Will this painting get finished?

What I really mean is will it be finished in time for the show at the Tulare History Museum, opening May 5. My good friend DJ and I love to discuss business. I asked her to look at the paintings I have for the show to see if she thought it was a good mix. She said it could use one large central point, a grab-’em-and-pull-’em-in kind of painting. We tried on several ideas. The mail came, and there was a large envelope from Kodak. I opened it, showed DJ some of my photos, and she said “THAT’S IT!” She pointed to a pair of photos, asked if I could paint the two together for a large picture. After dithering a bit, I asked Michael if he minded being painted for a show. He liked the idea, so here we go!

This is HUGE for me. 36×24″ is MASSIVE. It feels bigger than a mural, because with oil I layer and layer and layer, and use as much detail as I can manage. Murals use acrylic, and sloppier strokes look tight and careful on a giant scale. Murals are fast compared to this size of oil. Oh-oh, I’m shutting up now or I will talk myself out of trying to finish this! If it is finished, I will tell you but not show it. I want you to come to the show! The opening: Tulare Historical Museum, May 5, 5:30-7:00

And, just in case you may have forgotten, this is a painting of a man fishing in a stream in the Sierra Nevada, in Sequoia National Park, in California. I am a California artist!

Yokohl Valley Show

Next week I will deliver a new painting to the Tulare Historical Museum. They are having a themed exhibit entitled “Yokohl Valley Revisted”. If you are a follower of this blog, you may recall a photography trip I took through the Yokohl Valley last spring – see the April 2 and April 3 postings. (I thought I was gathering info for a show in the Bay Area, but it turned out to be for plein air painters, which I am not.) There were so many beautiful photos from which to choose – I carried the best ones around to several spring shows and also polled my students. The view with the highest number of votes is the one I chose to paint. Out of respect for the Tulare Historical Museum, I won’t post the painting here until after the show opening. The title might pique your interest – “Forgive Us Our Trespasses” popped into my mind as soon as I began the painting, and it can be interpreted in two different ways. The opening reception is Thursday, January 13, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. No admission is charged (hmmm, can we peek into the museum during the reception??) and there are refreshments. Depending on the number of paintings at the show, they might also accept this painting that I did for an earlier Yokohl Valley show. (popular subject – go here to learn more: Save Yokohl Valley)

Behind Rocky Hill, 16×12″, oil on wrapped canvas

Here is something rather astonishing that I discovered on a blog I read from time to time called “Abby Try Again” – in her January 3, 2011 posting this interesting and creative photographer with roots in Tulare County showed her favorite photographs of 2011. Look at this list, and tell me what you think about the last photo. Abby Try Again