California impressionist oil painting Chapparal Bloom by Karen Winters
“Chapparal Bloom”
San Gabriel Mountains
8 x 10 inches oil on plein air panel
California is colorful all year long, not only in the springtime. Summer and fall wildflowers include buckwheat and other chapparal natives. It’s an earth-tone palette, full of greens, russets, umbers and golds. The buckwheat, when it dries, is a good match for burnt sienna.
I never tire of painting the tapestry of plant life that covers our rolling hills and mountains. The California Native Plant Society is a good resource for learning about our drought tolerant beauties.
Here’s how the painting might look in a dark frame that picks up the colors in the painting, with warm touches of coppery-gold.
I haven’t talked about framing too often here, but it’s true that the frame can have a big impact on how a painting looks. Compare how the same painting, on the same colored background appears in a gold carved frame. The dark frame creates a more rustic look, which might be appropriate for a home with western accents. The gold frame creates a lighter, more elegant appearance. Which do you think works best? Do you like seeing one of my paintings with framing suggestions, as opposed to just seeing the painting by itself?
Sunset On Descanso Pond – Descanso Gardens California impressionist lake oil painting by Karen Winters
“Sunset On Descanso Pond”
Descanso Gardens Art
16 x 20 oil painting
SOLD
I took this new painting “Sunset on Descanso Pond” to the Colony Theatre in Burbank today for a solo show in conjunction with their presentation of “On Golden Pond,” running from July 27 – August 28, starring Hal Linden. There is a cozy gallery area inside the theater with plenty of room for the seventeen paintings I brought. Not all the paintings are of ponds or lakes, of course. There are eastern Sierra scenes, vineyards, seascapes and more.
Sunset on Descanso Pond features the bird sanctuary area, where waterfowl, turtles and other types of wildlife abound. We used to enjoy visiting that spot often when the children were young and feeding or stale bread to the ducks and geese was permitted.
Below is the Central California landscape that I painted expressly for this show as a theme piece.
The title is “Return to Golden Pond” and it is 14 x 18, oil on canvas.
White Roses Oil Painting – Impressionist Botanical Floral
White Roses (study)
6 x 8 inches
oil on plein air panel
Iceberg roses are among the most popular white rose varieties in California (perhaps in other US states, too.) These perennial plants have a carefree look about them, somewhat different from the formality of other hybrid tea roses. I decided to paint this group in a casual impressionist style, loosely, as though they were being tousled by the wind.
Return to Golden Pond (On Golden Pond) California Tonalist Landscape Oil painting by Karen Winters
“Return to Golden Pond”
14 x 18 inches
Oil on canvas
SOLD
Central California – Western Sierra Foothills painting
This painting was done for an upcoming exhibition at the Colony Theater Gallery in Burbank, in conjunction with the performance of “On Golden Pond.” In addition to a dozen or more other paintings which will be exhibited, I painted this one to tie in very specifically with the theme of the play. Although the play is set in the eastern United States, I decided to do my own take on it, as a California landscape painter. The location is a pond bordering the western foothills of the Sierras. I don’t usually paint in a tonalist/monochromatic style, but it seemed perfect for this project.
More details on the show will follow as the opening approaches.
Sweet Pea Cottage Garden Springtime Figurative Pasadena Oil Painting by Karen Winters
Sweet Pea Springtime
(Cottage garden, Pasadena, California)
14 x 11 inches
Oil painting on canvas
I’ve been thinking about painting this subject for several years, since my husband and I were out on a walk in Pasadena and we came upon a scene of a woman cutting sweet peas along the cottage garden path leading to her front door. The location is near S. El Molino Street, or S. Oak Knoll, near Cornell, but I neglected to write down the exact address. I told her I was a painter and asked her permission to take a picture and she pleasantly agreed. I changed the color of her dress from periwinkle blue to white because it contrasted better with the green of the sweet pea vines.
The picture was taken in March when everything was verdant green, and the flowers – snapdragons, pansies, poppies and more – were at peak bloom. I should try to walk the area again some time and see if I recognize the houses and the path.
Although I prefer to do plein air studies as preparation for studio paintings, there are some occasions when a composition just presents itself to you and there you are without an easel, and the light fading fast. This was one of those occasions when I was glad I had a camera with me.
Mt. Boney (Boney Mountain) – Conejo Valley Painting by California Impressionist Karen Winters
Mt. Boney (from Satwiwa Park viewpoint, Conejo Valley)
16 x 20
Oil on canvas
Interested in this painting?
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My latest painting, finished just in time for the Artwalk in Thousand Oaks next weekend in the Conejo Valley.
Mt. Boney is part of the Santa Monica Mountain range, and is an imposing formation with sheer faces. I think it looks especially nice in afternoon light when the late sun reflects off the faceted planes of the rocks.
Newport Back Bay California Estuary Landscape Painting
“Back Bay Afternoon”
12 x 16 oil painting on canvas
Back Bay, Orange County(Upper Newport Beach Preserve)
See more of my Newport Beach paintings here
I’ll be bringing this painting with me this weekend to SoCal PAPA’s annual “Paint the Parks” show at the Katie Wheeler Library Gardens, 13042 Old Myford Rd, Irvine, 92602. I’ll have about 19 other paintings as well – featuring Orange County scenes as well as other landscapes and seascapes around California.
Big Sur, Bixby Bridge Wedding Gift Commissioned California Seascape Oil Painting
“Big Sur, Bixby Bridge”
16 x 20 oil on canvas
SOLD – painted on commission
Interested in commissioning a painting? Please write.
This painting was commissioned as a surprise wedding gift for a very lovely bride to give to her bridegroom to commemorate the exact place where he proposed to her. She and I worked closely together to identify the exact spot where he popped the question. Then, after the painting was finished, approved and drying, the unexpected happened. The bridegroom, who also knew of my work, contacted me separately looking to buy a painting of the same location to give to the bride. Suddenly I had an O’Henry “Gift of the Magi”-type situation on my hands! I couldn’t tell him I wouldn’t sell him this painting he saw on my site– he’d think that odd. And if I told him it was sold, but he might buy somewhere else, so immediate was his need. Honesty and open communication always being the best policy, I contacted the bride and let her know about his urgent inquiry and she handled the situation gracefully with her betrothed. So he knew that there was a painting by me in their future but would have to wait to see what it was.
The painting was shipped last week and they opened their gift to each other last night —with champagne, strawberries and candlelight, I hope. Today there are two very happy nearlyweds, with a painting created with love, just for them, so they can always remember that very special day. And everyone lived happily ever after.
California Poppy Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting – Tejon Ranch
Tejon Ranch Poppy Hillside
9 x 12
oil on plein air panel
Interested in this painting?
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See more of my wildflower paintings here:
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of painting at the Tejon Ranch with other artist and signature artist members of the California Art Club. It was a unique opportunity to enjoy the spring beauty of the land, which is not open to the general public. The wind gusts were intense at times, but the color made up for the distraction. This is one of the paintings I worked on over the two day period – this one was on the Antelope Valley side, not too far from the Lancaster Poppy Reserve. I’ll be posting more soon.
Way of the Oak – California Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting of Oak Tree on Trail – by Karen Winters
“The Way of the Oak”
12 x 16 oil on canvas
See more Pasadena area paintings here
This graceful old oak arches over a trail on Eaton Canyon, beckoning the hiker to walk under the arch and continue their journey. Scenes like this are typical of trails all over California, though. From the Arroyo Seco of Pasadena, the Cerro Gordo campgrounds of California’s Central Coast, the equestrian trails of La Canada, where I live, and the trails of Irvine Park, Malibu Creek State Park, Agoura, and more. I’ve seen so many places like this that it is truly iconic of California, especially in the springtime when the grasses are still fresh and only beginning to turn to gold.
