Cloud study – California impressionist oil painting
Cloud study
6 x 8
oil on gessoed wood
We’ve had some unusual storm activity in the past week, including some huge thunderheads that appeared in the distance last night. As the sunset glow touched them, I tried to memorize the colors and immediately came indoors to get down a quick impression.
When I was last at the Irvine Museum, I saw a whole collection of cloud studies done by Frank Cuprien. I think they were about 8 x 10 inches, no bigger than that. Displayed on a wall together they made an interesting collection.
I enjoy studying how different early California impressionists painted certain natural features, like clouds, water reflections, particular species of trees and so forth. Some, like William Wendt prefer heavier paint and active brushwork. Others, like John Frost, had a lighter hand.
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.
Mooonstone Beach Sunset Oil Painting, Cambria, California
Moonstone Beach, Cambria
Oil Painting
“The Wind from the Sea”
10 x 20 inches
More Cambria, California Paintings
More California Central Coast paintings
This panoramic painting of Moonstone Beach, in Cambria is a larger piece based on the field study I did several months ago. Moonstone Beach is one of our favorite places to go when we’re in the Central Coast area. The Hamlet Restaurant has wonderful jazz performances, and walks along the beach are so romantic. I would imagine it’s been the site of countless weddings and marriage proposals.
If you enjoy visiting the Cambria area, you should discover the Milford Haven books of my friend Mara Purl who writes wonderfully about a fictional Central California town with a strong resemblance to Cambria.
California Landscape Oil Painting – Orange Grove – Santa Paula Art Museum Juried Show
The Scent of Citrus
12 x 16 oil on linen panel
Citrus grove in Santa Paula, California
Accepted into the 3rd annual Art about Agriculture exhibition
Location: Santa Paula Art Museum, Santa Paula.
Artists reception: August 21, 4-6 pm
I painted this scene of a wonderful area along highway 126 – in the Santa Clara River Valley. This agriculturally rich area is probably what the San Fernando and other regional valleys were like a hundred years ago. But I’m just guessing at that. Avocados, citrus as well as row crops are abundant, and in the springtime the colors are rich. My objective in this painting was to capture the feeling of velvety green on the distant hills where the light broke through the clearing storm clouds.
Newport Back Bay Twilight – Newport Beach California estuary marine oil painting
Back Bay Twilight
(Upper Newport Bay – “Back Bay,” California)
9 x 12 oil on canvas panel
Plein air oil painting
SOLD
This is sold, but you can see more of my Newport Beach paintings here
This was one of the paintings that I took to the Newport Back Bay show last weekend, one of several which went home with new collectors. What a great weekend it was meeting so many new people and sharing my love of art with them. The weather was beautiful. Good times all around.
Now I’m painting for several upcoming shows but my outdoor show schedule will settle down until early September when I do the Montrose Artwalk again, followed by the Bowers Museum Invitational show. It’s good to have a few weeks off to regroup, get out and paint some new work for fall exhibitions.
Peters Canyon Meadow – California Landscape Oil Painting – Orange County impressionist painting
Peters Canyon Meadow
14 x 18 oil on canvas
commissioned work
SOLD
This painting was based upon a plein air study which I did earlier this spring
posted on my blog awhile ago.
When I scaled it up for my client, I added more detail and refined certain shapes that were only roughly suggested in the plein air work. What works in 9 x 12 doesn’t necessarily work in 14 x 18 (or larger) sizes.
I’m looking forward to painting the scene in a larger size, and perhaps a more panoramic horizontal format, too. Now, the park grass has turned a soft yellow gold color – the scene looks very different. I’m thinking about going back for some new plein air studies.
This Saturday and Sunday, please join me for more plein air painting at Descanso Gardens. If you are a member of Descanso, the LA Arboretum in Arcadia, South Bay Botanical Gardens, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens, or one of many other American Horticultural Association affiliated gardens, your admission is free. We have enjoyed our Descanso membership for many many years … as well as gardens as far away as Santa Barbara and Phoenix. These reciprocating memberships are a great benefit of supporting our horticultural institutions.
Sierra Oil Painting – Grazing at Lone Pine, California
Grazing at Lone Pine
(Eastern Sierras, California, near the city of Lone Pine)
12″ x 16″ oil on linen panel
Sierra Nevada oil painting
SOLD
See more of my Sierra Nevada Oil Paintings at this link.
This new painting will be exhibited at Gale’s Restaurant in Pasadena beginning tomorrow as part of the Art for the Animals Group Show and Sale. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA. A select group of artists were invited to explore the theme of animals for this special event. The reception will be June 27 from 3-6 pm. I hope that some of my local friends will be able to attend. The animals show will be on exhibit until September.
The eastern Sierra is a subject that I am especially fond of, and most particularly in the fall when the cottonwoods and aspens turn into deep shades of orange and gold – the perfect complement to the blue-violets of the Sierra under cloud shadows. I had been wanting to paint this scene for awhile, and Gale’s animals show gave me the perfect incentive. Between the Sierra range and the foreground (Owens valley ranch in Lone Pine) lie the Alabama Hills. The weathered reddish-brown rock formations are volcanic in origin, but have undergone metamorphosis. Scientists suggest they’re between 150-200 million years old. Early California miners named these hills for the warship, the USS Alabama.
Thanks to those of you who came out to Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden this past weekend for the annual Artists in the Garden show and sale. I enjoyed seeing old friends and collectors and making new friends, too.
Long Beach Lighthouse Sunset – California impressionist Oil Painting – California Art Club Show
“Rest at Rainbow Harbor”
(featuring the Long Beach Lions Lighthouse For Sight)
9 x 12
oil on canvas
In May 2010, I exhibited 2 paintings with the California Art Club Long Beach Bike Festival Art Show at the Phantom Gallery, 170 N. Promenade in Long Beach.
I’d been been painting for this show for several weeks, and the guidelines were that the paintings needed to portray landmarks of Long Beach, and at least one of our submitted paintings should feature a bicycle, in honor of the Bike Festival.
This painting combines several of the themes. The Lighthouse for Sight, one of three in Long Beach, was built by the Long Beach Lions Club and is a reminder of the importance of saving vision – one of the important charities that the Lions support. It sits atop a hill that bicyclists ride around. It reminded me of Glastonbury Tor in England, where a tower sits atop a hill, encircled by terraces. A bicyclist takes a moment to rest at the top of the hill, before continuing his ride.
When I learned that the harbor is named Rainbow Harbor, I gave myself permission to “push” the color more than I might usually do. Like I need an excuse to get colorful, right?
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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Descanso Gardens Tulips Plein Air Oil Painting by Karen Winters
The tulips are up at Descanso, and blooming merrily. When I was painting there a few days ago, I heard that although they planted tens of thousands, that raccoons dug up some of the bulbs, so the display is not as robust as they had hoped. The good news is there was no sign of deer grazing, so they must have shooed them out of the gardens or the blooms would be nipped off.
This is a good time to see the spring bulb show if you’ve never been to the gardens. In addition to the tulip display there are also foxgloves, azaleas, clivia, lilacs (both California native – ceanothus – and the traditional syringas) and some camellias still blooming. The wildflower meadow on the south side of the garden is beautiful now, too, as is the Japanese garden.
No wonder Descanso Gardens are becoming such a popular wedding location – it really is magical and romantic looking in the spring.
