Windswept – by Karen Winters
“Windswept” 18 x 24 oil on canvas
This new painting was finished just a few days ago, and will be in the show at Descanso Gardens, now just two days away. It’s my favorite painting, so far, for a few reasons. For one, it’s the largest oil painting I’ve attempted and probably represents the most dynamic design. The larger size meant using larger brushes and standing back farther. Although I did the block in part sitting down, all the finishing was done standing, which was a different experience for studio painting. I almost always stand when painting en plein air, but not in studio.
The best part was the inspiration for this piece. A month or so ago we visited our daughter in San Francisco where she was doing her summer internship between the two years of her MBA program. We went up to Mt. Tamalpais for the day and had great time wandering through a redwood grove. On the way back we got caught up in the traffic returning over the Golden Gate bridge, and our movement came to a standstill. When I’m a passenger in a car, I almost always have my camera at the ready, and this time, I happened to see a tree clinging to a cliffside we passed. The light was striking it in a particularly dramatic way and I was immediately started thinking of creative possibilities. (It was not a cloudy day – I made that part up.) So because we were frustrated and inconvenienced, this shot became a possibility. Speeding by at 60 mph, it wouldn’t have been.
This incident reminds me of the value of acceptance. Acceptance of things the way they are, rather than how we would like them to be. Possibilities are all around us if we are not fixated on achieving specific results.
For example, you run out of the color of paint you want as you are beginning a painting. Use a different color and see what happens. Water dribbles in the wrong place on your watercolor. Is it an error or a doorway to a new shape that you might not have tried? You leave your pencil sharpener at home and have to sharpen a tool with an exacto knife instead – creating a different sort of edge. I’ve heard stories of artists who suddenly develop an allergy to their medium of choice, and have to switch to another, leading to breakthroughs in their careers. These stories are abundant in art and other endeavors.
Have you had this happen to you? How did it change your art or, even more so, your life? How did acceptance of something unexpected or even unwelcome make a difference for you?
Eaton Canyon Trail – Pasadena
“Eaton Canyon Trail” 9 x 12 – watercolor on paper
The show prepping continues as I went to the frame store this morning and got some gorgeous plein air gilded frames. I put the paintings in them and loved the effect. Tomorrow is watercolor framing day and time to take a break with a visit to another art group in the region. I don’t know what the program’s going to be, but I’m sure it will be educational and entertaining. Today’s painting is in the same theme of looseness, wet into wet and negative painting. I’m having a very good time with it. Can you tell?
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.
Vineyard Sunset
Vineyard Sunset 14 x 18 – oil on canvas
This painting will be going into a show beginning on September 15 – my first group show at Descanso Gardens.
If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know how much I love Descanso – in every season. It’s one of my very favorite places to paint. So being invited to participate in a group exhibition and sale there is something that makes me very happy. I will be exhibiting both watercolor and oil paintings in the Carriage House and will post more details here as the date approaches.
Now, about this painting. This was done from a photo reference, but the shot was quite different. For one thing, the sun was in a different position, the sky was blue and it was earlier in the day. The whole sunset look (and the color palette associated with it) came about at the underpainting stage.
What I learned from this: sometimes it’s wise not to begin a painting with fixed notions. Have a plan, yes, but be open to change if an idea strikes you that you like better than your plan. Then, be prepared to improvise. As soon as I made one major change from my photo reference, I put the photo aside and referred to it no more. At that point, every decision had to be made about the color of the imaginary scene, not the real one. What color would the hills be that time of day? How would light coming at a low angle look different than sunlight coming from above? How could I make the road more interesting than simple flat gravel? How would I add rocks and ruts with the right colors to make them look as though they belonged in the scene? What would clouds look like if I added them? All these thoughts began swirling in my head as I departed from reality.
Tomorrow I deliver my large somewhat surreal watercolor “My Offering – My Confession” to Brand Library for the hanging of the juried 36th annual Works on Paper show opening in early October. Times are hectic, but in a good creative way. I’m grateful for all these opportunities and really couldn’t ask for more.
Saturday’s Show in La Canada
If you’re in LA, I’m going to be exhibiting these new paintings for the first time tomorrow afternoon at Flintridge’s Sacred Heart Academy. The show and benefit is in conjunction with the California Art Club.
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Here’s the info from their press release:
The California Art Club is very excited to be participating in Faith & Hope: Beyond Prison Walls, a benefit art exhibition and sale at in support of Partnership for Re-Entry Program and Families of the Incarcerated, organized by the Office of Restorative Justice. The exhibition, held at the historic Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, will feature work by the Incarcerated through the Arts and Corrections Program, Art Release, and by members of the California Art Club.Proceeds from sales will benefit the incarcerated and their families as they work to transition back into society and to make positive changes in their lives. To purchase tickets for the exhibition and sale, please call Viki Battaglia at the Office of Restorative Justice, 213/637-7428 (Adults $25, Students $10). Participating artists and one guest may attend free. All artwork will be available for purchase (cash and checks only).
The time of the event is 4 pm – 7 pm
Address: 440 St. Katherine Drive, La Canada, CA 91011
In the Garden
“In the Garden” 9 x 12 – oil on canvasboard
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I tried posting this using Qumana, the blogging application that lets you compose a blog posting in a dedicated application (not a browser.) Although I like the ability to add formatting easily, I don’t see a way to preview my post, which I could do in Safari. Nuts.
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Update: Well, sigh. That was a bust. I reopened the file in Safari and removed the garbage that Qumana added, while NOT allowing me to insert the link to my image from my server. It was a good idea, but didn’t work, unfortunately.
The painting was fun to do. I was in the mood for creating a pattern of botanical textures, rather than anything too literal. I can treat the garden as a patchwork quilt of designs and colors, seamed together with light
The Way Back Home – Daily Painting
“The Way Back Home” (Central California Coast) – 9 x 12 oil on canvasboard
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When I saw this location last week it left me with a feeling of nostalgia and bittersweet longing, even though I have never lived in a rural setting. Perhaps there’s something about a lonely country road that evokes feelings of homesickness and curiosity – wondering what wonderful things await just around the bend.
Can you tell I am becoming seriously infatuated with vivid color?
Note: if you find that this image appears exceptionally dark (not just saturated color but DARK) on your monitor, please let me know. I’m trying to tweak my settings so that images scanned through a Mac appear reasonably correct on a PC.
Evening Glory – Daily Painting
“Evening Glory” (central coast) 12″ x 16″ oil on stretched canvas
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Now you know a little bit about what I was up to from Thursday to Sunday of this past week – I was on a road trip and photo safari to gather references for new paintings. Much as I’d like to stop and paint quietly at each of these locations, we were on a timetable and my little Nikon served me well, providing a wealth of material to use as inspiration for new works.
Thank you all for the feedback you gave on “Beside Still Waters” – as you can tell, I’m still enjoying the use of heightened colors and there’s a very good chance I’ll be exploring this approach for awhile.
This scene was inspired by a drive we took at sunset near Paso Robles, California – our beautiful Central Coast region. Here, hillsides were generously dotted with oak trees, and the grasses literally glowed shades of gold and orange in the waning light. I made notes on the colors just in case the photographs didn’t reveal the true brilliance of the scene. In fact, I relied more on my memory and notes than the photo in doing this painting. So, I’m painting intensely right now. I sense an opportunity coming that doesn’t even have a name yet – but I know I need to have a number of paintings ready. The muse cracks the whip and I obey.
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Cottage – Central Coast California Watercolor painting by Karen Winters
Thanks to EBSQ for picking my painting, “Santa Barbara Cottage” for Art of the Day this past Saturday
This 11 x 15″ painting, when matted, will fit perfectly into a 16 x 20 frame.
