My interview on Creative Liberty
Pomegranates and sunflowers
11 x 14 oil on canvas
I was interviewed yesterday on Creative Liberty, a wonderful blog about living creatively. Liz Massey, the blog owner and a creative coach asked me some good questions for her “In the Studio” series, and I enjoyed the opportunity to talk about my work flow, staying “unblocked” and keeping my creative fires lit. Click the “creative liberty” link to read it.
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.
Matilija Poppies – California Impressionist Botanical Flower Oil Painting
Matilija Poppies Trio
11 x 14 oil on canvas
These papery white beauties were growing near the Serra Center in Malibu one blustery summer day. The exciting thing about painting white flowers is enjoying all the colors they pick up from their environment.
This painting blurs the line between abstraction and realism and I hope that it is successful in that effort. I was impressed by something I read recently by Marilyn Simandle (watercolorist and oil painter.) In her book “Contagious Enthusiasm” she says ““If a painting has too much detail it is as if someone is dominating a conversation and if a painting is too abstract it is like someone speaking in a foreign language.†I thought that was such an interesting metaphor for finding the “sweet spot” between realism and abstraction. The thought inspired me as I worked on this painting.
Pink Magnolia painting – Huntington Gardens Art – Karen Winters
Pink Magnolia – Huntington Gardens
16 x 20 oil on canvas
This is another new painting I’m taking to the Huntington for Art Matters (see yesterday’s post for information on the event this coming weekend.
In the spring, the Huntington magnolias are a sight to behold. Their delicacy reminds me of the inside of pink conch shells. They are the very emblem of the new season. My objective in this painting was to focus on one unfolding blossom – a plant portrait, so to speak. By using different edge softness and manipulating color it was my goal to make the bloom look as though it was 3D, breaking through the picture plane, enticing the viewer to draw closer.
One of these days I’m going to have to get a small pink magnolia for our garden. We used to have a huge tree that bore white blossoms, but it died due to an oak fungus that must have been dormant in the soil.
So, magnolias are very dear to my heart. I hope this one will go to another magnolia lover.
Magnolia Flowers – Huntington Gardens Oil Painting by Karen Winters
“White Magnolias” 16 x 20 oil on canvas
SOLD at the Art Matters show
The moment I saw these beauties at the Huntington Gardens and Library, I just knew that I had to paint them. They were luminous in the morning light – exactly the kind of subject matter that excites me. This will be one of the paintings that I am bringing to the Art Matters show, which opens this Friday night, May 2 at the Huntington in San Marino. Friday night is a special ticketed event. The show will be open to the general public with gardens admission on Saturday and Sunday. This is also a lot “tighter” than many of the paintings I’ve been doing of late, but the subject matter seemed to require it. I have another botanical which will be there for the show and I’ll post it soon, along with some other paintings.
Last Saturday night I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Gold Medal show of the California Art Club at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. What an exquisite treat to be around such beautiful works. I will be returning many many times in the next few weeks to savor the show while it is still hanging. A number of my painter friends have works in the show. Almost everyone who attended said it was the best one ever.
Poppy Paradise – Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve – Karen Winters Oil Painting for Make A Wish
“Poppy Paradise” 8 x 10 oil on canvas
SOLD
Yes, this plein-air style painting is for sale. And for a very good cause. It will be delivered tomorrow to the Make a Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles for their 15th annual wine tasting and auction at the Barker Hangar, Santa Monica Airport on Saturday, May 3. One of the organizers saw my work and asked if I’d participate with a donation, and I was delighted to give her a big YES, absolutely!
So, if you are in the LA area and planning on going to the fabulous festive event – keep a lookout for this painting and put a bid on it, OK? The Make a Wish Foundation helps grant wishes to children who are very ill. I hope that this poppy field will go to help make some little kid’s dream come true.
I chose the subject matter for this painting because it is peak season for poppies in the high desert of the Antelope Valley. And if there’s any time that people will be thinking about poppies, it’s probably now. To me it also has some nice associations with the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy and her friends’ journey through the poppy field and her dearest wish, to get back home.
Here’s to the children … may they all be happy and may all their good wishes come true.
Poppy Patch – Pasadena – Karen Winters Daily Painting
“Return to the Poppy Patch” 9 x 12 watercolor
SOLD
It’s another walk around the Arlington street poppy garden, but this time in a more decorative, somewhat abstract mood. I abandoned any attempt to be realistic and considered the landscape as a decorative tapestry, with different colors and textures woven through. With some modifications, this might scale up well into a larger painting. But then I’d have to fight the temptation to put in all sorts of fiddly realistic details. Can’t you just imagine Dorothy, Toto and the gang taking a nap back there between the poppies and the irises? We’re not in Kansas anymore. We’re in Pasadena.
Wildflower Wonderland – Karen Winters Daily Painting
“Wildflower Wonderland” 12 x 16 oil
This year promises to have an extraordinary crop of wildflowers due to the heavy rains we enjoyed for part of the winter. The desert bloom is under way and will continue for several more weeks.
Tulip Magnolia – Karen Winters Daily Painting
Tulip Magnolia – 7.25 x 7.25 inches – watercolor
SOLD
The magnolias have arrived in all their glory. A procession of bloom should follow for a month or so, so I’m going to make the most of it while I can. In some parts of town the trees are in full bloom, while in other microclimates the trees still have bare sticks with only the slightest hint of bud swelling. And although it’s confusing to me how that happens, it only means that the bloom will last longer. Perhaps it has to do with differences of species, I don’t know.
Camellia Blossom – Karen Winters Daily Painting
Camellia Blossom – 11 x 14 oil on canvas
Camellias bloom in Los Angeles anytime from November to spring, depending upon the species. These are the first in a botanical series which I’m starting work on. There was a certain learning curve as I worked to render the delicacy of the petals. I’m used to painting camellias in watercolor, but it’s quite different in oil. To do the finish on this I was using sable brushes as small as size 0.
There is nothing like trying something new, whether it’s an entirely different subject, different style, different medium or different species to force yourself to GROW. Each painting is like a puzzle to be solved and only you can solve it.
Closeup of big blossom – click to enlarge
