Take a Seat

Take a Seat
9" x 12" acrylic on 3/4" wrapped canvas
$75 + $10 USPS

In our area, we are lucky to be surrounded by living history. I say "living" because as long as people continue to ask, to want to learn, the history of the place will go on. This painting was done a month or so ago and I just now learned about the provenance of the building through simply asking the owner. She informed me that it used to be the business office for the local lumber mill. I am that much happier for knowing this and for choosing to paint this particular building. You just never know.
Libby

This past Friday I was out and about in Angels Camp and Murphys. Trying to find great ideas for painting isn't difficult, especially at this time of year. The weather is gorgeous. 


Angels Camp is home to the Calaveras County Fair and every year, the town strings old fashioned clothing onto a line right down the middle of main street. The hanging of the laundry lets everyone know that the fair is coming. 


I was also in Murphys that day. I had remembered the below coffee shop and knew that the building was of interest to me. It looks like an old gas station or maybe a drive through of some sort. I didn't get a chance to go in though to inquire about its history. Next trip!


I also visited the small store of Moon Alley Candles. The candles are beautiful and reflect a Craftsman's style aesthetic. I love everything from the Arts and Crafts Movement (think William Morris) and these candles really captured some of those designs.  


Lastly, I visited Sustenance Books, an independent book store. I wish we had more shops like this one. They do have a Facebook page which is what the above link is for but really, a visit is the ticket!


In my mind, there are so many things to see here that I don't know why people aren't cramming the highway to visit. Hopefully some of the photos I took will turn into ideas and then eventually paintings. These little "out and about" trips as I call them are really sources of inspiration.


Libby 

Coming Home
11" x 14" Acrylic on wrapped canvas
$85 + $15 USPS and CA Tax

Learning to get around in our county, as "small" as it is, has been a challenge for me. For starters, Highway 12 turns into Highway 49 outside of San Andreas. It is still the same highway mind you but it gets a different designation. The next question is, am I going East or West, North or South? When I go to Murphys, am I coming down from Valley Springs or up from Valley Springs? And wait, I live in a subdivision of Valley Springs??? How can a town so small have a subdivision? 


In any case, learning each little part of each town and where everything is has been fun. You can't beat the scenery and two years later, it is only starting to seem familiar to me. It sure doesn't get old. One of the first landmarks that I began to notice on my way home from Jackson or any point to the East, was this water tower at the intersection of Highways 12 and 26. Now, once I see the tower, I know that I am almost home. I have waited some time to make this particular painting, believing that there really wasn't a good view or story about this tower. But there is a good story; and I think I am not the only one who must know it. Surely other people on their way home must see this tower and know that they are close to their goal. It really is a "rural beacon" for those of us coming home.


Libby

Blunder Inn
9" x 12" Acrylic on wrapped canvas
available: $75 + $10 USPS
email: libbyfife@ymail.com

Call me sentimental, but I really have a soft spot for these old bars and motels. The Blunder Inn, (someone has a super sense of humor), is situated in Mountain Ranch. I was told that it has been many things at one point or another and there was a time when it was a rough kind of place. Now, it looks smoke free and rather congenial. Drinking and pool playing are the activities now and I would imagine that a good bit of socializing goes on as well. Mountain Ranch is a small town and unless you are headed there specifically, people don't just pass through. They have a great market called Senders which not only offers good looking produce and meat but a wonderfully stocked ACE Hardware. To me, it doesn't get much better. There are even sheep there! (Not at the market obviously but in the surrounding greenbelts.) The whole town is rather untouched and charming, (the Inn included), if you don't count the cable and internet connections:)


Libby

Famous Jumping Frog Motel
9" x 12" acrylic on wrapped canvas
available: $75 + $10 USPS
PayPal
email: libbyfife@ymail.com

Our county has a number of these little motor lodges or motels as they came to be called after World War II. In the first part of the 20th century, our highway systems in the United States began to be developed, connecting towns and cities across the country. More people acquired cars and traveling by car from town to town became popular. These small groups of rooms with a central court for parking (typically) sprang up across the country next to these new roadways. People could pull over, rest, eat, and enjoy whatever sights were available. Eventually, the interstate highway system was developed, bypassing the old highways and the old motels. Newer chain hotels sprung up in response to this changing landscape and consumer demand. My belief is that The Jumping Frog Motel in Angels Camp, pictured above, was probably one such motor lodge. It is indeed situated right off of highway 49, one of the main roads running through our county. I am guessing that during the summer, when the fair is going, it probably gets a lot of custom. There are other places to stay now as well so I don't really know how the motel is doing. In my mind though, it has an historic past and is a bit of a relic from a time gone by; a piece of living history.


Libby

First Light
8" x 10" acrylic on wrapped canvas
available: $65 + $10 USPS or free local delivery
PayPal
email: libbyfife@ymail.com

One of the advantages of being an early riser is being able to see the sunrises. It is always an amazement to me that there isn't a giant traffic jam on the roadways with people trying to get a look at the first light of day. Maybe this is more of a solitary activity; who knows? This piece was inspired by what I saw at the side of the road, pulled over just outside of town (Valley Springs). So beautiful and absolutely free.


Libby

"Round The Corner
11" x 14" Acrylic on wrapped canvas

Every year the Calaveras Arts Council sponsors a studio tour. Artists in Calaveras County open up their studios so that the public can view artwork for sale and to see artists at work. During last year's event, we ended up in Mountain Ranch. On our way to Murphys, we stopped in the small town of Sheep Ranch. I have written a little bit about Sheep Ranch before. It is another little gold rush town that was once a bustling area but is now just a quiet couple of streets. Many of the older buildings are still standing though some are not inhabited or in use. This particular home looks to me like it is being lived in. It is across (kitty-corners) from what I was told is a former general store. I suppose I have a romantic vision of these things. It was a warm summer's day in late fall and I tried to capture that along with what I believe to be a somewhat solitary and isolated existence, living in a small rural town.


Libby