Thursday, April 16, 2015



 "Lancaster Poppies"6 x 8 inches, oil painting of California poppies on plein air panel



A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going out to the Antelope Valley to paint the California poppies during their short bloom season. I used my Strada Easel, which sets up quickly and efficiently, not wasting any of the precious late afternoon light.  The California poppy fields were very colorful although not the best year on record. The Lancaster Poppy Reserve had relatively few blooms compared to some of the areas outside, where I set up to paint. 

This painting is available now, please write for purchase information.  See more of my work on my website,   KarenWinters.com.   Click here to see only my other wildflower paintings.





Sunday, February 17, 2013

Sedona Red Rock Plein Air Oil Painting - Trail to Bear Mountain

Sedona Arizona Plein Air Painting of a Red Rock Formation

9 x 12 plein air oil painting on linen panel"Trail to Bear Mountain"


This was painted in February 2013 while on a trip to Sedona. I'll be posting more paintings soon.
It was painted late in the afternoon, on the day of the Sedona 2013 Marathon, which ran by this area, I think. The runners were all gone by the time I set up. I did see several vehicles from Pink Jeep tours drive by, so I know it's a popular area for rock-gazing.


See more of my paintings on my website

This painting is available from me. For price information, please write






Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Plein air sycamore tree oil painting by California landscape painter Karen Winters

Sycamore Shimmer plein air painting
8 x 10 oil on linen plein air panel

THIS PAINTING IS NOW SOLD, BUT SEE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE WORKS.

This plein air sycamore tree painting was done at the 2012 San Luis Obispo Plein Air Festival, where I was one of 30 invited artists from around the US.  The festival lasted a week and we painted every day, at a fast and furious pace. Fortunately, there was a lot of wonderful subject matter to choose from - almost everywhere you looked there was something to use as subject matter.

This painting has the official San Luis Obispo Museum of Art stamp on the back side, and hung in the museum

For more information about this painting, please write

See more of my California Central Coast paintings here

See more of my sycamore tree oil paintings here

Karen Winters website

Monday, March 7, 2011

Descanso Gardens Sunflower Garden - Plein Air Oil Painting by Karen Winters

Descanso Gardens Sunflower Garden - Plein Air Oil Painting by Karen Winters

This 9 x 12 oil painting portrays a seasonal
Descanso sunflower garden.

It was painted from life, on location at Descanso Gardens, La Canada Flintridge California.

Interested in this painting?
Click this link to write me.
See more of my paintings on my website

http://www.karenwinters.com
http://www.karensblog.com

San Mateo Creek San Clemente Plein Air Oil Painting

This painting is 9 x 12 inches
oil on linen panel
It was a plein air oil painting painted outdoors, overlooking
San Mateo Creek, San Clemente, California, right next to Camp Pendleton, the US Marine Base.

You can see the ocean in the distance. The surfing beach is named Trestles because of the railroad trestles that run along one side of it.

See more of my seascapes here

See more of my landscapes here

This painting was exhibited in San Clemente in the annual Plein Air competition, 2010

http://www.karenwinters.com
http://www.karensblog.com

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Pasadena Colorado Street Bridge Arroyo Seco Painting - by California impressionist Karen Winters



Arroyo Panorama
12 x 24 inches
oil on canvas


Last week I had the pleasure of painting this panorama of the Arroyo Seco from a vantage point high above the canyon. I wanted the late afternoon look, so I had to work fast. As it turned out, I left the painting of the sky and foreground for later, concentrating on the trees, grasses, mountains and architecture as the sun relentlessly continued its course. It's an interesting time of year. Not all of the deciduous trees have leaves yet - but the grass is thick and abundant, and bright yellow green. In a few months the vivid green will turn straw brown and there will be a solid canopy of leafy trees below. Every season brings its own beauties to enjoy. I'm guessing that I could look at a plein air painting of an early California impressionist and pretty well guess the month it was painted if I knew the location.

My husband shot a little bit of video as I painted, which I've included here:



I've spoken to several people recently about painting the view from a favorite spot of theirs - their back yard, a favorite camping spot, and other locations. I am happy to do plein air paintings on commission and welcome your inquiry. Write karen@karenwinters.com

Thursday, November 12, 2009

California Plein Air Oil Painting - Temecula Vineyard - Falkner Winery



"A Very Good Year"
8 x 10 oil on linen panel
by California plein air impressionist Karen Winters

Plein air California impressionist oil painting painted on location in Temecula California in November 2009. Golden afternoon light touches the vines which were turning fall colors. Not far away, down in the vineyard, a wedding was taking place. What a beautiful setting for romance. I hope to paint a scene like that soon.

More about this painting at My primary art blog