Tuscan Hillside – Karen Winters Daily Painting
6 x 6 oil on canvas on board
Tuscan Hillside
I’m exploring the same theme, from a different angle.
I’m really tired today – must be the heat. Or, it could be resting up from yesterday’s trip to Santa Barbara, Montecito and Carpinteria. While my husband took a work-related seminar I made a whirlwind trip to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art to see some of their collection. Then, off to the Mission grounds and olive garden and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden – all with camera in hand. Later in the day we headed south to Carpinteria where I shot photos of the salt marsh, beach scenes and a fabulous sunset. All told, I covered a lot of ground – uphill and down, then back to LA and up at 7 to get ready to paint with friends at 9. Yes, exhausting! The painting I started today is of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and I think it’s going to turn out really well. Now I’ve got to let the under painting dry enough to work on the details in a few days.
I am now counting down the days until my show at Descanso Gardens begins – August 22. Unlike last year this time, I have plenty of paintings to draw from, including many that have never been shown before. But there are still prints and cards to get ready, plus working on publicity. Lot of work, not much time!
Tuscan Flavor 1 – Fennel and Mushroom
“Tuscan Flavor – Fennel and Mushroom”
6 in x 6 in
Remember how I said I was watching more food network and less politics for the moment? As part of that trend, I’ve enjoyed shopping for some vegetables I don’t usually prepare, among them, fennel. This delicate vegetable and its companion mushroom called for a quick portrait before their trek to the salad bowl, and I obliged.
This is the first in a series … more Tuscan Flavor still lives to come. Oooh, this means more shopping, doesn’t it?
Tuscan Vineyard Sunset – Karen Winters Impressionist Oil Painting
Tuscan Vineyard Sunset 6 x 8 oil on canvas
SOLD
Although this painting is sold, you can see more of my vineyard paintings here
I am happy to paint on commission if you are interested in a vineyard sunset painting in any size.
Click this link to write me. See more of my paintings on my website
Onion and Peppers – Still life by Karen Winters
“Onion and Peppers” 5 x 7 oil on canvas
After months of watching virtually nothing but election news on TV and radio, I decided that I am finding the whole thing too stress producing and have switched some of my viewing habits to Food Network. Yeah, I still keep tabs on what’s going on, but I no longer choose to have political speak as the soundtrack for my life. With that influence, I’ve probably seen more closeups of peppers and onions and garlic cloves in the past week than I have in years. And they’re really fun to paint, too!
So here’s a closeup view of some ingredients headed for the chopping block. Get em while they’re hot … the pepper, that is.
State Street Chicago – Impressionist Urban Oil Painting Cityscape – Karen Winters
“… I think it was the fourth of July”
8 x 10 oil on canvas
Or we could just call it “State Street”. If you are old enough to name that tune, name it and the band that made it famous.
I was trying to get this painting finished for yesterday, the fourth, but just ran out of time. So here it is, a day late. It was inspired by a recent trip to the Windy City, where the flags were already on display – and had probably been up since Memorial Day.
I loved this big clock on Macy’s (formerly Marshall Field’s) department store – there’s one on every corner of the building which covers a large city block.
Wisconsin Sunset – Impressionist American Landscape Oil Painting – Karen Winters
“Wisconsin Sunset”
12 x 16 oil on canvas
This is another in the series of paintings inspired by the beauty of Wisconsin which we saw on a recent trip.
After visiting the Art Institute of Chicago, I was impressed by the works of George Inness, an American “Hudson River School” painter who was greatly influenced by the French Barbizon painters (who were impressionist forerunners.) Although I had not seen an Inness in person, before, I remember seeing a Theodore Rousseau painting (Barbizon school) at the Norton Simon Museum near us in Pasadena – and my response to it was the same: I found it breathtaking and deeply moving. These painters’ choice of dramatic landscape subject matter and the use of powerful darks is something that I’ve included in my paintings from time to time and it may be one area I’ll be exploring in the future. They also were fond of spectacular skies, and I am, too.
This location was near a farm in the southeast part of the state where there were numerous outbuildings. The water feature is probably a seasonal pond, left as a result of the spring floods in that area.
When I look at this painting, it takes me right back to that time and place. I’m satisfied with it. What do you think?
Wisconsin Breeze – American Impressionist Farmland Oil Painting – Karen Winters
“Wisconsin Breeze”
5 x 7 oil on canvas on board
On our recent trip to Illinois for our daughter’s graduation, we took some time to cross the border to the north and enjoy some of the farmland of one of my husband’s favorite states.
This small study reflects the serene beauty of the southeast part of the state. The day we were there the sky was filled with cumulus clouds which occasionally sprinkled a little, then drifted on.
Pacific Palisades Hillside – Will Rogers State Park by Karen Winters, California Impressionist
“California Summer Hillside – at Pacific Palisades, Will Rogers State Park”
Plein air painting 11 x 14 oil on stretched canvas.
Yesterday I enjoyed the company of the Allied Artists of the Santa Monica Mountains for a paint out at Will Rogers State Park in Pacific Palisades.
I saw many faces I knew from the California Art Club, Artists of the Canyon, and other paint-out groups, and we all had a wonderful day enjoying the mild good weather and range of painting subjects.
It was a little breezy and I struggled getting my umbrella to shade my work but finally gave up and positioned my medium sized Yarka easel so that the sun wouldn’t strike it directly. Note to self: bring a sandbag next time for the umbrella and stand. It had been left in the other car.
Because I positioned myself at a trailhead I had the pleasure of talking with many hikers on that beautiful Saturday morning, including some who were quite knowledgeable about impressionism and the growing popularity of plein air painting. It really is undergoing a revival!
After the paintout we enjoyed a potluck lunch and shared stories about galleries, shows, teachers, art products and more. I always have a good time getting together with artists – for all our solitary pursuits we can also be gregarious.
California Mountain – Impressionist landscape oil painting by Karen Winters
“California Mountain”
12 x 16 oil on canvas
This is another in my series of spring landscapes, capturing the beauty of California in an impressionist mood. When I’m out painting and taking pictures for reference I don’t always know the name of the landmarks, especially if they are out of my home territory. But this strong summit is around California’s central coast area.
This painting was such a pleasure for me to paint – especially mixing all the different colors of greens that represent grass covered hillsides, trees, meadows and wildflowers. Can’t you just imagine this in a gold plein air frame? Eternal springtime!
Oak in the Meadow – Santa Monica Mountains – Karen Winters Daily Painting
Oak in the Meadow 12 x 16 inch oil on canvas
Late afternoon light streams across a meadow dotted with oak trees. The glow reminded me of a long ago time in a peaceful place.
In real life, the place is the Santa Monica Mountains – a meadow not far from Malibu Creek State Park. The distant mountain range takes on a violet cast as the sun descends. Soon, even the wildflowers will be covered with deep shadows. Don’t you just want to sit under that tree and listen to the calls of the red-winged blackbirds?
