Aspen Sierra Morning – California Eastern Sierra Oil Painting
Aspen Sierra Morning
(near Bishop, Owens Valley, Eastern Sierras
16 x 20 oil on canvas
Because many of my Sierra/aspen/Owens Valley paintings have gone away to new homes, I decided to finish up another that I began last year, inspired by our Eastern Sierra trip. This painting features a grove of aspens caught in the earliest morning light. And I mean *really* early, when the color is intense and warm. That’s the time when more sensible people are snug in their beds, or enjoying their first cups of coffee in the kitchen, but the plein air painters and photographers are stomping around in the brush, looking for the best compositions and getting tangled up in barbed wire. (Yes, that happened to me in November, and it wasn’t pretty.)
Truck crash update, for those who are interested.
At Flintridge bookstore, seven of my ten paintings have been found, in various states of damage. All framing has been destroyed. Some of the watercolors survived, others will require significant repair, and the other (one of my favorites) was torn down the middle. The only acrylic – painted on a hard panel, came through ok. It will only need a brush off to remove some plaster dust, and a few touch-ups. The other two oil paintings are still buried, no doubt. On the positive side, all of those who were hospitalized have been discharged to their homes, and there were no more deaths. Large trucks have been banned on Angeles Crest Highway, at least temporarily, until legislative action can ban them permanently.
We watched the city council meeting last night via cable TV and were glad to see a good discussion of the options to prevent future calamities. And the council was very thorough in thanking everyone who helped in the aftermath, including those who sent letters of support and ideas. At the council meeting I did not hear an acknowledgment of Girl Scout, Malia Mailes, whose 46 slide powerpoint project outlined the disaster waiting to happen before the crash, and she was not mentioned in the round of hearty back-slapping. Perhaps it’s the fact that her report was horrifically prescient and is/was a source of embarrassment to our council who were unable to use her research to get any action. It’s interesting, isn’t it, that teenagers are usually characterized as feeling “immortal” and behaving as though nothing bad could happen to them. Yet here you have a teen sounding a clarion call and the adults patiently waiting for the state to throw them crumbs.
The burning question, which a member of the public raised at the meeting, was, why did it take so long, with repeated runaway truck “near misses” and finally two deaths to get some action? Clearly, the carefully worded requests for action from our city manager, as politely “by the book” as they may have been, fell on deaf ears with the regional CalTrans director who recently told a reporter he wasn’t going to spend any money on our requests. If our city representatives tolerated a runaround on this issue, which ended in fatalities, how will they respond to future needs? Will they have learned a little assertiveness from the experience? Perhaps the PR firm that they hired to manage the media and interviews on the day of the event can give them some helpful suggestions.
Here’s a helpful suggestion: Malia Mailes for City Council in two years, when she’s 18. She sounds like a go-getter, someone who is passionate, energetic and wants to get things done. We can use more of that around here.
Sierra Blessing – California Eastern Sierra Nevada Oil Painting Commission
Sierra Blessing
18 x 24″ landscape oil painting on canvas
SOLD (commission)
Today, I finished this Eastern Sierra Nevada painting with much love and joy, and shared a photo of it with the client who commissioned it. I have since signed it and will give it a protective coating in a few days and then it will be time to leave my studio and go to live with a new family.
The origin of the painting has an interesting story, I think. The individual contacted me because she had seen a painting of mine on my website of a location close to where she lives. But as we got to talking, it turned out that she also liked my painting of the Sierras, a place where she and her family had camped together and enjoyed many happy days together.
This painting is a reflection of one of those special places, with a view of Lone Pine and Mt. Whitney. It has a special significance to the family that makes it especially sacred to them. I feel honored that she entrusted me to interpret this spot artistically, and I hope that long after I am gone it will be passed down in their family.
For me, this is what making art is all about. It is about taking something in the real world and, through the application of study, practice and technique, turning it into a creation that will capture a feeling, a moment in time, a spiritual insight. I love painting plein air, and I do it as much as I can, but sometimes I rely on my field studies, sketches, direct observation and other references to re-create a scene. That was the process I used here.
I love this painting so much that I am going to paint it again, in a slightly different size, probably a little bigger … and no doubt I will interpret it a little differently. That always happens.
Out of the wreckage of the runaway truck accident, there are some positives. Yesterday my dear husband went to the store and recovered three paintings which the store owner had carefully found and put up on the counter in a safe place. (The vase of peonies, a pink magnolia watercolor which I had forgotten was there, and the vertical eucalyptus painting.) Today my husband visited just as a cleanup crew was arriving and showed them a poster we made with small images of the remaining six works. They promised to keep an eye out for them. If they find even one or two more I will be very happy. And I am optimistic that they will!
As a dear friend of mine is fond of saying “You can’t see around life’s corners.” Indeed we can’t. Which is why it is especially important to do our best and be kind to each other at every opportunity.
And now, it’s time for me to get back to the easel!
Sierra Nevada California Landscape Painting – Sierra Willows
Sierra Willows
14 x 18 oil on canvas
SOLD
More Sierra Nevada paintings here
Although fall had come to the Sierras, there were still late wildflowers blooming on the banks of the Owens river. Young willows were turning yellow, glittering with each passing breeze. What attracted me to this scene was the contrast of the delicacy of the golden willows contrasted with the solidity and cool violets of the towering Sierras. The area is near Big Pine, so I’m going to guess that’s Piper Peak in the background. My husband gave me a GPS for Christmas so on future trips I should be able to get more exact locations for those who want to know exactly what and where.
I used a lot of thick paint on this one, more than I usually do, applying it with a palette knife in places to get a more expressive energy into it. I found that this was a better way to suggest the wind blowing off the tops of the mountains and stirring the brush. There’s nothing sedate and calm about this one!
If you’re in Southern California, mark your calendars for February 21. I’ll be giving a short presentation about my art at Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse at the intersection of Foothill Blvd. and Angeles Crest in La Canada. We’re going in alphabetical order so I’ll be appearing last at 8:30.
If you’re thinking of joining Facebook – jump in! It’s a lot of fun and you’ll reconnect with all your old friends there. Drop me a note if you’d like to add me as a friend, or follow my art activities.
Aspen Landscape Oil Painting – Aspen Grove
SOLD
Aspen Grove in the Sierras
11 x 14
oil on linen
Interested in this painting? Please write.
This painting is sold, but you can see more Sierra Nevada paintings here
Wow, where did the week go? I’ve been so busy doing various art marketing and selling tasks that I haven’t made time to post. That will be remedied very soon.
This is another in my ongoing Sierra fall series. The aspen grove pictured here is dwarfed by the steep uplift of the Sierra Nevada range, which literally rises like a wall from the Owens Valley floor. I was captivated by the contrast of the deep blue violet mountain in contrast with the warm bright foliage of the aspens. Sages and other late blooming wildflowers, nipped by the frost and tousled by the wind, provided an interesting foreground with some suggestion of motion.
Can you feel the autumn wind blowing down out of those peaks, causing golden leaves to quiver and fly away?
Tomorrow I’ll be taking a painting to White’s Gallery on Honolulu Ave. in Montrose for the Pasadena Society of Artists new member show. I was juried in last April, but the new member show is an annual event, so it’s a nice opportunity to show some work. The reception is January 24, 2-4 pm if you have the time to come by and see the works of 20 artists.
Autumn Morning – Bishop, California – California impressionist oil painting by Karen Winters
Autumn Morning, Bishop
12 x 16 oil on linen on panel
SOLD
The High Sierras rise in the background over a wildflower meadow in Bishop, California. Dawn light touches the peaks and the Owens Valley as well.
On Friday Dec, 5, I’ll be gallery sitting (and probably painting) at Descanso Gardens Art Gallery from 10 – 4 pm. Come say hello and keep me company and see the works of 19 artists, including four paintings of mine.
Then, on Saturday, at 5 pm, please join me at the Women’s City Club of Pasadena (Blinn House) for the opening wine and cheese reception of the California Art Club’s “Concerto of Color” show. Admission and parking are free and the artists would really appreciate a great turnout. The Blinn House show features artwork from CAC Associates from the whole state of California. This is the third time I’ve been honored to be included in the biannual show. It’s a wonderful way to kick off the holiday party season!
High Sierra Landscape Painting – Bishop, Owens Valley
High Sierra Fall Color
(a ranch near Bishop, in the Owens Valley)
14 x 18 oil on canvas
SOLD
As I continue with my High Sierra fall series, this painting portrays a tranquil pasture land, which I’m pretty sure is named Round Valley. It’s near Bishop. The peaks may be Mt. Morgan and Mt. Abbot, or perhaps the one on the right is Mt. Tom. I’m not too good with my geography of that region, so I’d appreciate knowing the names so I can be accurate.
Sierra Cottonwoods – California Landscape Oil Painting – Impressionist Karen Winters
Cottonwoods
16 x 20″
Oil on canvas
SOLD
More Sierra Nevada paintings here
You will find other scenes from the same location at the above link.
These beautiful strong cottonwoods were an irresistible subject. The painting was one of the ones I took to Descanso Gardens for our holiday show, through early January. I have replaced the two sold paintings (Heaven and Nature Sing and this one) with two others. No empty spaces on the walls.
I heard on the news that there is enough snow around Mammoth for skiing – so many storms must be falling on the Sierras. Can a winter painting trip be far away?
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.
California Original Oil Landscape – Sierra Vista
Sierra Nevada Vista
8 x 10 inches
Oil on canvas panel
Contact the artist for price information
A California original impressionist oil painting, inspired by autumn in the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. Mt Abbot and Mt. Morgan are featured rising above the Owens Valley, dressed in fall colors. Wildflowers still bloom, contrasting boldly with the brilliant blues of the mountain and skies. Although the mountaintops seem tranquil we were told that 90 mph winds were blowing off the summit. Down in the valley gusts blew us around as well.
Big Sur Seascape Oil Painting – California Coast – Karen Winters Daily Painting
“California Coast” (near Big Sur) 16 x 20 oil on canvas
Click to enlarge to higher resolution image
When we were first married, young and footloose, my husband and I loved to travel up and down California on photo safaris. One of our favorite places was the coastline. So it’s not surprising that it would be a favorite subject mine for painting, also.
A few days ago we spent hours on beaches in Orange County, just watching the surf and studying how the color changes with the passage of time. The results of those studies will be seen here soon.
