Karen Foster-Wells, the artist, Blue Ceonothus.

As an artist, I have a lot of respect for the sketch on location. For years, I have loved the smell of Blue Ceonothus, and the intricate and complex beauty of its blossoms, some forty different varieties in California. The bush has thorn. To ride through it, it is good to have clippers and chaps. For this sketch, Rory and I climbed up a road-cut on Hwy 46 West on the way to Cambria. Pastels capture the fluffiness of the blossoms, but nothing can duplicate the fragrance, or the tiny yellow centers, almost microscopic, that create a vibrant, bursting bloom.
The chumash used the ceonothus as one of their shampoos, along with the soap plant, a lily, that one digs up out of the ground. On Santa Cruz Island, I walked for a whole day smelling the particular Island variety that blooms there: huge blossoms so fragrant I almost forgot to have lunch. I called it Blue Power. The plants have a very short season. Also, they bloom in between rains, so their ephemeral quality adds to their appeal. If one does not get out and do the sketch, the rain will bomb off all the blooms.
I have done several paintings of blue ceonothus. The first in 1979 on the Kinevan Ranch. Two on Santa Cruz Inland. They have all inspired special treatment in paint to give off the essence of their luminous blue light. Since they love a certain altitude it is often essential to contrast them with the vast distances of mountains and the red earth they seem to favor to grow in.


	Karen Foster-Wells, the artist. Blue Ceonothus

		Blue Ceonothus-pastel sketch, 6" x 16", $250. As an artist, I have a lot of respect for the sketch on location. For years, I have loved the smell of Blue Ceonothus, and the intricate and complex beauty of its blossoms, some forty different varieties in California. The bush has thorn. To ride through it, it is good to have clippers and chaps. For this sketch, Rory and I climbed up a road-cut on Hwy 46 West on the way to Cambria. Pastels capture the fluffiness of the blossoms, but nothing can duplicate the fragrance, or the tiny yellow centers, almost microscopic, that create a vibrant, bursting bloom. The chumash used the ceonothus as one of their shampoos, along with the soap plant, a lily, that one digs up out of the ground. On Santa Cruz Island, I walked for a whole day smelling the particular Island variety that blooms there: huge blossoms so fragrant I almost forgot to have lunch. I called it Blue Power. The plants have a very short season. Also, they bloom in between rains, so their ephemeral quality adds to their appeal. If one does not get out and do the sketch, the rain will bomb off all the blooms. I have done several paintings of blue ceonothus. The first in 1979 on the Kinevan Ranch. Two on Santa Cruz Inland. They have all inspired special treatment in paint to give off the essence of their luminous blue light. Since they love a certain altitude it is often essential to contrast them with the vast distances of mountains and the red earth they seem to favor to grow in. Back © copyright Karen Foster-Wells 2001-2003

Karen Foster-Wells, the artist.

Blue Ceonothus