Paso Robles Vineyard Oak California Landscape Oil Painting

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“Paso Robles Vineyard Oak”
8 x 10 oil painting on canvas on hardboard

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The Paso Robles wine growing area has developed so much over the past few years. Every time we take a trip through there we see new vineyards and new plantings. Oaks seem to be iconic in these vineyards. Although it appears that most of the barrels are actually made in France rather than from domestic oaks, I like that some are preserved to add their beauty to the landscape.

Cambria Ranch – California Central Coast Plein Air Oil Painting by Karen Winters



“Cambria Ranch”
12 x 16″ oil painting
Oil on linen panel

See more of my California Central Coast paintings here

Eucalyptuses, how I love them, with their multicolored patchy bark like a coat of many colors. When I saw this stately old tree I knew I wanted to take some time with it, to appreciate the many grays along its flanks. The transparent underlayers of burnt sienna and red peek through here and there, just as underlayers of color are visible as outer bark layers peel off. I think that I will never tire of painting these majestic trees that seem to glow when side lit. We have a lot of them around LA but they are at their best when given a setting like a spring field, bathed in light. I want to paint another really large one, soon. My to-do-list grows daily …

Some of my other favorite eucs:

California Plein Air Vineyard Painting – Vineyard Dawn Temecula

Vineyard Dawn, Temecula
Wine Country Oil Painting
8 x 10 inches
oil on linen plein air painting

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This is another in the group of paintings that I did recently at the Falkner Vineyard in Temecula, in San Diego County’s wine country. We arose early so that I could be in the vineyard as the sun came up over the distant hills. The light cloud cover kept the sun from shining quite so sharply in my eyes, which was a real benefit.

This painting was shot under warm incandescent light. Under outdoor light or window light, it will probably look a little bit different. It’s amazing how different things look under different lighting conditions – for example, outdoors while I am painting something, and indoors in a gallery or living room setting, depending upon the color temperature of the lighting instruments.

Some time in the next month, I hope to get up into central and northern California wine country to paint in some of those vineyards. If you know of some particularly beautiful ones, I’d love to hear your recommendations.

Sierra Breezes Oil Painting – California Sierra Landscape by Karen Winters KWinters

Sierra Breezes
11 x 14 oil on canvas
Sierra oil painting

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For the last few years, fall means visits to the Sierra and, at its feet, the Owens Valley. Not only do I love it for its serenity but also the exhilarating complementary color palette. This time of year everything is orange/gold and blue. Leaves tumble with every breeze that passes through. Sometimes a storm barrels through and turns a brilliantly colored tree into a sleeping skeleton in one night. My attempt in this painting was to capture a more gentle mood near Bishop – a lightly breezy day before the soon-to-arrive storms.

In a little less than 2 weeks, I’ll be taking some of my new work to the last Montrose Art Walk of the year. This will be my last outdoor show this season.

Cambria Pines Oil Painting – Santa Rosa Creek Trail, Central Coast, California

“Cambria Pines Sunset”
(on the Santa Rosa Creek Trail)
Oil Painting
16 x 12 inches
Oil on Canvas

Among the places we painted in Central Coast was the Santa Rosa Creek Trail, which goes inland from Cambria.
The trail is a part of the land cared for by the San Luis Obispo Land Conservancy, which hosted us on our paint out.
Santa Rosa Creek winds through beautiful hills and valleys until it finds its outlet.

See more of my Cambria paintings here

Bishop Peak Oil Painting, San Luis Obispo, Central Coast California Art

“Farm at Bishop Peak”
San Luis Obispo, Central Coast
oil painting
14 x 18 inches

See more of my California Central Coast paintings here

When I was painting in San Luis Obispo County earlier this spring with the California Art Club, I was especially attracted to the numerous large peaks that rise from the city of San Luis Obispo out to the sea, the last of which is Morro Rock. Bishop Peak (sometimes called Bishop’s Peak) is one of the Nine Sisters. Technically they are “volcanic plugs,” and the volcanoes that rose above them are long gone. Bishop Peak is the tallest of the formations, and it was noted in the diary of John Muir who wrote:

“The trail brings the traveler suddenly in sight of
Bishop Peak … The town is fairly encircled with beautiful hills…
the one just named being most conspicuous.”

The soft afternoon light and atmospheric mist from the sea made this a picture of rural tranquility that held great appeal for me.

Avalon Harbor Catalina Island Oil Painting – Avalon Dreams

“Avalon Dreams”
Avalon Harbor Oil Painting
8 x 10 inches

This is the last of my 5 paintings that will be exhibited at Segil Fine Art Source Gallery in Monrovia – reception is Saturday, September 11 from 5 – 7 pm

This viewpoint of Avalon Harbor is from Mt. Ada, which receives the first light on the island in the morning, and the last rays of light at sunset. Mt. Ada was named for Ada Wrigley, wife of William Wrigley, who purchased 99% of the island of Catalina in the 1919.

This Saturday and Sunday from 10 – 4 I’ll be showing work at the Bowers Museum Invitational Show and Sale. The Bowers is on Main Street in Santa Ana, just off the 5 freeway. I hope you can come.

Catalina Island Oil Painting – Little Harbor, Peaceful Cove

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Little Harbor, Catalina Island,
Oil painting, 16 x 20
“Peaceful Cove”

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Eucalyptus, rolling hillsides, ocean waves – this painting incorporates some of my favorite subjects and themes, and was a real pleasure to paint.

Los Osos Valley Road – For the Love of the Land – California landscape oil painting – Central Coast

“For the Love of the Land”
Los Osos Valley Road, California Central Coast
12 x 16 inches
California landscape oil painting

See more of my California Central Coast paintings here

This painting is one of the works that resulted from my spring trip to the San Luis Obispo area with the California Art Club. I just got the news yesterday that it has been selected for inclusion in a special exhibition at the CAC gallery at the Old Mill in San Marino. The show, named Capturing California’s Preserved Lands and Historic Districts: Gems from the Central Coast will open August 31 and run through January 2, 2011. All of the paintings are for sale.

There will be an artists reception Thursday, September 2 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. This is the first time that I’ve been eligible as an Artist member to submit work for this gallery and I am delighted that this piece was chosen for the show.

The painting depicts a spot along the Los Osos Valley Road, toward sunset. The green grasses of spring were drying out and starting to turn that characteristic California gold.

I have more paintings which came out of that trip, and will be posting them here soon.


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California Landscape Painting – Cambria Farm – Central Coast California small format oil painting

Cambria Farm
6 x 8 oil painting on linen panel
Plein air field study

See more California Central Coast paintings here

An old farm building is surrounded by lofty eucalyptuses in Cambria. The marine layer had started to roll in, softening the contours of the landscape that day. Another quick study from our Central Coast California trip, with the California Art Club.

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