Blue Bowl Bird

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info #13 in the Strada Easel Challenge. This is one of my ceramic birds. Wouldn't it be great if a real bird could pose while I paint?

Patty's Pitcher -a still life in oil

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info Number 12 in the Strada Easel 31 Day Challenge. Continuing with the orange and green color scheme, this is a collection of various objects I especially enjoy painting. Variety of texture is something I consider oftentimes. Here we have glass, ceramic, wood (kinda), flower and paper. The greeting card gives more solidity to the horizontal plane the objects share.

Notions -a still life painting in oil

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info Here we have things in a jar again, and I continued with the orange and green color scheme. This will look great in my sewing room if someone doesn't snatch it up. # 11 in the Strada Easel 31 Day Challenge, 31 paintings in 31 days.

Cad Orange -a still life painting in oil SOLD

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info On days when I have just a little time to paint, I paint small. This was one of those days. For you fellow painters out there, when you don't know what to paint you can paint what you paint with. I'm always attracted to the grungy patina on my brush washer and never tire of painting it. Orange and green as a color scheme was new for me and with this painting I inadvertently started a mini series of orange and green which you'll see in my next few posts. A painting about cad orange, but ironically I almost never use cad orange. I mix my oranges with cad yellow light and cad red light, both Utrecht. (Brand makes a difference in the yellow.) Number 10 in the Strada Easel 31 Day Challenge. IN OTHER NEWS: I'll soon set dates for March and April 2 Day Workshops in my studio here in Upland, Ca. If you'd like to be on my email list for workshop notifications, send me an email at karenwernerart@gmail.com

Conglomeration

oil 12x12 inches magnify/purchase info I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had with this. Number 9 in the Strada Easel Challenge, 31 paintings in 31 days.

Afternoon Lemons -a plein air painting of lemons

oil 12x12 inches magnify/purchase info Each sunny day during the January challenge I tried to make it a plein air day. When my painting time was short because of other demands, I looked for subjects in my back yard. A still life outdoors is something I've wanted to do for a long time, so I quickly set thie up. It was late so I had to paint furiously before the shade enveloped the whole yard. I even moved the whole setup about half way through to the last patch of sunshine. Still, the last 30 minutes I painted from memory. I like the looseness of this piece...no time to tighten up or overwork.

Marble & A Meyer

oil 8x6 inches magnify/purchase info #7 in the Strada 31 Day Challenge.

That's A Big Marble -SOLD

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info I enjoy painting glass. Glass in glass is even better. This is number 6 in the Strada Easel Challenge.

Spanish Olives -a still life painting in oil

oil 8x6 inches magnify/purchase info I'm fascinated by how shape and color change inside a jar. This is #5 in the Strada Challenge, 31 paintings in 31 days, all painted from life.

Patio Seating -a plein air painting from my backyard

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info When finding a subject outdoors I look for light and shadow. It was a clear morning, when light is strong and clean. I got excited about the shadow moving across the chair. The basket holds limes from our tree. Did you know that fully ripe limes are yellow? This is #4 in the Strada Challenge: 31 paintings in 31 days.

Overcast, Abalone Point -a plein air painting from Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach, CA

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info Third day of the Strada Challenge I had the pleasure of joining the PAM (Plein Air Mission) painters down at Laguna Beach. Painting can be a very solitary endeavor, so getting together with like minds was refreshing! Thanks to Bob Francis who invited me.

Camellias -a plein air painting from my backyard

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info Right up against my studio wall grows this camellia bush in all it's glory. It was here when we moved in more than a year ago. It always reminds me of my mother. I think we had camellias when we lived in Santa Ana from the time I was two until I was twelve. I can see her bringing in a few and floating them in a shallow bowl. If purchased, this painting ships after Feb. 1.

Valencias -a plein air painting of oranges

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info This is the first painting for the Strada Easel Challenge: 31 paintings in the 31 days of January. Probably hundreds of artists have signed up for this. Each day we post on Facebook #stradaeasel. There's a chance to win a Strada Easel at the end of the month. In addition to the goal of painting every day, I have set some personal goals: paint 50% of them outdoors (didn't know we'd have this much rain!), paint what is around me, paint things I've wanted to paint for a long time but never have gotten around to it. So far I have 17 paintings. Eventually they'll all be posted here on my blog for sale. Please note, if you purchase, shipping will be after February 1. About this painting: I set up in our backyard and painted one of our orange trees-something I've wanted to do for a long time. The next day I added a few more oranges in shadow on the left for balance. It's still heavy on the right, but hey! our juicy oranges are heavy! Long post! If you have read this entire post, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Pear & Grapes -a still life painting in oil

oil 6x6 magnify/purchase info A simple painting, and one of my favorite color combinations. Next post, painting number one in the Strada Easel Challenge.

Primary Things -a still life painting in oil -sold

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info One of my October paintings. Thank you to my friend, Lorry for this cute little blue vase. It was pretty difficult to paint, but it's going to come in handy when I need a bit of blue in a painting. On January 1 I started painting every day as part of the Strada Easel Challenge on Facebook. 31 paintings in 31 days. Very soon I'll start posting those paintings here for sale. If you're on Facebook, you can send me a friend request (Karen Laster Werner), and get a sneek peek of the 11 paintings so far.

Cherry Jar -sold

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info Still catching up. I painted this one in October! Have you ever looked closely at stuff inside a glass jar? The changes in shapes and colors intrigues me. I should paint more stuff inside jars.

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.