Open Skies: An In-Depth Look

Painting In-Depth Look

I have been painting Paso Robles for 8 years now, and it is still one of my favorite places to find inspiration.  Although I have spent most of my life in California, growing up in Los Angeles and attending school at Berkeley in northern California, I never drove through the coastal wine country regions of central California until many years after I graduated college.  I had seen the film "Sideways" and the wine tasting adventure looked like so much fun I just had to experience it for myself.  So I ventured for the first time into the idyllic landscapes of Paso Robles.

After spending a weekend in wine country, I was hooked.  I drove back the next month by myself in my camper van and spent a whole week exploring the winding country roads and rural vineyards of Paso.  I was there in the spring, and the vibrant green colors, coastal fogs, and dew-covered hillsides was a joy to behold.  In the years that followed, I returned to Paso during the changing seasons every year, each time finding new colors and compositions to inspire a whole new collection of paintings.  I love painting the rickety wooden fences, the rows of grape vines, and the ancient oak trees alive with character.

I got involved with Studios on the Park, a local artists co-op and I did shows there every October for many years.  I continue to do exhibitions every year with local wineries.  Send me an email to find out when I will be showing in Paso Robles next.  If you have never been, it is definitely worth a visit!  The food is incredible, the town is small and charming, and you will have a blast wine tasting and driving around the rolling hills and vineyards.


The painting "Open Skies" captures the low rolling hills of eastern Paso, with a dramatic sky breaking above the landscape.  This piece captures the soft colors of late fall, when the rains bring forth a dusting of green grass across the summer-burnt hills.  A grove of eucalyptus catches the warm afternoon light from the descending sun.

This is a large painting - almost 7 feet wide and 6 feet tall.  It creates quite an emotional impact when seen in person.  The brush strokes are loose and impressionstic, conveying a sense of movement within the painting. Because of how the brush strokes fit together, the painting has a mosaic, or stained-glass appearance.

"Open Skies" is available to view in person at my gallery in San Diego. The piece has been framed in a soft gold floater frame.

Here is a digital "in-room mockup" of the painting, so you can get a sense of the size of the piece:

Open Skies
Oil on canvas, 83 x 72 inches
$60,000

To purchase this painting, you can visit my website here, or you can email me or call my gallery at (858) 324-4644.  I also have canvas prints available for this painting here.

Explore all my paintings of Paso Robles here.

I hope you enjoyed the in-depth look!

- Erin Hanson