Owens River Painting – Landscape with White Mountains, Eastern Sierra Trout fishing spot

“Big Trout near Big Pine”
11 x 14 oil on canvas

This fishing spot on the Owens River, near Big Pine is surrounded by beauty. The White Mountains are seen in the distance, part of the Inyo National Forest. On a crisp fall day, the cottonwoods are just beginning to turn, and the river is abundant with trout. I’ll bet this painting will bring back some fond memories for fishers young and old.

This is one of the many new paintings which I’ll be bringing to my show at the Bowers Museum Tangata Restaurant, opening April 17 in Santa Ana. A portion of the proceeds of the sales will go to support the California Art Council.

If you have a question or or would like to find out if a painting is still available for sale…..

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Lundy Creek Cabin – Sierra Nevada California impressionist oil painting – Karen Winters

Lundy Creek Cabin
5 x 7 oil study

It was last fall when I started this small study of a cabin, closed for the winter, up Lundy Creek in the Eastern Sierra. But I put it aside for awhile as I thought about some changes I wanted to make with regard to the color temperature and how it affected the shadowed mountains and the brilliant fall leaves. As we arrived at the scene, the sun was close to the horizon and every moment brought color shifts and changing shadow patterns. This cabin, which seemed to be owned by the campground, was boarded up for the winter. The tin roof captured the cool light of the sky, which I liked a lot, seeing it contrasting with the golden colors of the trees. There are two pairs of complements working in this little study: red/green and yellow/violet. It was painted with red yellow and blue primaries and a little white – nice and simple.

When I returned to this study to rework it a bit, I made some decisions about where I wanted the light to fall, and I like it much better now.

This week, starting Wednesday, I will be painting in the Arroyo Seco for the Casita del Arroyo paint out and sale sponsored by the California Art Club and benefitting both the club and the Casita del Arroyo Foundation, with its beautiful display of drought tolerant plants. I may not be there all day, every day, so if you want to know where I’ll be painting, email me (karen@karenwinters.com) and I’ll let you know.

California landscape oil painting – tonalist fine art – Karen Winters

Under the California Sun
9 x 12
oil on linen panel
SOLD

This new painting was influenced by some studying of tonalists such as George Inness, and my continued explorations using a more monochromatic color palette in some works. Yes, I still love my saturated colors, but there are different atmospheric effects and moods that can be achieved by changing things up. Eucalyptuses are entertaining to paint under any light or atmospheric conditions.

My husband and I attended the gala of the LA Art Show, presented by the Los Angeles Fine Art Dealers Association at the LA Convention Center. It was a thoroughly satisfying experience, and we enjoyed seeing new work by some of our favorite galleries, including George Stern Fine Art, The Redfern Gallery, William A Karges Fine Art, The Arcadia Gallery, Galerie Michael, Sullivan Goss, and Rehs Gallery

In spite of the pouring rain and my still recovering ankle, it was a night to remember!

Sierra Creek -California Landscape Oil Painting – June Lake Loop,High Sierra

Sierra Creek
(Rush Creek, on June Lake Loop), California
Eastern Sierra Nevada

16 x 20
Oil on Canvas

SOLD to a collector from Walnut Creek

More Sierra Nevada paintings here

This painting is from my fall Sierra series (ongoing) depicting the color of the Eastern Sierra in late October. The exact location for this one is a small creek that exits Silver Lake, on the June Lake loop, just west of highway 395. Between the willows and the aspens, it was a symphony in gold. I thought that the blue of the sky played a nice complement to all of those warm hues. This location is no doubt loaded with trout as we saw many anglers along its shores. Just gazing upon this scene puts me back in a reverie.

Today I got some wonderful good news – I was accepted as a juried Artist Member of the California Art Club, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It means a lot to me to be welcomed into the company of artists who I admire and respect so much. I am looking forward to the new exhibitions I’ll be able to participate in, as well as getting to know other peers who have contributed so much to this esteemed organization with its long and illustrious history.

California tonal landscape oil painting – Tin Roof, Bishop

Tin Roof, Bishop
9 x 12 oil on panel

Just north of Bishop, California there is a ranching area where the barns have tin roofs that have weathered wonderfully through the years. This scene attracted me as a subject to paint, but the cool light of the afternoon I was there didn’t appeal to me – it made the scene look cold and sad. I wanted a warm look that suggested the radiant beauty of fall, and which struck less melancholy notes.

This painting takes the basic elements of the scene, but translates them to a warm (monochromatic) color palette consisting mostly of yellow, ochre, and small amounts of burnt sienna, tempered with gray. These small studies with varying color experiments have been useful in thinking of alternate ways of painting a scene. What you see isn’t necessarily all there is.

If you have a question or or would like to find out if a painting is still available for sale…..

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California Landscape Painting – Sierra Foothills Oil Painting

Sierra Foothills
8 x 10
oil on board

This scene is from the foothills of the Sierra, approaching Yosemite from the western side. Oak covered hills and golden grasses make for a limited palette scene.

Most of this was painted with ultramarine and prussian blue, yellow ochre, and small touches of alizarin to create the violets and warm accents. I’m using this study as a way to experiment with some color choices for larger Sierra foothills paintings yet to come.

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See more of my paintings on my website

California impressionist landscape oil painting – Bishop Byway – rural scene

Bishop Byway
9 x 12
oil on canvas panel
SOLD

Today’s painting is a rural scene from Bishop, California, focusing on the beauty of fall in this eastern Sierra community. The warm color palette suggests afternoon light. Bishop receives little rainfall during the year (the Sierra catches most of the precipitation on its high peaks.) Temperatures can swing wildly, with hot days and cold nights. 50 degree changes from day to night are not uncommon even within a day. (Dress appropriately, as we’ve discovered.)

Yesterday we had a storm blow through that mostly saturated us with drizzle. No pounding rain, but enough precipitation to wet the ground and freshen the foliage. It had to be gone by today, of course, being New Years Eve, so that the skies would appear blue and sunny for everyone watching the Rose Parade. Look for our La Canada float if you are tuned into the coverage – it features a wizard and a large green origami dragon.

High Desert California Landscape Painting – Owens Valley Grazing

“High Desert Grazing”
5 x 7 inch
oil miniature

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This small oil painting is a memory of our recent trip up into the eastern Sierra. Looking westward one sees the mighty Sierra Nevada range. Looking eastward (this view) is the Owens Valley, a high desert area where cattle and sheep grazing is common. I love the serene look of these wide open spaces, especially when storm clouds billow in the late afternoon light. This will be a study for a larger painting yet to come.

I hope that everyone had a great holiday with family and friends. We certainly did – it was wonderful seeing our children for such an extended period of time – always a treat to look forward to. We played games, feasted, toasted and enjoyed time together. One of my favorite gifts was to my husband and me from our kids – a getaway to a snowy place where we can take pictures, paint and enjoy the beauty of winter. We’re thinking maybe a return to Yosemite or perhaps the Sequoia area. Any good suggestions for accessible California places with cozy cabins and snowy scenes? We don’t ski anymore so that’s not a priority.

The Red Barn – California Landscape Oil Painting

“The Red Barn” – near Visalia, Calif
9 x 12 inches, oil on linen panel

This painting was an experiment using a very limited palette of primarily viridian and burnt sienna. A little yellow ochre was used in the sky, and a dash of cadmium red highlighted the top of the barn, but all of the rest was done with those two complimentary colors (viridian and burnt sienna)

The barn is on a ranch near Visalia, California, a Sierra foothill area known for cattle ranching as well as fruit orchards.

I have a busy reception weekend coming up and I hope you can join me at one of three new shows where my work will be displayed.

Friday night – reception 7 pm – Carter Sexton Art Gallery –
5308 Laurel Canyon blvd.
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA 91607
(818) 763-5050
This is a group show featuring California landscapes.

Saturday evening reception 5 – 7 pm Segil Fine Art Source gallery
Holiday Small Works Show
110 West Lime Avenue
Old Town Monrovia CA 91016
(626) 358-5563

Sunday evening reception 5 – 7 pm – dinner following with reservation
California Art Club Associates Show “Precious Gifts”
Pasadena Womens City Club – Historic Blinn House
160 North Oakland Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101-1714
(626) 796-0560

Oh, and Sunday from 11 – 1 I’ll be painting at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena on Oak Knoll Road (S. Lake turns into Oak Knoll) – if you’re in the area.

Fishing on the Kern – California landscape oil painting – Karen Winters

“Fishing the Upper Kern”
14 x 18 oil on canvas
Not for sale – gift

This painting, a gift for our son, was painted from a photo reference he took last summer on a backpack and fishing trip to the Upper Kern River, near Johnsondale, California.

We have rafted on the Kern many times and might again, some day. I’m not crazy about class 4 and 5 rapids any more, but the little ones are just fine. I understand that this part of the river is in the Golden Trout Wilderness. I don’t know how many golden trout they caught, because the wild ones are pretty wily.