California vineyard sunset wine country oil painting

“Vineyard Harvest Time”
16 x 20 inches oil painting on canvas
California wine country impressionist landscape

This warm, sunny painting depicts harvest time in California’s wine country, when the leaves are turning gold and the grapes are being collected to make new wine. Sunsets and vineyards are recurring themes in my work and I paint them often. 
I have a page dedicated to just vineyard paintings, at the link below.
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Naturally Napa – California vineyard impressionist oil painting

“Naturally Napa”
12 x 16 inches
Oil on canvas

This recent painting was completed before the terrible wildfires swept through the Napa and Sonoma areas. I was afraid to look at the fire maps for fear that this beautiful vineyard, quite close to the city of Napa, had been harmed. Thankfully, it seems to have survived just fine. I look forward to my next painting trip to the area.

See more of my vineyard paintings here


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California vineyard landscape oil painting – A Taste of Sonoma

“A Taste of Sonoma”
Original impressionist oil painting of a Sonoma vineyard
18 x 24 inches
SOLD

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This is another in my series of vineyards from around California. This time, Sonoma is the featured area. Some time this fall, I’ll be traveling to the mother of all beautiful vineyard-covered countrysides … Tuscany. And yes, I’ll be bringing the easel. I can hardly wait.

California landscape – Summertime Oak tree oil painting

Summertime Oak
(near Willits, CA, along the Redwood Highway, northern California)
8 x 10 oil

The summer fields are fully golden, the perfect complement to the violet distant hills. The leaves of live oaks rustle in the breeze, waiting the coming of fall. It’s been a cool summer in So. Cal, maybe in Northern California, too.

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Chasing Clouds – Carmel Valley Road landscape oil painting

“Chasing Clouds”
8 x 10 oil
Carmel Valley Road landscape,
Monterey Peninsula
Available


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On our way back from the San Luis Obispo Plein Air Festival this year, we drove up highway 1 through Big Sur, spent a night in Carmel, then returned via Carmel Valley Road. This beautiful “back road” features wonderful hills covered with oaks. The day we passed through, the clouds were spectacular, so I decided to focus on them in this painting.

If you look to the left side of the blog, you’ll see I’ve gotten around to updating my sold painting list. I haven’t put my new sold paintings there since January, and this year’s almost 50 sold works are now featured. I sort of wish that I could see a pattern in what appeals to my wonderful collectors, but it appears that their tastes and interests are as broad as mine. Some paintings are large, some very small. There are seascapes, animals, genre paintings, flowers, fruit, landscapes … and the subject matter is from every part of California.

California landscape oil painting- Vineyard and Eucalyptus trees – Summer’s Splendid End by Karen Winters

“Summer’s Splendid End”
16 x 20
California impressionist oil painting

SOLD

Golden vineyards, eucalyptus trees, rural agriculture and warm golden light. What could be more perfectly “California.”

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See more of my vineyard paintings here

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Yosemite Valley Oil Painting – Wowona tunnel view by Karen Winters


Yosemite Valley
(Wowona Tunnel view)
SOLD
12 x 16 California impressionist oil painting on canvas

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This painting is now sold, but I have others
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More Sierra Nevada paintings here

Iconic of California’s Sierra Range, the Yosemite valley is a treasure for all Californians. This painting depicts the valley in the summer, when Bridalveil falls is still putting out an immense volume from the previous year’s snowmelt.

El Capitan can be seen on the left. The Merced River (invisible) flows through the valley but is covered by the trees from this view. Half Dome is visible in the far distance, along with Cloud’s Rest. The large formations in the right foreground are the Cathedral Rocks.

Fall at Convict Lake Eastern Sierra California oil painting by Karen Winters


“Fall at Convict Lake”
12 x 16
oil on canvas

Convict Lake is one of the most accessible High Sierra lakes – and in the fall, when the aspens turn color, it’s especially captivating. Some day I’ll spend the whole day there, just watching the light play across the faces of the granite mountains, as the clouds slowly drift, disappear and reform. I’m not sure what kind of fish were biting that day, but there were a lot of fishermen enjoying the freshness of fall.

Blue Skies Ahead – Paradise Camp/Swall Meadow near Bishop California oil painting by Karen Winters

“Blue Skies Ahead”
16 x 20 oil painting
(near Swall Meadows, historic Paradise Camp, outside of Bishop, California)

This road, I believe, is Lower Rock Creek Road, also known as the old Sherwin Grade Road, which parallels today’s Highway 395. I painted this a few years ago, and revisited it recently, since my work has evolved considerably since then. I find it interesting that sometimes when people ask (and they always do) “how long did that take you to paint?” That sometimes the answer is “years.” It certainly is in this case.

This is not an uncommon practice among serious painters. Sometimes you just need some time and distance on a painting to resolve certain areas, or to see color and value differently. Upon revisiting this painting, the sky is very much the same, but the land areas are completely repainted. Many influences move through our lives – teachers, books we read, shows we go to, artists we admire, experiences we have in working things out ourselves. Every painting is the cumulation of experience to date.

Half Dome, Yosemite painting, from Glacier Point by Karen Winters

Half Dome, from Glacier Point, Yosemite
12 x 16″ original oil painting

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From the valley floor, Yosemite’s Half Dome is a lofty structure. But it is only from Glacier point, when you can look across the valley at it, that you see the true size of Yosemite’s massive landmark. This painting depicts the monumental formation in early summer, when there is still some snow evident on its flanks. Soon, the snows will come and shroud it in whiteness once again.