Lovely Lemons -a still life painting in oil

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Radiant Tree -a plein air painting from The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info Recently I applied and was accepted into the Huntington Library art guild. This gives me permission to paint on the grounds of the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino. They are very protective of their grounds and museums, and rightfully so. I promised to not block the walkways, not to paint over walkways, not pour my turp out in the bushes (who does that?!!), bring no food, and take my trash home. That's what I do wherever I paint, so I shouldn't be too much of a threat! Yesterday we had 75 degree weather. A perfect day to give it a first go. I headed to the Chinese Garden area and wandered a bit until this tree stopped me in my tracks. The reflections were especially fun. I hope you like it.

Orange Glow

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info I hope your Christmas or Hanukkah celebrations were wonderful! It's been a very busy month for me with Christmas preparations, a trip to Idaho and four birthdays in the family. I hope to get to the easel tomorrow. Meanwhile, what intrigued me in this little painting was the way the orange influenced the color of the nearby grapes. A very similar composition to my previously posted painting. ( That's a lot of p's.) IN OTHER NEWS: I still have some openings in my January 14 and 15 Workshop here in my Upland, CA studio. If you're a beginner or intermediate painter in oils, this workshop will give you a great foundation on which to build your skills. Just email me if you're interested: karenwernerart@gmail.com

Green Pear & Grapes

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info Another simple piece from my work in September. Tuesday I fly to visit family in Idaho. If you're considering buying a painting as a special gift for someone, I'll be home in time to ship for arrival before Christmas.

Apples In A Blue Bowl

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info A little piece from September when our apple tree was doing it's thing. We don't know what kind of apples these are, but they are tart and make great pies.

Still Life In Copper

oil 10X10 inches magnify/purchase info I've been trying out a new painting surface. I purchased some MDF panels and prepared them myself with gesso, muslin and acrylic paint. The texture is very different than Raymar's smooth cotton I'm used to. So far, I like it. IN OTHER NEWS: At the Holiday Treasures reception on Balboa Island last Friday night was very happy to have received an Honorable Mention for my painting "Watermelon Wedges" from Juror Jean Stearn. Thank you, Jean and Debra Huse Gallery! My apologies for the blurry shot below. Software changes prevented me from loading pics from my iphone. But hey, look! My wrinkles are gone!

Pepper Pop

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info For my birthday back in July, a dear friend gave me this old orange bowl from her collection of treasures. She went through her special things and picked out an assortment of pieces I might like to paint. She filled two large boxes. If that isn't love, I don't know what is. NEWS: HOLIDAY TREASURES EXHIBIT opening reception is 6:00 tomorrow night, Dec. 2nd at Debra Huse Gallery, Balboa Island, Newport Beach, CA. Lots of small gems for your holiday shopping. These two pieces of mine are framed and ready for purchase. Bring a toy for a child and receive 10% off any purchase. 229 Marine Ave., Suite E. 949-723-6171 The exhibit will be up all month.

Famy's Creamer -SOLD

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info As a rule, I don't give painting lessons. However, there's a really nice story as to how I acquired one oil painting student. But I'm not telling. She asked me to paint her little stainless steel creamer. It was a blast. Shiny stuff is really exciting. If you're interested in learning from me, I teach 2 day oil painting workshops in my large home studio in Upland, CA. They are geared for beginners with some drawing and painting experience and intermediate oil painters. I'll be setting dates for a workshop in January and February shortly. For more info, just get on my mailing list. Send me an email at karenwernerart@gmail.com

Blue Plate Demo

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info I had a great group of students here for a workshop a couple of weeks ago. This is one of the demos I did for them. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Sunny Disposition -a still life in oil

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info Another from June, I hung out painting with my friend Elizabeth Carr one day in her studio and this is the result. If you're in So Cal, it's a great time to visit her place: Studio C in Claremont. The studio is full of handmade gifts for the holidays like small paintings, handbags, jewelry and other artsy things made my local artists. 260 West Bonita Ave, Claremont. 909-289-9401

Wild Roses

oil 10x8 inches magnify/purchase info Way back in June on a day I felt especially carefree I swung my brushes around and came up with this. I set out to just experiment with a loose approach to painting roses. The color and well, all of it is pretty wild for me. Hence, "Wild Roses."

Blue Marble

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info I've been painting more 6x6's lately. This one is from September. In the past few months I've had one physical ailment after another. I've tried to keep up my commitments as best I can and paint when I feel up to it. I started doing small daily paintings back in 2009 in order to develop my painting skills. Now I can also say that the little paintings are the ticket when you have time or physical limitations. Just a thought for any of you out there who want to paint, but think you "can't." Your comments are always welcome.

Corny Baby Boo -a still life in oil -sold

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info Last pumpkin painting for this season. Did you know these little white pumpkins are called "Baby Boos?" Me neither. I Googled it. If you're thinking about adding this to your Fall decor, it will be dry enough to ship in about 4-5 days. Looks even better in person. The camera doesn't pick up the subtle color shifts in the Baby Boo.

Corny Pumpkins -a still life painting in oil

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info Candy Corn is a lot of fun to paint. Painted loosely, those sweet little triangles can add charm and conjure up some happy Fall feelings. I'm especially happy with the unfinished look across the bottom. That's something I try for but don't always get. If you bid on "Perky Pumpkin" but were outbid, this one is "buy now". You can snatch it up for a bit less than the final sale price of "Perky Pumpkin." It needs about 4 days to dry before I can ship.

Nanner, Nanner Nanners. -SOLD

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info I painted these nanners back in June. Seems like just a few days ago. Does anyone else relate to that? I like this painting a lot. Simple subject painted simply.

Still Life With Cinnamon Sticks

oil 8x16 inches magnify/purchase info Our apple tree yields these green apples. We don't know what kind they are, but they're great for pie making and painting. My neighbor gladly traded some of his pomegranates for a bag of our key limes. The cinnamon sticks fit with the fall feel and add line to the composition.

Debbie's Bowl -a still life painting in oil

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info A great group of enthusiastic ladies joined me for my weekend workshop. I guess I was having too much fun to take pictures! Here's one of the demos I did for them. I painted about twice as fast as I normally do so they'd have more time to paint. No time to fuss over this one, resulting in fresh, chunky strokes. Tonight I'm off to demonstrate for the Tustin Art League.

Cider Mill Morning -a plein air painting from Oak Glen, CA.

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info I recently got out to paint with friends at Oak Glen, specifically Snowline Orchards. It was a wonderful warm morning of painting followed by a nice lunch. We just beat the high winds expected in the afternoon. We drove home happy friends, happy painters, with our bellies full of warm apple cider mini donuts, apples and cider in the back seat. Not a bad day in the classroom for this old teacher. IN OTHER NEWS: This coming Wednesday night, Oct 12, I'll demonstrate for the Tustin Art League. 7 pm TUSD Board Room, 300 S. C St., Tustin, CA. Also, the OLD TOWN TUSTIN ART WALK AND PLEIN AIR COMPETITION is this Saturday, Oct. 15. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my participation this year due to some health issues. Nothing major. So if you were planning to visit me there, enjoy the art and music, and hopefully I'll be there next year.

Perky Pumpkin -a still life painting in oil -sold

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info I'm celebrating Fall with an AUCTION FOR THIS LITTLE PUMPKIN. BIDDING STARTS AT JUST $5! Get in on the fun and if you're the highest bidder, you'll have this little painting in plenty of time to add to your Fall decor!

Limber Lemons -a still life painting in oil

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info Second demo for Associated Artists. My time for this piece was very limited, so I painted quickly. Sometimes that's a good thing. No time to fuss over things. WORKSHOP NEWS: I have one open space in next weekend's workshop at my studio in Upland. Saturday and Sunday, October 8 & 9, 9am to 4pm. If you'd like more information email me quick! karenwernerart@gmail.com