Drifters in the Stream – and still celebrating!
SOLD
“Drifters in the Stream” – 12 x 16 – oil on canvas
Accepted into California Art Club’s biannual show, opens Nov. 3
We were celebrating yesterday because I just found out that my oil painting “Drifters in the stream” was accepted into the California Art Club’s biannual show at the Pasadena Women’s City Club at the Blinn House in Pasadena. The show, themed “Rivers and Harbors: Sources and Confluences” will open Saturday November 3 with the artists reception from 5-7 pm. So if you’re in So. Cal and would like to come see a lot of new art, including my painting and a painting by my friend and co-exhibitor at Descanso Gardens, Laura Wambsgans, please join us.
My painting (above) was inspired by a small koi-filled stream at Descanso Gardens where fall leaves were swirling in an eddy. I was captivated by the abstract patterns that were made by the leaves, the reflections of the oak trees above and the moving water. I did a Moleskine sketch on site and have been intrigued with the image ever since.
So, after I got the notice in the mail, we went out for some antipasti at a local Italian restaurant, and my dear husband snapped this shot of notoriously camera-shy me. There’s a little glass of champagne in my right hand in commemoration of this very happy week.
Also, tomorrow (Saturday) is my artists reception for Brand 36, works on paper, at the Brand Library Gallery in Glendale: 4-7 pm, so if you see me there, stop and say hi! I’ll be the one with the big silly grin on my face!
Azalea Spring – Daily Painting
“Azalea Spring” 5×7 oil on board
SOLD
Today I enjoyed visits from Ginny L. and Louisa M. of our Wednesday morning paint out group, as well as from Nan and her friend Barbara, two other art buddies. One of our son’s friend’s mother dropped by as well, so I had a wonderful time socializing and painting all day today. Having good friends visit just makes the day fly by!
This small painting represents a shady glen at Descanso when the azaleas are in full bloom.
Although this painting is sold, I’d be happy to paint something similar in the size of your choice, with much more detail, as a commissioned piece.
On Descanso Pond – La Canada
“On Descanso Pond” 5 x 7″ oil on gessoed board
SOLD
There is a large pond (or a small lake) at Descanso Gardens where migrating birds stop to rest. Turtles swim in the water and herons are commonly seen wading in the distance along the far shore. A large white goose seems to be the king of the roost. Today I painted this small landscape while visitors passed by the gallery.
I’m very happy with how it turned out, and at the suggestion of my co-exhibitor Laura, I think I will use it as a basis for a much larger painting. If this dries quickly I might even bring it back to our reception on Sunday – party time – noon to four!
We had many pleasant talks, and I especially enjoyed my time with a very precocious young lady of 3 or 4 who was very interested in mixing colors. We discussed the names of everything on my palette and I mixed a few colors to show her how it all worked. At the end she picked out a sunflower from my cards to put in her room. I like the idea of that sunflower greeting her every morning when she wakes up.
I was delighted also to meet a lovely betrothed couple who are going to have their wedding in Greece. I am quickly discovering that one of the very best things about doing the show is all the interesting new and friendly people I get to meet. Painting and good conversation – could there be any better way to spend a day?
September Clouds
“September Clouds” – 11 x 15 watercolor on paper – plein air
I couldn’t imagine a more picture perfect day than the one I had today. Although there was the suggestion of a weather front on the way, the cumulus clouds merely circled our little valley, putting on one of the grandest display of cloudage that I’d ever seen. So I set up my easel outside of our gallery and devoted the day to cloud studies. The colors and patterns changed literally by the moment and sometimes I’d start painting one cloud and finish with details from another. Overall, it was an excellent opportunity to explore the many shapes and hues that clouds provide in a landscape. Creating soft edges and hard edges, painting wet in wet, charging pigment into semi-wet paint, doing dry brush, utilizing oozles and glazing, lifting pigment and creating texture with sponges, clouds give you the opportunity to try it all. These clouds were painted around noontime.
Also, one of the real joys of being at the Descanso Gallery is meeting all of the nice people who come by to chat about art and the gardens. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do on a crisp pre-fall day.
Red Tulip – Daily Painting – Karen Winters
Red Tulip 11 x 15 watercolor on paper (quarter sheet)
Here’s another new one for the show – a red and golden striped tulip from Descanso Gardens, catching the last rays of the day. And speaking of rays, I’m happy to report that our heat wave has broken. We had dinner on the patio last night and it was 68 degrees at 7:oo or so – what a change from just a week ago when it was close to 100 at that time. Very weird.
I spent today organizing my files to make prints and I was astounded to discover that I have more than 162 pieces in my catalog – and that’s just the ones that I have a positive feeling about. There must easily be three or four times that many. Today was the process-athon. Tomorrow begins the making print and framathon. Eventually comes the sleepathon.
At least (I think) I can take some comfort in the fact that I will never have this kind of intense startup again. There will be more paintings to paint and frame, but the learning the ropes part, the knowing where to go to get this or that supply – that should hopefully be a bit more predictable and relaxed.
Gloriosas in Excelsis
“Gloriosas in Excelsis” – 11 x 15 watercolor on paper
Not for sale. Prints available.
Gloriosa daisies (aka Rudbeckias) are among my favorite casual flowers. I love roses, of course, and alstroemerias, and lilacs, Shasta daisies, penstemons – ah, so many flowers so little time. But gloriosas are wonderful workhorses in a garden setting, as in this center planter at Descanso Gardens. They are long lasting either growing in the ground or cut, and if there isn’t too much cold weather they can even be cut back and coaxed to bloom a second year. Gloriosas are related to black eyed susans and coneflowers and they are outstanding in bouquets. I am still painting like crazy in advance of the show, even though I have more than enough paintings to choose from. But I know I won’t get a great deal of painting done during the month that I’m gallery-sitting, so I’m sort of putting a few in the bank ahead of time.
First Flush
“First Flush” 9 x 12 oil on canvas on board
SOLD
When spring comes to Descanso Gardens, the first flush of roses is a sight to behold. In fact, it’s pretty darn spectacular any time of year, even now when the hot summer colors radiate from every corner.
Yesterday I spent some time up at the gallery with fellow artists Belinda del Pesco, and Trish Kertes – two of the most gifted artists and nicest people you’d ever want to meet. They were so very helpful in teaching me the ropes of running the gallery when it’s our turn in a few weeks. Their expertise was so very welcome.
Prints coming soon
I’m making my master list of things to do to get ready, and among them is making prints available for sale as well as original works. So if you’ve been interested in getting prints of some of the things I’ve posted here, I will soon be offering those in a variety of sizes. More details on that as I get further along. At the moment I need to focus on the imminent deadline.
Roses at Twilight
“Roses at Twilight” (Descanso Gardens) – 9 x 12 oil on canvasboard – SOLD
Last night we went back to Descanso Gardens to meet my artpal Wendee for a picnic and to do a little plein air painting at “golden hour.” I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seems they’re making golden hour shorter and shorter these days. I painted for about 45 minutes – I got the block in finished (this was after about 15 minutes) and then went on to start to refine the image, but the light had changed so drastically that finishing it on site was impossible. Wendee will vouch for this, that when I threw in the towel because of the light change, I was ambivalent as to whether or not I could make anything of it at home. But this experience tells me not to give up on a painting just because it’s at an awkward stage (kind of like raising teenagers, so I’ve heard.) So I put it aside and took a fresh look at it this morning in the studio, and I’m content with the results.
Just for fun, I put it in a plein air frame (a scan) to see how it would look. I think it really helps set it off.
This weekend I’ll be showing my Pasadena paintings with the California Art Club at the Pasadena City Hall from 3 – 6 pm. If you’re in LA, please stop by and say hello.
Rosarium Sunset
“Rosarium Sunset” 8 x 10 oil on canvasboard
On the heels of yesterday’s plein air outing at the arroyo, we went to Descanso Gardens at sunset today for some more painting and photographing. Descanso is open Thursday nights for the months of July and August. I wait all year for this opportunity to see the beautiful gardens at “golden hour” – the loveliest time (other than dawn.)
This represents one of the paths lined with rose bushes. Roughing in the painting took about an hour, from 615 t0 715, and I added finishing touches (such as the sky) after I got home. At that time of day the light was changing so rapidly there was not much point in painting after an hour had elapsed. I finished it off at home, refinining edges, adjusting things. The above painting represents the colors as they really are under room light conditions. The photographs below are more bluish, representing shady daylight conditions.
I promised some people that the very next time I went out painting with my lightweight easel that I would take pictures of the shelf in closeup, so here they are. I made a cardboard mock-up to work out the dimensions, then gave it to my husband who cut it out of 1/4″ masonite. There are no supports underneath the shelf other than two little L brackets to reinforce the holes. It sits on the easel by a friction-fit.
Yellow Rose sketch
Sketchbook Rose – 7 x 10
While I work on some larger projects to prepare some paintings for shows, here’s a page from a Canson Montval sketchbook with a full blown Descanso rose. I didn’t spend a lot of time working on the subtle turn of each petal and leaf – I just wanted to get the colors of the late afternoon light falling on the blossom and leaves.
In retrospect, I see that I need to push back some of the petals so the bloom doesn’t look quite so separate from the background (even though it did look crisp with hard edges in real life.) I could use some complements to glaze over and do that, but I think I’d just risk overworking it too much. I’ve made a mental note of what I need to do, so this sketch has served its purpose. I used a lot of new gamboge, bright red, prussian blue and mauve for this one, and too many other colors to recall. Look for this in a larger version, coming soon.
Art thought of the day from Frank La Lumia, plein air painter, as interviewed by Molly Siple in American Artist:
The way you see things must be different from the way the average person sees the world. It’s important to be able to mentally break down nature into patters of color and value relationships. Until you can think abstractly, you will be at the mercy of leaves, branches and other details of nature.”
Yup, that’s the rub … where is the sweet spot that’s right for me between abstraction and realism? This is my koan of the moment. If you’re a painter, it yours, too?
