. . . it is a privilege to have my work in the same room as Nadi Spencer’s paintings.

All spaced out like that on white walls. . . if the floors were shiny, I’d feel as if my work had truly arrived.

Lauren, a friend and drawing student – she and I both got haircuts, and she donated her locks to Pantene to make a wig for cancer patients.

This is how Trail Guy attended the show – in the place of honor right in the foyer.

P.S. These 2 sold:

1501 atwell Four Guardsmen

Sequoia National park Sequoia painting

Sequoia Trees and Navel Oranges

Sequoia trees and navel oranges are specialties of Central California, right here in Tulare County where I live and work as an artist (and now as an editor too).

So, I paint Sequoia trees and navel oranges. Often.

When these are dry, I’ll scan them and put them on my website for sale. Maybe I’ll put them on the blog too.

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On the Easels, On the Wall

These are some of the paintings on the easel and drying on the walls around the painting studio/workshop. I did them for the Studio Tour. After spending an entire year just drawing the cabins of Wilsonia, it was time to paint again.

Always gotta have citrus paintings – what else would you expect from a California artist? These are each 6×6, a very popular size in kitchen art.

These pomegranates are 4×4″. Like the shoes? Ugly as sin, but oh so very comfortable. I thought about cropping them out of this photo, but got lazy. This palette served as a convenient tray for transporting these little wet paintings. The weird circle behind the painting on the upper right is an old color wheel. The palette is a gift from someone whose mother used to paint. Most of my supplies are gifts from people whose mothers and mothers-in-law used to paint.

The yarn in the photo is lavender and blue. I have been on a roll for a couple of years just loving the combination of teal and brown, so that’s what I am making the yarn in the painting. The photo is showing me the twist pattern, the size of the strands, and the way the light and shadow fall. This is called “using a photo for reference”, because out there in ArtWorld, working from photos is met with a lot of contempt.

The Kaweah River is on my list of Oil Painting Subjects To Always Have On Hand. I’ve painted this scene before. This time it is 10×10″ square, and the colors are a bit juiced up, although it is hard to tell when looking at a photo of a photo.

Ditto the Kaweah Post Office. This is the first time I’ve included the monument marker. Painting it on a square canvas got my eye confused, and the proportions were whacky at this stage. I fixed it later.

Careful! The paint is wet on these! The piece of paper is how I keep track of where I am on which painting. I could just look around the room and see, but a list makes me feel more productive and efficient. Never mind that it might be a waste of time to make the list and to keep it current. I’m 53 and I can do what I want. Wait a minute – am I 54? I can’t remember!

The top and bottom paintings sold at the Studio Tour. Time to paint another Mineral King!

California Artist Kaweah Post Office Sequoia painting The Cabins of Wilsonia Three Rivers Three rivers oil paintings

Sold!

The Studio Tour was a success in many ways. I found 2 new drawing students, saw old friends and students, met new friends, made contact with folks that I’d only talked to on the phone before, and lots of other important things.

And, these are some of the paintings that sold.

Meadow Fence, 10×10, oil painting on wrapped canvas, a Sequoia National Park oil painting

Vandever-Mineral King, 10×10, oil on wrapped canvas, a Mineral King oil painting

Peach on Tree, 6×6, oil on wrapped canvas

North Fork of the Kaweah, 11×14, oil on wrapped canvas, a Three Rivers oil painting

Mineral King oil paintings oil paintings Sequoia painting Three Rivers Three rivers oil paintings Three Rivers Studio Tour

Painting the Sequoias

Sequoias, AKA “big trees”, are something I really love to paint (and draw). On my doors, on canvas, (or on paper.)

I liked the painting on my door so much that I decided to do the same scene on canvas.

First step – draw it vaguely with a paintbrush.

Second step, get the base coat on.

Third step, begin the background and add layers to everything else.

Fourth step, photograph it inside the painting workshop with the sequoia doors open.

Fifth step, photograph it with the other two doors of redwoods.

Seventh step, photograph it while it is drying.

(Sixth step was to finish painting it. Did you think I messed up on counting? Wouldn’t have been the first time!)

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Sequoia Mural Complete

Doesn’t that sound like a terse newspaper heading?

The Sequoia tree mural of a section of the Parker Group on one of my ridgey garage doors is now completed. Maybe. I signed it, but when I live with a piece of art, little corrections ask to be made. So, is it finished?

I spent 18 hours painting this in about 7 different sessions, the longest of which was 4 hours. Of course, I might keep fiddling with it, so there may be more.

If a customer wanted this exact mural on this exact surface and this exact size and I didn’t have to drive more than 1 mile to paint it (definitely rounding up because I drove no where to paint this), I’d charge $700.

I knew you were dying to ask, but there is this weirdness about art prices. . . the old “If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.”

No worries. The truth is what is spoken and written here and no one has any reason for embarrassment when he doesn’t know something. This California artist who paints Sequoia trees just wants to help you.

California Artist mural Sequoia sequoia mural Sequoia painting