Karen Wadsworth • California • waow
| Landscape | Still Life | Plein Air | Flowers | Trees | Water | Coast Line | California Nature
"Plein air painting is the most difficult genre I’ve ever attempted. The challenges are numerous: shifting light conditions, inconvenient weather, assorted “critters,” distilling massive amounts of visual information into a focused statement, and the greatest opponent of all: time. "
Women Artists of the West, Associate
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Karen Wadsworth
I'm a Southern California artist who has returned to an early love called painting. I have a BFA in Illustration from CSULB and worked in a corporate art department before taking time off to raise a family. I picked my brushes up again during the COVID epidemic, and am now happily wrestling with the challenges and pleasures of painting on location (aka “en plein air”) and in my studio.
Plein air painting is the most difficult genre I’ve ever attempted. The challenges are numerous: shifting light conditions, inconvenient weather, assorted “critters,” distilling massive amounts of visual information into a focused statement, and the greatest opponent of all: time. Most plein air painters have an approximate two-hour window before light conditions morph their subject matter into an altered vista. However, the rewards are manifold: direct connection with the natural world, jubilation when I know that I’ve caught the vision I attempted to paint, and personal growth as an artist.
Working directly from life is the most effective instruction I’ve encountered. I see color that is impossible to discern from a photograph, and it forces me to be decisive and to stop fussing with my subject matter. If I don’t finish a painting while on location I’ll often leave it as it is and use it as future reference for studio work. Although I enjoy gathering reference photos for future ideas, if possible I'll paint a plein air sketch before attempting a more finished piece. The color harmony in my work is always better when I take this first step, even if my plein air reference is something I'd never show in public. My goals are to capture the light, paint authentically, and continue to grow as an artist.
Women Artists of the West
