Langham Huntington Hotel Wedding reception – plein air painting – Karen Winters
Courtyard Wedding Reception, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008 at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Original plein air painting, 9 x 12 oil on linen on board
SOLD
This past Saturday I had the pleasure of painting at the Huntington Langham Hotel in San Marino as a participant in an “artist in residence” program. I was the participant sponsored by the Segil Fine Art gallery in Monrovia. Because a wedding reception was planned for the early evening, I passed the afternoon painting indoors and brought a photo reference to work from. As night fell, wedding guests filtered in from the ceremony which was held in the garden. Although my painting time was up, I couldn’t leave, transfixed by the beautiful party. Within a short period of time it became very difficult to see the guests, so I used a little imagination to fill in the spaces and to make up for my myopia.
I don’t know the happy couple but perhaps some day they will google their wedding date and the name of the Huntington Hotel and find this memory of a very special occasion, and I hope it will bring them a smile. I think I heard someone say that the bride grew up in Shanghai, but that was only a snippet of a conversation overheard in passing.
And yes, I would love to do this again. So if you’re planning a wedding and want a plein air painter to create a unique fine art memory of your event – in a garden, a meadow, a beach or any special place, please feel free to ask.
Brighter Tomorrows – Batiquitos Lagoon Path, near Carlsbad, California – California impressionist oil painting by Karen Winters
Brighter Tomorrows
20 x 24 inches – oil on canvas
Batiquitos Lagoon, near Carlsbad, California, San Diego County
SOLD
This is the largest oil painting I’ve painted so far, and I got a great deal of enjoyment from the process. I’ll likely be doing more larger size works, some in anticipation of my first solo show next May. This one is going to Descanso Gardens for our Encore Holiday show, hanging Friday and continuing at least through January 6 (maybe longer.)
Batiquitos Lagoon is a beautiful wetlands area popular with birders and hikers. We spent the later part of an afternoon there, and can hardly wait to get back for more. Because the light was changing so quickly, this large painting was not painted on site but was done in studio from my own photo references, on-site observations and field notes.
When it came time to name this painting, I first thought of simply entitling it “Batiquitos Lagoon Trail,” but it occurred to me that in these very stressful times something more hopeful and optimistic might better represent the feeling I tried to capture. So it is Brighter Tomorrows, and may yours be brighter with each passing day, too.
Sierra Nevada Oil Painting Landscape – Heaven and Nature Sing – California Impressionist painting
“Heaven and Nature Sing”
16 x 20 inches oil on canvas
SOLD
Although this one is sold, you can see more Sierra Nevada paintings here
This is one of my favorite new paintings inspired by our High Sierra trip, and it represents a view of the Sierras in the afternoon, not far from Crowley Lake. In the afternoon, when a storm is in the air, the clouds hover around the top of the mountain to be backlit by the sun. The effect is nothing short of spectacular and truly expresses a feeling of spiritual joy. With that in mind, as I was searching for a title for this, I remembered a line from the Christmas carol, “Joy to the World.” The refrain is “and heaven and nature sing …” Being there and seeing this magnificent mountain crowned with light, I truly felt that heaven and nature were singing. So there you have it.
The most challenging part of this painting, to my surprise, was not painting the clouds and the light – it was defining the many gullies and ridges, all in deep shadow, that decorate the eastern slope. The values are very close but there needs to be enough definition for the eye to read it as a sculptured geological form … but not SO much definition that it appears that the shapes are light-struck. So much in that area has to be suggested rather than spelled out, lest it lose some of the air of mystery. And *that* is a constant challenge.
This painting will be among the select group of new works that I’ll be taking to Descanso Gardens on Friday morning for our Encore year end show. So if you are in LA and want to see it in person, that’s where it will be. If you are out of town and wish to purchase it, please let me know and I will replace it in the show with another of my recent works.
Eastern Sierra Oil Painting – Autumn Cottonwoods
Autumn Cottonwoods
(Owens Valley, on Hwy 395)
12 x 16 oil on linen panel
SOLD
More Sierra Nevada paintings here
Last weekend we took a trip up into the Eastern Sierras for a painting and photo trip. Unfortunately the wind gusts were up to 15 miles per hour which made keeping a canvas on an easel pretty much impossible, so I made use of my sketchbook and camera instead. Best of all was the experience of being there and seeing the subtle change in the colors of the day from pre-dawn moments to post-sunset nocturnes. The days were long but oh so rewarding.
What attracted me to this scene was the contrast of the oranges and golds of the cottonwoods juxtaposed with the blue violets of the mountains. No exaggeration, the Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada chain really is that color in the afternoon as the sun makes its descent into the west. One more good storm and the leaves will all be gone.
If you’re in Southern California, I’ll be showing my work at the Montrose Art Walk this Saturday, November 8 on Honolulu Avenue.
California Fall Landscape Oil Painting – Autumn Joy – Karen Winters
Autumn Joy
11 x 14 oil on canvas
(It was cloudy and rainy today so I couldn’t take the painting outdoors into natural light to photograph it, so there is some blurring that is not in the painting. I cant use a flash when the painting is wet, either. I’ll shoot it again when the weather is better. But it does look good in reality.)
In this typical California landscape, sycamore trees blaze with color on a local trail in Southern California. This scene is close to home in La Canada Flintridge, and I may be taking this painting next weekend to the Montrose Artwalk. If you’re a local person, look for me near the bowling alley on Honolulu Avenue in Montrose, zip code 91020.
If you’d like to purchase the painting before I take it to the artwalk, email me … karen@karenwinters.com
I came across a 1985 copy of Southwest Art the other day that had an article about artist Randall Lake, and some advice he had given to a student. Here are a few of the suggestions made:
“There are no short-cuts in this profession. For most of us, creativity has more to do with daily work than momentary inspiration. Don’t wait for the grand vision; work and re-work. When inspiration does come, your skills will be up to the task of using it effectively.”
“Painting is not a nine to five profession. It is a life’s work, whch demands that your schedule will vary.”
“Try many art forms and take risks. By that I mean go beyond what you are comfortable doing. If what you are doing doesn’t have the possiblity of failure, neither will it be brilliant. Exceptional accomplishment in any of the arts has always been the result of risk taking.”
“Always remain a student: learn through research, refinement and experimentation while remaining flexible. To paraphrase Henri Matisse: one should never become a prisoner of one’s style or reputation.”
Good words to live by as an artist!
San Gabriel View – California Impressionist Landscape
San Gabriel View
9 x 12 oil on linen
This painting is the first I’ve painted on linen, inspired by a workshop I took last weekend. The scene is of my own imagination/memory – a view of the San Gabriels in the northern part of the Arroyo Seco, AKA Hahamongna Park. I’ve painted there so many times that it feels like my own back yard.
Elizabeth Tolley, the instructor and gifted plein air painter, teaches a way of using transparent paints along with sheer opaques to get subtle layering effects. I tried out what I learned here, and I like the effect.
I told a friend of mine how much I loved working with the linen surface and she warned me that now that I’ve tried it I’ll be spoiled for painting on anything else. It’s pricey but oh so silky. Sigh …..
South Pasadena Painting – Plein air Paint out – Arroyo Drive Sycamores
The Sycamores of Arroyo Drive, South Pasadena
12 x 16 oil painting
This painting is available.
Write karen@karenwinters.com
This is the second in the series of paintings I’ll be bringing to the California Art Club Rialto Visions show. The Collector’s Preview is Tuesday night at the South Pasadena Library on El Centro Ave. Last week I was on Arroyo Drive, which skirts the Arroyo Seco in South Pasadena. Looking southward in the 400 block, the sycamores are just beginning to color up. In a few weeks they may either be brilliant orange and gold or a dusty brown. The coloration change seems to vary with the weather. In the afternoon the light streams through the trees, casting long shadows across the street. A baseball field in to the right, down the hill behind the trees. Although I paint architecture (and my architectural subjects have found new homes quite well) I still have a special fondness for trees and afternoon light. So how could I resist?
It’s sycamore season – that’s what it is … and I just love to paint their luminous trunks that pick up every color in the environment, at times looking violet, dusky brown or shades of orange and apricot, depending upon what’s close by.
Update on my relative: she is speaking again and seems to have weathered this storm. At 93, anything can happen to cause a cascade of unfortunate results. We are practicing watchful waiting and trusting the excellent skills of her medical team. Our thanks for all the positive thoughts.
Arroyo Seco Reflections – California Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting
Arroyo Seco Reflections
8 x 10 inches – oil
SOLD
I’ll be taking this new painting to the Pasadena Art Walk October 11 on El Molino Ave (between Colorado and Green Street) . When I took a walk through the arroyo yesterday, I noticed several aspens by the stream that I hadn’t noticed before. I can hardly wait for them to turn color because I think the show is going to be dazzling.
The sycamores are starting to look dry, there’s no evidence of fall in their foliage. It may be that they will only get dusky looking this year – it seems to depend on the weather.
This Saturday I’m looking forward to the artists reception for the Day of the Dead show at The Marengo Collection. The reception will be from 2-6 pm and will include a painting which was juried into last year’s Brand Works on Paper show. More about that tomorrow.
Now, it’s time for me to get back to the easel!
Sunset Soiree – California Impressionist Plein Air Genre Painting
“Sunset Soiree” SOLD
9 x 12 oil on canvas
Plein air painting
A few nights ago I had the pleasure of doing a plein air sunset painting while listening to the sweet sounds of The Crown City Brass Quintet. Wine, music, art, lovely people, gardens. It just doesn’t get any better than this!
And now, a few words about painting at sunset when much of the color has gone. What do you do? You invent it and you paint the color the way it might have been. Or, in the words of the late artist Milford Zornes “paint it the way you want it to be.” And so I did.
By the time I arrived at the event, around 6:30, the sun had settled behind the majestic pines and oaks. But what remained were hints of warm color that I exaggerated to create a mood. Painting in settings like this is a special treat for me because, unlike in a restaurant, cafe or on the beach, the people remain seated for the duration, so one’s painting isn’t ruined by the sudden rearrangement of of the models! This culture loving group gave me a rare opportunity to paint a genre scene in a leisurely hour and a half.
Still Life with Red Vase – Karen Winters
5 x 7 oil
Still Life with Red Vase
A small study of a vase with a sprig of abelia from a bush blooming outside our door. Painted from life.
I’m off to a nocture paintout this evening, which should be an interesting challenge. I’ve scouted the location and know what to expect, generally, but lighting is always a surprise.
This past week I’ve been trying to spend some time catching up and decluttering my studio. It’s easy to let things get out of control when painting on deadline and doing the multitude of other things that an art business involves. In the act of sorting, filing and calendar updating I gain a greater feeling of control and relaxation and in a small way, I almost look forward to that time. Order … tranquility … letting the mind settle quietly.
Gotta run … more later.
