San Luis Obispo Creek Oil Painting

San Luis Obispo Creek
9 x 12 inch oil painting
Available.

(this view features a bridge over the creek. I chose an angle that did not show the cement walkways, as I prefer the natural look.)

Interested in this painting? See more of my California Central Coast paintings here

See more of my paintings on my website

San Luis Obispo Creek winds through the Central California city of San Luis Obispo, before emptying into the Pacific Ocean near Avila Beach. Numerous restaurants line the banks of the creek, and if you eat on one of their patios during the summer, you’ll be treated to the sounds of a chorus of frogs. Occasionally steelhead trout can be seen in the waters. An annual cleanup day keeps the creek in good condition, a source of pride for the community.

Morro Rock Dunes – Morro Bay Oil Painting – California Central Coast Seascape Impressionist painting by Karen Winters

“Morro Rock Dunes”
9 x 12 oil on canvas

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This is another of the plein air oil paintings which I did last fall at the San Luis Obispo Plein Air Festival. At the end of the day, as the sun headed for the horizon, the mist from the sea blew in, partly obscuring the large rock. Ice plant provided a colorful counterpoint to the grays and browns of this massive geologic feature.

Lucky Fortune Cookie Oil Painting by Karen Winters



“Lucky Fortune Cookie”
6 x 6 oil painting

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I will leave it to your imagination what the whole text of the fortune is. Maybe it says “In love you will be lucky.” Or “Today is the day you’ll be lucky.” Or, if you’re more of a pessimist than an optimist, it may say “One of these days you might finally get lucky.”

Add a little luck to your life with this miniature (6 x 6″) original oil still life.

Plein Air art Lightner Peak Walker Basin Oil Painting – Morning Light – California impressionist landscape by karen Winters

Morning Light on Lightner Peak
9 x 12 plein air oil painting on panel

Walker Basin, view from Rankin Ranch of Lightner Peak,
Kern County oil painting

A few days ago I had an opportunity to paint at the Rankin Ranch near Caliente in the Walker Basin, Kern County. This was painted 95% on location, and corrected in minor ways in the studio when the painting was dryer. It’s one of many plein air paintings that I did during our stay, more to come.

Below, a shot of me working on it on location:

The painting looks warmer in the large photo because it was taken under indoor light (warmer) which is the way it will likely be viewed in someone’s home or office. The outdoor photo captures how it looks under shady outdoor light, which is bluer.

California plein air seascape oil painting of Morro Bay – Montana De Oro by Karen Winters



SOLD “A Walk to the Dunes”
(Morro Bay, Montana de Oro vicinity, San Luis Obispo)
8 x 10 plein air oil painting on linen panel

See more of my California Central Coast paintings here

The day after the reception for the California Art Club group show at the San Luis Obispo Art Museum, the weather was perfect for some painting. In the morning I painted at Karner’s point (near Baywood Park) and in the afternoon, the destination was this spot near Montana de Oro. The hazy late afternoon light created a magical look to the whole scene. The tranquil sea can be seen beyond the distant dunes. Large eucalyptus trees shelter one of the many small houses in the area. From this viewpoint, if you were to look another 30 degrees to the right you would see Morro Rock.

Interested in this painting?
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See more of my paintings on my website

Morning at the Cove – Baywood Park, Morro Bay California Impressionist Plein Air Painting by Karen Winters

“Morning at the Cove”
8 x 10 plein air oil painting on linen panel
Cuesta Cove, Baywood Park (near Morro Bay, Los Osos area)
California Central Coast
SOLD

This plein air painting was done last weekend while I was up in San Luis Obispo attending the opening of the California Art Club “Gems of the Central Coast” show at the San Luis Obispo Art Museum. The morning after the reception, some of my painting friends and I went over to this picturesque area. When I began to paint, the tide was in and the water was very still, allowing a beautiful reflection of the eucalyptus grove. By the time an hour had passed, the wind came up and the reflection was gone. Such is the plein air life!

Pasadena Colorado Street Bridge Plein Air Painting – The Bridge Aglow

Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena, oil painting from the viewpoint of the Robinson House

SOLD

“The Bridge Aglow”
(Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena)
11 x 14
Oil painting on linen panel

This painting is sold, but you can see more Pasadena paintings here

The Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena is an icon that I never tire of painting. This painting was started on site last fall, and has been waiting for me to put on the finishing touches. The viewpoint is the eastern side of the Arroyo Seco, not far from the Federal Courthouse, formerly known as the Vista Del Arroyo Hotel.

There used to be monthly California Art Club paintouts at the arroyo, but I don’t think they’re doing that any longer. I liked this viewpoint for painting the bridge because it shows it in relation to both sides of the canyon, although not the entire span.

San Mateo Creek, San Clemente – California Plein Air Landscape Painting by Karen Winters

San Mateo Creek, San Clemente
9 x 12 plein air oil painting on linen panel

See more of my seascapes here

This overlook of the San Mateo Creek in San Clemente was painted last summer during the San Clemente Plein Air paint out.
I liked this location with its expansive vista of land and sea in the distance. The famous surfing spot, Trestles, is on the other side of that railroad bridge.

California Central Coast Plein Air Oil Painting – Farm near Nipomo


“Farm Near Nipomo”
8 x 10 oil painting
Central Coast, California, San Luis Obispo County

• SOLD
to a collector in Buffalo, NY

See more of my California Central Coast paintings here

This is the 2nd of three plein air paintings I did last spring in Nipomo, near the Dana Adobe. If you look at my previous painting posted a few days ago, you’ll see some trees and buildings in the distance. This is a “closeup” of one of those clusters of habitation. Because I wasn’t inclined to move my whole setup, I simply changed my point of view to “zoom in” so to speak, and continued with a new field study.

Tomales Bay, Marin County Plein Air Landscape Painting by Karen Winters

Tomales Bay Twilight
Plein Air Oil Painting
8 x 10 inches
Oil on linen panel

The Monday after Thanksgiving, we drove up into Marin County to enjoy the landscape, seascapes and the vineyards. As the day was drawing to a close, we drove around Tomales Bay and I was captured by the serene beauty of the fading light on the water. Small birds floated by and it was a magical sight. My husband knows when I get that “call me crazy” look in my eye – so we quickly set up my easel and I tried to capture as much of the scene as I could before the color was completely gone from the sky.