California Landscape Plein Air Painting San Luis Obispo County – Nipomo
SOLD
Golden Hillside
(near Nipomo San Luis Obispo County)
9 x 12 plein air oil painting on linen panel
See more of my California Central Coast paintings here
This is a plein air painting that I did last springtime with the California Art Club in San Luis Obispo. We were at a historical location, the Dana Adobe, in Nipomo, and the weather was perfect. I got three paintings done that day. The next day a rainstorm moved in from the north. The fields of mustard liked it, but it wasn’t hospitable to painters. The day after this was painted we went to Moonstone Beach in Cambria (see earlier posts for those paintings.)
Moonstone Beach Surf – Central Coast Cambria Oil Painting – with video – Karen Winters, artist
Moonstone Beach Surf
Cambria, California
11 x 14 oil on linen panel
SOLD
This was painted last April (2010) during a California Art Club paintout. The rain came down where we were painting at San Luis Obispo Land Conservancy sites, so some of us headed for the coast nearby. It was incredibly cold and windy, but I had a really good time
This is a video my husband shot and edited – some highlights of me painting there. Please let me know if for any reason it doesn’t play for you. It is hosted on the Facebook server, not YouTube.
Moonstone Beach Tide – Cambria Seascape Plein Air Oil Painting by Karen Winters
Moonstone Beach Tide
11 x 14
Oil on linen panel
SOLD
See more of my Cambria paintings here
This painting was actually completed on location last spring on a paint out with the California Art Club, and due to an overload of work (and probably some forgetfulness on my part) it has been sitting in a dry box waiting to be discovered. In the process of cleaning up and organizing for the holidays I have uncovered more than a few paintings which I’ll be posting over the next few days/week.
This painting of Moonstone Beach was done on a day when it was raining heavily inland in San Luis Obispo. One of our fellow painters, Karl Dempwolf, told us that the beach was clear up in Cambria, so we loaded in the car and headed for the beach. The wind was blowing heavily and my new EasyL easel had to be weighted down to keep from blowing over. It all worked out.
Happy New Year to everyone. We’re staying in and staying safe tonight. It’s a very cold day in So. Cal, which is unusual even for December, so I’m catching up on my record-keeping and looking forward to some TV-watching later. Our kids gave us a beautiful new widescreen TV for Christmas and we’ve been completely entranced with it!
Lone Pine Plein Air Study – Sierra Landscape painting
Lone Pine (study)
6 x 8 oil on linen panel
More Sierra Nevada paintings here
I had hoped for a sunny day when we visited Lone Pine on one of our many Sierra trips last fall. But that time a storm was on its way in, wrapping the majestic peaks in shades of gray. But I was there and I wasn’t about to be discouraged. The muted tones actually added some interesting color that I wouldn’t have had any other way, and provided a soft contrast to the vivid yellow rabbitbrush which blooms that time of year.
I’m working on Sierra studio paintings based on this and other fall studies, and they’ll be posted over the next month or so.
By far the most annoying part of that day’s paint out was the swarm of flies that appeared as soon as I set up. I’m guessing there must have been free range cattle out there at some time – or where did they come from?
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.
California Plein Air Vineyard Painting – Vineyard Dawn Temecula
Vineyard Dawn, Temecula
Wine Country Oil Painting
8 x 10 inches
oil on linen plein air painting
See more of my vineyard paintings here
This is another in the group of paintings that I did recently at the Falkner Vineyard in Temecula, in San Diego County’s wine country. We arose early so that I could be in the vineyard as the sun came up over the distant hills. The light cloud cover kept the sun from shining quite so sharply in my eyes, which was a real benefit.
This painting was shot under warm incandescent light. Under outdoor light or window light, it will probably look a little bit different. It’s amazing how different things look under different lighting conditions – for example, outdoors while I am painting something, and indoors in a gallery or living room setting, depending upon the color temperature of the lighting instruments.
Some time in the next month, I hope to get up into central and northern California wine country to paint in some of those vineyards. If you know of some particularly beautiful ones, I’d love to hear your recommendations.
California Vineyard Painting – Morning at the Vineyard – Karen Winters
“Morning at the Vineyard
Plein Air Oil Painting
9 x 12 oil on linen panel”
SOLD
See more of my vineyard paintings here
Last Saturday we spent an enjoyable but busy day at the Falkner Vineyard 2010 invitational paint out hosted by Segil Fine Art. The weather was fine, starting with a stunning pink clouded dawn (painting to follow in a few days), a hot air balloon launch, and the glory of vines turning golden.
I will be taking this painting – along with many others – to the Montrose Artwalk this Saturday, November 13 – corner of Ocean View and Honolulu. Look for me by the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
South Pasadena Arroyo Seco Eucalptus Oil Painting – Karen Winters – KWinters
“Arroyo Guardian”
9 x 12 inches
Pasadena Arroyo Seco oil painting
SOLD
This one is sold but you can see more Pasadena area paintings here
A stately old eucalyptus grows along Arroyo Drive in South Pasadena, standing guard at the edge of the Arroyo Seco.
October 2010 – exhibited in a California Art Club show at the South Pasadena Gallery, S. Pasadena, CA. The judge was the esteemed CAC Signature artist, Junn Roca.
Link to the So Pas Gallery
I have been painting like crazy here, and traveling to paint on location, but I always seem to run out of time to post what I’m doing. Some of the paintings are commissioned works which are surprise gifts for people, so I have to be a little careful about what I put where in this day of social networking and transparency.
We’ve made one recent trip to the eastern Sierra and hope to get a few more trips in soon. Southern California weather has been marked by the same June gloom/grayness that typified our summer. I’m looking forward to making a trip to Santa Barbara to see the Clyde Aspevig show before it closes in February 2011 – he’s among my favorite landscape artists – a list that is growing quite lengthy.
Huntington Gardens Tea Room and Rose Garden – San Marino
Huntington Gardens
Tea Room and Rose Garden
Oil Painting
11 x 14 inches – oil on canvas
This is a plein air painting that I did a few years ago, and somehow it escaped being photographed and posted to my blog. A recent conversation prompted me to revisit it and I discovered that it was missing from my site.
Not too long ago we renewed our Huntington membership and I’m looking forward to visiting again when the camellias are in bloom. On a trip a few weeks ago, they had a California landscape exhibit which I enjoyed, along with other permanent collection work in the Paul and Heather Sturt Haaga gallery. If you live in Southern California and you’re not a member of the Huntington, what are you waiting for?
Pasadena Rose Bowl Painting – First Night Fireworks – Pasadena Pops
“First Night Fireworks
Pasadena Pops at the Rose Bowl”
16 x 12 oil on wood panel
See more Pasadena and Rose Bowl paintings here
This painting is the 2nd place winner of the 2010 Pasadena Artwalk Competition. The Artwalk will be held Saturday, October 9, from 10 – 5 pm on El Molino Street in Pasadena, between Colorado Blvd. and Green Street.
The theme of this year’s Artwalk competition was “Art and Culture in Pasadena.” Because the Pasadena Pops and Pasadena Symphony orchestras bring so much cultural richness to the city, I decided to paint the closing act of the first show of the 2010 season. This year, the Pops is at a new venue on the lawn next to the Rose Bowl and fireworks provided an exciting finish to the June concert. I have not painted fireworks before (and this was a studio painting, not from life) but it was a lot of fun to do. Who knows, there may be other explosions in my future. Look closely and you’ll see that of course, there are eucalyptus trees in it – silhouetted by the pyrotechnics.
In 2008, this painting of mine, “El Molino Afternoon,” took First Prize and went home with a nice family who lived on the street.
