Thoughts on Success in Art

I have 3 nephews. 2 of them are “creatives”, one an accomplished graphic artist supporting a wife and 2 children, and the other about to start his junior year in college as a music major. Might be performing arts, might be music theory. . . can’t remember exactly and embarrassed by asking him too often.

Music Nephew and I have been having an email conversation about “the arts”, and he mentioned how a musician friend of his gets in the way of his own success. I responded with something that I think you might enjoy, Oh Blog Readers (all 4 of you or so. . . maybe 6 or 7, but I still don’t know how to access or read the blog stats).

Most of us trying to make it in the arts are usually in the way of our own success. I’m gradually learning to redefine success. I know I don’t want to spend hours and hours on social media trying to build up a following, so I’m not – that’s success. I’d rather have real people that I know just happily following my blog and thinking of me when they have an art need – they do, so that’s success. I also don’t want to do the crazy hard work of building up a body of work that might appeal to galleries, which I’m not, so that’s success.

My life’s work is to discover and display the good things of Tulare County, a place I love to hate and hate to love. Sigh. Thus, the mixed ideas about success – I am portraying this place, but sometimes I want to live somewhere with a less hostile climate, cleaner air, and richer more educated populace.

If you made it to the end of this bloviation, you deserve a reward. Here, have a look at a successful pencil drawing of a bridge.

Marblefork Bridge, pencil on paper, 11x14 framed, currently hanging at the Courthouse Gallery in Exeter.
Marblefork Bridge, pencil on paper, 11×14 framed, currently hanging at the Courthouse Gallery in Exeter.

Reminding You of the Beauty of Tulare County

Do you know why I write this blog?

It is because I want to remind us all that there is beauty here in Tulare County. Sometimes I have to put myself out into that beauty and even take my Big Girl Camera with me to get great photos so I can do my job of reminding you of the beauty of Tulare County.

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The wildflowers along the lower 6.5 miles of the Mineral King Road are abundant and beautiful. There really aren’t very many places to pull over, so just drive slowly and soak it up. Better yet, have someone else drive, and you can just gawk.

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This is spice bush, and it is in bloom right next to the Oak Grove Bridge.IMG_1520There is good water flowing beneath the bridge. This is the upstream view.IMG_1514

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This is leaning over the bridge looking downstream. There was a pickup parked on the bridge with rafting stuff. The people were actually rafting down there! I have no idea how they got the raft down to the water or how they got into the thing without having one foot in and one foot out when it shot down some treacherous rapid.

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Leaning out over the bridge is all the risk I care to take here.IMG_1521

This is the first time I have noticed the rock work propping up the road over there. STAY PUT, little rocks.

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We did a little trespassing to get this view. Now you don’t have to. I don’t know if there is enough color here – just greens and browns, with that little place of blue in the water. The wildflowers are just too small. Maybe I could put some in the foreground, in spite of the fact that there are none there. . .? Time will tell. I still haven’t finished the 24×30″ painting that has been on my easel since January or February! Too busy being out in the beauty of Tulare County to be recording it in paint right now.

 

 

New Mural!

All murals begin with a conversation. It moves into photos, measurements, and sketches. This conversation began in December at a man’s home in his events room. (No, I’ve never been in an events room at a private home before. . . have you?)

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There are 2 walls under discussion. This is wall #1 as it appeared just before a Christmas party.

After some discussion, Customer chose a scene, which I sketched. He changed his mind, and sent me this photo of a place where his grandparents lived in Missouri until he was 5 years old.

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This was more familiar to me, and quite straightforward. I looked up Missouri and learned that the state tree is a flowering dogwood, cornus florida, and the state bird is the bluebird! (I LOVE bluebirds!) So, I sketched the scene, and Customer was happy.

Ed's mural #3

Two scaffolds were waiting for me, along with some heavy-duty plastic covering the floor and a very handy table.

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Don’t you wish you had an events room at your house? I taped off the top wooden trim and dropped a chalk line in the center so I could have a point of reference and a sense of true vertical.

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Then I had to move the scaffolds to draw the picture, a very simple scribble.

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Starting is slow process. Every mural has its own set of challenges, most of which are logistical rather than artistical. (Sorry – just had to mess with that word to make it match “logistical”.) There is a special level of concern when working inside of someone’s home instead of outdoors. I procrastinated a bit by making corrections in a comforting shade of teal.

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Time to put the scaffolds back in place and begin the sky. The photo’s sky was a very soft blue, which I made brighter. The whole photo is sort of dark, so I am aiming for brighter colors on everything.

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I took a short break to enjoy the view and was thrilled to see Sawtooth out the windows. This is a very pretty part of Tulare County, and this is the most beautiful time of year.

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Break’s over. Just paint. I feel a sense of urgency to finish and get my mess out of the events room so Customer and Mrs. Customer can resume their very interesting and active life!

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Research is an Artist Word for a Field Trip

“Research” is a word that used to bring to mind libraries with stacks of books and the microfiche machine. Now it means Google.

In the case of this Central California artist, it means a field trip.

I drove the 6.5 miles up the Mineral King Road and spent some time walking around the bridge, climbing into areas that I avoid in the summer because I have a healthy fear of rattlesnakes.

Oak Grove Bridge

Lots of rain so far this winter means a decent flow beneath the bridge. I really want to see it if we get a flood-like storm!IMG_2150

Water or root-beer?

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It’s difficult to get a photo of it from a straight-on angle. The shrubs and trees keep growing and obstructing the view.

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This is the most common angle that I paint.

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I’ve never taken this angle before. I think it would be a weird painting.

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Sometimes the last support and the abutment visually overlap in my paintings and I get confused by all the shapes.IMG_2172

Might as well take a strange angle of the other side. One never knows what might be helpful.

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I think the “T” is for Tulare County. I also needed to see what the detailed shape of this post is, because it is always too small to show in my other paintings. This time, in the 24×30″ painting, it just might matter.

Remember, February 8 at 6 p.m. at the Three Rivers Veterans’ Memorial Building, the Tulare Co. planning commission is holding a meeting about the bridge’s future.

 

What I Wrote to Tulare County About The Oak Grove Bridge

This is what I wrote to Tulare County about The Oak Grove Bridge. Notice I am now capitalizing “The” with the name of the bridge. It is growing in importance in my little world.

The email to him may have landed in his spam file because I attached this picture:

Oak Grove Bridge X

Hi Jason,

Tulare County is a little weak on historic landmarks, but we do have the Oak Grove Bridge on the Mineral King Road. When driving that rough, narrow, winding, rural road, it is a wonderful and elegant surprise. It is one of the most beautiful structures in our entire county. 

I am horrified to think that it could be replaced with something new. Please do everything you can to preserve this special bridge and remove the option of tearing it down from your list of possible solutions.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Jana Botkin

That sounds reasonable, not hysterical, right? Someone, anyone, please reassure me that everything will be okay!!

P.S. Here is the link if you want the info to send your own email: Bridge

The Oak Grove Bridge Saga Begins

Or perhaps it continues. . .

 

 

Oak Grove Bridge XVII

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 sure exactly of all the bureaucratic wording, but whatever it is, I will be there. (Lord willing, the Creek, etc.)

In addition, we are invited to send “comments” (does that mean opinions? suggestions? protests?) to a Jason Vivian by February 1. Here is a link to an explanation that includes Jason’s eddress. Click this.

Next week I”ll show you what I wrote.

Meanwhile, I have 2 more bridge paintings to finish.

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 unsafe. There is talk of rebuilding it, leaving it in place as a foot bridge and building a new driving bridge upstream, and even tearing it down. 

Better start saving $ for my bail, because I might have to chain myself to the bridge and then get arrested.

Nah. I’ll think about that tomorrow. I have some paintings to finish.

Oak Grove Bridge

The detail on the railing is the most difficult part of painting this bridge, especially when it is 8×10″. Too too tiny.

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Why is this upside down? Because every part except the top of the painting has wet paint on it. Okay, the back doesn’t have any paint, but you probably figured that out. This one is a commission, and the customer specifically requested detail around all four edges.

2015 Cabin Calendars for Sale

There are still a few of the 2016 calendars, “The Cabins of Tulare County” for sale. This calendar is a collection of pencil drawings of cabins in Tulare County. (Captain Obvious speaks again.) It is heavy on Wilsonia, followed by Mineral King, and there is one token Camp Nelson. These drawings are gathered from the book The Cabins of Wilsonia, and various commissioned drawings I’ve done in the past year or two.

Have a look at the unidentified months. I didn’t attempt to find seasonal pictures, other than a snowy cabin in December. Cabins, for the most part, are summer homes.

2016 calendar drawings

The calendars are $15 each, including sales tax. If you send me a check in the mail or money using Paypal, AND YOU GIVE ME YOUR ADDRESS (excuse me for shouting – someone ordered via Paypal and didn’t give me her address or answer my email – how is she going to get her calendar??), then I will get your calendar to you and pay the mailing costs. (in the USA only)

 

Picking up Walnuts

One of the great benefits of living in the Central Valley of California is the availability of food. (Is that why we are so dang fat in Tulare County??)

Almost everyone has a friend with an orange tree or grove, a walnut tree or grove, fruit trees, access to packing houses. . . makes me wonder how grocery stores are able to make money around here.

When I was a little kid, it was torture to have to glean for walnuts. I used to beg my mom to not put walnuts in things for a change. As an adult, I’ve actually paid Real Money for walnuts at the grocery store!

Now I have a friend with a walnut orchard. THANK YOU, GERALD! There may be a painting or two as a result of my afternoon gleaning walnuts.

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It is along the Friant-Kern Canal.

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IMG_1891 IMG_1896 Look at this little gem. And the green sprouting weeds are an indication that we have been getting good rains!!

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All that bending down got tiring. After about an hour, I decided to not bend over for just one walnut. Instead, I kicked it to another one, so I could get a minimum of two at a bend.

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The ground slopes up to the bank of the canal. I crawled up and this was what I saw. Alta Peak is visible, if you know what you are looking for. For some reason, I enjoy seeing the same peak that is visible from my yard when I am 25 miles down the hill. Simple pleasures. . .

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Running Away With Reading Rabbit

 

Salt & Light, or Reading Rabbit, oil on board, 11x14"
Salt & Light, or Reading Rabbit, oil on board, 11×14″

 

Reading has been my favorite way to run away from reality all of my life. Nose in a book, that’s my favorite place to be. Since my family had a difficult and sad summer, I returned to reading as a means of temporary escape.

Here is a list of some of the best books I read in the last few months:

  1. Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman
  2. A Million Miles in 1000 Years, Donald Miller
  3. Scary Close, Donald Miller
  4. Still Life With Bread Crumbs, Anna Quindlen *
  5. Secrets of a Charmed Life, Susan Meissner *
  6. Without You, There is No Us, Suki Kim
  7. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in No. Korea, Barbara Demick
  8. Fiddler in the Subway, Gene Weingarten

#1 is about what teevee has done to our culture, but applies to the internet too. I found it fascinating and true.

#2 and #3 – I LOVE Donald Miller’s honesty and humor and wisdom.

#4 I forgot what this is about but I liked it enough to finish and to put it on this list. Anna Quindlen is a good story teller and writer.

#5 came highly recommended by an online friend’s website and was a great story about someone who survived the Blitz in London. Fiction, but believable.

#6 is by a woman who taught English in North Korea. I heard her speak on a TED talk and was interested enough to chase down the book. It is S C A R Y.

#7 is what the author learned by interviewing defectors from North Korea. Sad and scary.

#8 is another one I liked enough to put on the list and have already forgotten.

Sigh. Guess you’ll have to trust me that these are all good enough to reserve at your local liberry, if you are lucky enough to have the fantastic reservation and delivery system like we do here in Tulare County.

Our libraries are one of the best things about living in Tulare County.

I wrote “liberry” to make you smile. Did it work?

*denotes fiction – the rest are nonfiction