California Mountain – Impressionist landscape oil painting by Karen Winters
“California Mountain”
12 x 16 oil on canvas
This is another in my series of spring landscapes, capturing the beauty of California in an impressionist mood. When I’m out painting and taking pictures for reference I don’t always know the name of the landmarks, especially if they are out of my home territory. But this strong summit is around California’s central coast area.
This painting was such a pleasure for me to paint – especially mixing all the different colors of greens that represent grass covered hillsides, trees, meadows and wildflowers. Can’t you just imagine this in a gold plein air frame? Eternal springtime!
Oak in the Meadow – Santa Monica Mountains – Karen Winters Daily Painting
Oak in the Meadow 12 x 16 inch oil on canvas
Late afternoon light streams across a meadow dotted with oak trees. The glow reminded me of a long ago time in a peaceful place.
In real life, the place is the Santa Monica Mountains – a meadow not far from Malibu Creek State Park. The distant mountain range takes on a violet cast as the sun descends. Soon, even the wildflowers will be covered with deep shadows. Don’t you just want to sit under that tree and listen to the calls of the red-winged blackbirds?
Dana Point Headlands – oil painting – Karen Winters
Dana Point Headlands – 18 x 24 oil on canvas
This brand new painting, shown for the first time here, features the headlands of Dana Point near the Ocean Institute. You can see the face looking out to sea on the sharp edge of the cliff. I don’t know if that’s the author Dana after which Dana point was named or some other mythological figure. If someone reading this knows the answer, please post the answer, ok?
My, what a few weeks this has been! It’s been a steady pace of painting, show-prepping, selling, followup and more painting. I’m loving every minute of it, of course.
The Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden show show went very well. Thanks to all those who purchased works from me, and thanks as well as some very special guests who made the trek out to Claremont to say hello. A few nights ago, I attended A Taste of Art at Gale’s Restaurant in Pasadena, where a group of artists (including me) all donated artwork to be sold to support the AIDS Service Center. It was great food, great wine, tons of good art and all for a wonderful cause.
Now I am back to my everyday painting routine, with many new works to come. So, watch this space … new art is on the way.
May at Malibu Creek – Karen Winters Daily Painting – Art
“May at Malibu Creek”
11 x 14 pastel on board
SOLD
This week has been another week of preparation for a show – this Sunday, June 1 at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. So I haven’t had a lot of extra time for painting but I will try to make up for it, soon.
This is another favorite scene of mine from Malibu Creek State Park. The long lazy trail winds back through the spring grasses, which are beginning to turn golden here and there. Wildflowers decorate the hillsides with swaths of color, and the afternoon glow kisses the chapparal-covered mountainsides.
I was reading a website recently that was extolling the beauty of the Santa Monica Mountains. This area is so close to urban Los Angeles, yet it might as well be out in the wilderness. There is so much natural texture and beauty here – a painter’s delight.
The other day I was sitting in the car in the parking lot while my husband ran into OSH for a few hardware bits. Rather than wrap myself up in an art magazine, I just gazed for a long time at the Verdugo Hills and the clouds drifting above it. I challenged myself to see as many colors and values as I could. Art is not only made with brush or pastel in hand. Sometimes it gestates by just our attentive seeing.
Dreamy Drifting at Malibu Creek – new painting art by Karen Winters
“Dreamy Drifting at Malibu Creek” – 11 x 14 – pastel on board
SOLD
Today I had the pleasure of taking a workshop with master pastellist Bruce Trentham, and this was the result. I had missed a demo by him several months ago, so this was a good opportunity to see him at work.
It was surprisingly similar to working in oil – much more than watercolor. The pigment is formed into sticks rather than being applied with a brush, but the manner of working – from dark to light and using opaque layers in a series of refinements and corrections – felt very familiar.
I think that I will be exploring pastel more – not to the exclusion of oil and watercolor, of course – but as a way to treat a subject quickly and in a painterly way.
When it comes right down to it, most of painting is about composition, value, shape, color and so forth. Whether one uses a brush or a pastel stick is not the main thing – and the principles of painting are the same for all color media that I’ve experienced so far.
For this painting I used a variety of different brands of pastel – from hard square ones to extremely soft and buttery ones. Pastel pencils helped with ome of the fine line work of the branches.
And yes, a pastel work is generally called a painting, not a drawing!
Laguna Reflections – Crescent Cove – Karen Winters original oil painting
“Laguna Beach Reflections (at Crescent Cove)”
14 x 18 oil on canvas
If you would like to find out if this painting is still available for sale…..
please write
(I have more Laguna paintings, please see My seascapes page
For all of your folks who visited me over the weekend at Sierra Madre, here’s how the painting turned out that I was working on when you stopped by.
I had a great time painting there and the cool scene seemed to help me tolerate the stifling heat.
This scene was inspired by my visit to Laguna Beach a month or so ago. What attracted me the most were the reflections in the sand, revealed for just moments as each wave receded. I’ve considered adding a few sea birds to this, either a sandpiper on the shore or a few gulls. What do you think?
I can hardly wait to go back there and paint with those cool ocean breezes.
Dana Point Surf – Karen Winters seascape oil painting
16 x 20 oil on canvas
SOLD
Here’s another recent painting of one of my favorite new scenic haunts – the harbor at Dana Point. This scene is just outside of the breakwater, not far from the Ocean Institute.
I’m tired but content today at the end of a long weekend. Tomorrow I begin work on a few new paintings for upcoming exhibits. But first, a good night’s sleep. Thanks to all the folks who stopped by to visit – it was a hotter ‘n you know what weekend with temps in the high 90s, but we managed to survive and have a great time.
Golden Hour – California Art Club show -Pasadena Women’s City Club
“Golden Hour”
14 x 18 oil on canvas
SOLD to a collector from Claremont
So here’s the other painting that was accepted into the California Art Club show at the Women’s City Club in Pasadena.
It represents a few moments just before sunset in California’s Central Coast, not far from Paso Robles. I am just thrilled to be in the show for the second consecutive time, on this occasion with two entries, one watercolor, and one oil. (See day before yesterday for my watercolor portrait, “Strength is Beautiful.”
My objective here was to show a more traditional view of Natural Beauty, that of California’s scenic splendor. I thought about choosing one of the frequently selected wonders, like Yosemite or the Sierras, but this commonplace scene of oak woodlands seemed to represent beauty just as well. Perhaps beauty truly is all around us, if we just have eyes to see.
The painting will be displayed for sale at the Women’s City Club in Pasadena until late November.
Sierra Madre Art Fair this weekend
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Come see me this weekend if you’re in the Pasadena area. I’ll be bringing more than 40 original oil paintings and watercolors, plus some prints and cards. The park is shady so don’t let the weather keep you away! If you love art you won’t want to miss this once a year event!
Spring Medley – Anza Borrego Desert Painting – Karen Winters
Spring Medley – 11 x 15 – mixed media
SOLD
Here’s a painting that combines both watercolor and acrylic – one for its transparency, the other for its opacity – each used to its best advantage (in my opinion!)
It was inspired by a photo I took at the Anza Borrego State Park in N. San Diego County when we went there to look at the wildflower bloom several weeks ago (better make that months ago!) What attracted me to this scene was the contrast of textures – the hard rocks and the soft desert flowers, plus the contrast of shadows and bright sunlight.
Right now I’m in final preparations for the Sierra Madre show. All of the pictures (more than 35!) are in their frames, although I don’t think I have enough space in my booth to display them all at once – so I’m going to have to make some hard choices.
In addition I have a number of matted but unframed watercolors, like this one, which will be in a bin for people to look through.
