Sunrise in the Oaks – Tejon Ranch California plein air Landscape impressionist oil painting by Karen Winters
“Sunrise in the Oaks”
11 x 14 oil on linen plein air panel
Tejon Ranch, May 2012
See more of my oak tree paintings here
REMINDER – Artists reception for my show at Gale’s Restaurant, Sunday, May 20 – 4-6 pm, 452 S. Fairoaks Ave., Pasadena
Good morning, Tejon. A small band of intrepid California Art Club plein air painters woke at 4 am to get to the ranch and queue up in our vehicles to be on site before the sun rose. I had found my perfect spot – on Sycamore Creek, looking eastward just as the sun peeked over the hills and made the leaves of the old oak dazzle with the backlight. I had to bundle up and dress in layers, knowing that before long I’d be peeling them off as the day turned warm. This, like all of the Tejon Ranch, is absolutely beautiful – a real treat for plein air painters. We appreciate the invitation and the privilege to be there.
Sycamore Quartet – California landscape painting at the Tejon Ranch
Sycamore Quartet”
12 x 12 inches
Oil on linen plein air panel
Between outdoor shows, travel, commissions and paint outs, I haven’t been taking the time to update my blog, but I’m going to try to get back on top of that. This was painted last week at the Tejon Ranch on a paint out with the Kern County chapter of the California Art Club.
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This grove of sycamores was growing along side a stream bed. I set up my easel near by, taking care to keep a lookout for rattlesnakes. When an artist is concentrating and working in one area for a long time, a snake can quietly move in – even next to your easel, and you wouldn’t know it. The tall grasses are a perfect hiding spot. Fortunately, this was only a broken tree limb (below). But it sure gave me a start for a moment!
When you look at the picture below you might notice that there is no dazzling light. That’s because the ending photo was taken after the moment of light was long gone. When painting outdoors you often have to hold the image in your memory because the light is constantly shifting.
If you’re in the LA area, you are invited to attend the reception for my solo show at Gale’s Restaurant in Pasadena, from 4-6 pm. Gale’s is at 452 S. Fairoaks Avenue, just south of Del Mar. More about the event tomorrow.
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.
Just this side of Paradise – Los Osos Central California plein air oil painting by Karen Winters
SOLD
“Just This Side of Paradise”
8 x 10 inch
Plein air oil painting
Exhibited in the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art
during the 2011 Plein Air Festival
Interested in this painting?
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See more of my California Central Coast paintings here
This painting was done along Los Osos Valley road one morning, as rain clouds were gathering (or leaving) and the sun was trying to break through. I saw this scene while driving and hurried to turn around and park and set up my easel before the effect was lost. I liked the hay bales stacked up by the eucalyptus trees, so I put them in also.
The central peak in the background is one of the 9 sisters – the volcanic plugs which include Morro Rock and Bishop Peak. I think that one is Cerro Romualdo. It’s pyramid-shaped top is swathed in clouds.
The title comes from the fact that Paradise Lane is quite close by. I seem to run into a lot of places named Paradise – like Paradise camp in the Sierra, too.
Garden at the Ranch – San Luis Obispo – California Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by Karen Winters
“Garden at the Ranch”
11 x 14 oil on linen panel
San Luis Obispo Central California Coast area
See more of my California Central Coast paintings here
Interested in this painting?
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I’m still catching up on posting a year’s worth of plein air paintings that didn’t get photographed when they were created. This one is from last May, 2010 at a California Art Club paint out at a friend’s ranch in the San Luis Obispo area. Although it was a gray day, the poppies and other California natives really shone through. In fact, maybe the grayness accented their colors. Our friend has a wonderful native plant garden that would rival any garden planted with cultivated non-natives. It’s drought tolerant and seems perfectly adapted to the environment – because it is!
An almost finished work in progress photo is below – thanks to my hubby for taking it. Yep, there’s that hat again.
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.)
California Wildflower Landscape Cambria Lupine Flowers Plein Air Field Study
Cambria Lupine Flowers
8 x 6″ oil
Last spring, when we were in Central California with the California Art Club, we wandered through the countryside in search of wildflowers to paint. We came upon this beautiful hillside just covered with lupine and small orange flowers. The scent of the lupine was heady and I think the bees must have been drunk with it. As I painted this small study there was a constant buzzing sound around me. This study will provide information for a larger painting.
-Interested in this painting?
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La Canada Landscape Oil Painting – Memorial Day Concert – California impressionist genre painting
Memorial Day Concert, 2010
(La Canada Flintridge, featuring Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries)
8 x 10
plein air oil painting
This painting is now SOLD but I have many others for sale…..
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Ah, the beginning of summer, and the summer Music in the Park series in my hometown, La Canada Flintridge. I enjoyed painting this scene while visiting with picnickers and others who were out savoring the warm day. The first act, Misplaced Priorities, energized the audience and set the stage for the second act, Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries. Both 50s-60s rock bands were enthusiastically received. In front of the gazebo/bandshell, dancers of all ages found their groove.
When I was growing up, I couldn’t imagine having fun dancing to the same music my grandparents liked. But old time rock and roll was appreciated that day by 70-somethings and 5 year olds alike.
It was good to see so many friends and neighbors out relaxing. Thanks to the LCF Chamber of Commerce for making Fiesta Days a wonderful event once again.
Moonstone Beach Sunset Cambria Plein Air Oil Painting Seascape by Karen Winters
Moonstone Beach Sunset
6 x 8″ plein air study
oil on linen panel
April 2010
This past week I was up in Central California for a California Art Club paintout on San Luis Obispo Land Conservancy lands. The locations were beautiful, but we got rained out inland several days in a row. One day we headed for the coastline where the weather was very cold and windy but clear. At sunset I painted this small study.
How windy was it? Check out the front of my broad-brimmed hat, below. It doesn’t normally flip up in the air like that. It was also too windy to use my easel on a tripod so I held my EasyL easel on my lap. A furniture pad provided some padding and protection from the cold. Brrrrr. We finished off the evening with a dinner at a nearby Moonstone Beach restaurant, then headed back to our motel in SLO, to rest up for another day.
Peters Canyon Plein Air Painting – Orange County Landscape oil painting
Peters Canyon
9 x 12 oil on linen panel
Plein air painting
Last week I had the pleasure of painting at Peters Canyon, in Orange County, near the home of some of our friends. The broad meadow was blooming with yellow flowers – perhaps mustard, but I’m not sure. I’m told that it was even more vivid a few weeks earlier, but it was still pretty bright. The trees in the background included evergreen eucalyptuses, favorites of mine, and some deciduous ones, perhaps willows, that had not yet gotten their spring foliage. I’m guessing that there is a stream in there where the trees follow a low point. I liked that little spot of pinkish gray in the otherwise yellow green scene
Below you can see a little of the work in progress.
