Two paintings for the Yountville show

Knights Valley Oak • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I decided to bring three of my small paintings on panels as part of the nine paintings I'll have at A Taste of Yountville. Two of them I'd been wanting to revisit – just a wee bit – so I sat down with them today.

Three Trees, Knights Valley • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

The compositions remain the same – I've just made the colors, values, and layering just a bit more interesting. Both are scenes I found in Knights Valley, a lovely, pastoral valley just northwest of Calistoga and the northern end of Napa Valley. I'm finishing the framing now, to deliver tomorrow.

Napa Valley Open Studios artists in Yountville

Napa Valley Open Studios artists at A Taste of Yountville, detail of brochure

This weekend I'll be in Yountville, a major destination for food and wine lovers, for the 18th Annual A Taste of Yountville. Yountville is a very small town with more many-starred restaurants per capita (a lot!) than any place else in the world. I know people who make pilgrimages to Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery there....

For this year's festival, Yountville Arts invited Napa Valley Open Studios artists to join the fun. On Friday night, there will be a reception with wine and small bites ($20) from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Head over to the Yountville Community Center, in the Generations Room, to join us.

The show and sale will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. My space will be facing the patio, on the end, right next to the booth of Nick Cann, a dear friend and wonderful artist (and, I just learned, style leader! You can ask him to explain).

And, by the way, the little image of a vineyard on the right of the brochure (above) is from my Knights Valley Autumn. I'm pleased it was chosen! (The image of the farm worker on the left is by one of my favorite painters, Beverly Wilson.)

The event is not too too far from the Westin Verasa Napa, where my new show just went up last week (and where you can currently see Knights Valley Autumn). I'll post photos later ... it will be up through the end of May.

Painting palms

Three Palms for Gail • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I've just returned from a one-week trip to the California desert.... Although I spent most of my time photographing, I did manage to squeeze in a little plein air painting time.

The light changes quickly as you paint outdoors, especially in early morning or late afternoon. The best solutions are to work quickly, paint small, and at some point commit yourself to a certain light and stick with it (a good memory is very helpful).

The finished painting on the easel, after the sun has gone down (the palm trees are out of the picture, to the right)

I painted these three palm trees in late afternoon light, at the top of Racquet Canyon Road, in Palm Springs.