California Plein Air Painting – Blue Heron Lake
Blue Heron Lake
9 x 12 oil on linen panel
This is another of the plein air paintings I did a month or so ago on our trip up through Central California. A small lake, with trees leaning down to touch the water. Yes, it was cold out there. Snow on the mountains and the wind whipped down and chilled us to the bone. One of the many other challenges of plein air painting is reflections in water. Every time the wind moves, the ripple pattern on the water changes, and that changes what is reflected and what is not. Still water reflects. Ruffled disturbed water does not. But changing wind currents puts the reflections in different places, see? At some point you just have to settle with one thing. Although this is named Blue Heron Lake, I didn’t see any that day. Maybe I’ll paint one in sometime. I have plenty of reference photos of herons in other locations, including at Descanso Gardens.
Lovely spot. Your painting captures it perfectly!
Your work is quite beautiful!
This is perfect! The reflection captured on the waters, the sky and the clouds, the shadows of the trees… marvelous!
A lovely painting – I can see from the photograph that you have really captured the ‘feel’ of the scene.
Beautiful painting- I like the mountains in the background.
Very nice, Karen, — as always. I think it’s great how you’ve got the painting and the reference of you painting the painting!!
Awsome! your painted water looks “waterier” than the water!
I first time visit in this post. Good painting.
Karen, I’ve finally started painting plein air in oils and I love them…well love and hate. This is a beautiful plein air and the reflections is lovely!
You really have a lovely way of capturing your part of the world.
Don’t look for my oil quiet yet!!! Not ready for prime time quiet yet!!