Karin H. Leonard           Luminous Landscapes          Plein-Air & Studio Paintings in Oil and Pastel

Painting is such a gift in my life.  I have always loved the out-of-doors, and it gives me great joy to paint “en-plein-air.”  Born and raised in Germany, the visual arts were part of my life from early on. I have studied drawing and painting in Germany, Colorado, and California, and continue to learn every time I paint.  I feel fortunate to have been actively engaged in the visual arts all my life.  My work has been featured in selected galleries and I am a regular participant in  “Open Studios”. I have been living and painting in Santa Cruz, California since 1986.

Greatly inspired by the early California Impressionists plein-air painters, I attempt to reflect the radiance of color and light in the landscape.  Like them, I love to express the golden glow of our California light, and how it illuminates the natural world.

When choosing a location to paint, I follow "the call of the wild."  Whenever I can, I paint "en plein air" (in the field), in pastel or oil.  With pastels, I often use a sanded fine art paper.  I start with a charcoal or sepia sketch, followed by a gouache under-painting and then continue with various pastels.  At times, I finish work in my studio, from memory and photographic reference.

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"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

Pablo Picasso