California Wine Country Art by June Carey


"After the busy harvest time in the Alexander Valley the days get shorter," says artist June Carey, "and the cool, crisp air and autumn rains bring rich color to the vines and the new green grass between the rows. I feel it is a time for the vineyards to show off after a long season of hard work. This area in North Sonoma County is known for its superior Cabernet Sauvignon."

CABENET SQUVIGNON

Size	Type	Editon	Price
54 X 27	Giclée Canvas	75	$1295


“I loved the challenge of creating something so large and powerful. Just taking the photographs to use while painting was quite an adventure! I made three trips to photograph the area in record-breaking heat last July. I decided that I wanted to paint early morning light on the falls—and I am not a morning person. I got up at five a.m. to catch the light and it was worth it. In order to get the shot, I held my camera strap between my teeth and climbed out over the boulders of Eagle Falls. I held the camera at arms length and hoped for the best. Just getting to paint this scene was a journey, but the pleasure it brings to everyone (including myself) makes it more than worth it.”

CASCADE OF LIGHT
EMERALD BAY LAKE TAHOE

Size	Type	Editon	Price
24 X 36	Giclée Canvas	125	$750
39 X 60	Giclée Canvas	50	$1850

CORTONA NOVEMBER

Size	Type	Editon	Price
15 x 9	Giclée Canvas	125	$225


“The full name of the little church is Pieve di Sant'Andrea a Cercina. It is in the community of Sesto Fiorentino, just outside of Florence, Italy,” says June Carey. “To get there, I drove through the tiny village of Serpiolle. The stone walls close in on the street so that cars are expected to honk on the blind corners before going into them. If you are lucky, there is room for one small car. Once through the town, at a deserted intersection was this church with its walled cemetery. Nearby, I saw this woman gathering greens from the field for dinner that night. She is my favorite part of the scene. I try to imagine myself getting older and living the life that she must live there. I would, however, probably be better at painting the scene than living it.”
I returned another time and the place looked deserted. The door was open and I went inside with my camera, thinking to grab a few photos. There was a very heavy scent of white lilies and in the dim light, across the barren interior courtyard I saw a table, where the lilies were in a large vase. I snapped one photo, and was ready to fire the next, when suddenly, from a small doorway I didn't know existed, a nun appeared, speaking rapidly and waving a bony finger at me. Although I had no idea what she said, I knew she did not want me to take photos! So much for my love affair with the inside of old churches, I guess one should never assume a place is deserted in Italy.”

CERCINA ABOVE CAREGGI

Size	Type	Editon	Price
28 X 19	Giclée Canvas	100	$595


There´s life in everything during Spring. It´s something you take in before you focus on it or truly see it. Trees, still seemingly barren of leaves, take on a pinkish cast as a million tiny buds swell towards bloom. Rivers and streams run full with the Spring melt and yellow grass gives way to brilliant green. The light itself seems cast with a warmer glow, even while the nights may still hold the winter´s chill.
June Carey´s Early Spring at Stony Creek embraces that golden moment when we become aware that the change of season is upon us. Life is renewing. This is one of those rare images that causes the smells, sounds and feelings of a time and place to come flooding forth. The whole scene is so familiar and feels so close to home we are certain we have been here.

EARLY SPRING AT STONY CREEK

Size	Type	Editon	Price
24 X 18	Giclée Canvas	100	$495

EUCALYPTUS TRUNKS

Size	Type	Editon	Price
16 X 8	Giclée Canvas	95	$225


The first hint of russet leaves on the vines let us know magic is in the air as fall arrives in the Alexander Valley. The warm days and cool nights have matured the grapes to peak perfection. Over one hundred days ago, they first appeared as flowers on the vines; six weeks back, these grapes were green and hard, now they are soft and red. They are bulging with the perfect balance of sugars and acids. Yesterday was too early, tomorrow will be too late. Today is the day, today is harvest day.
In a series, The Fullness of Time would nestle between June’s September Haze and Fall Vineyard. Those long since Sold Out at Publisher editions are among collectors most favored and sought-after of her California vineyard works. The long, horizontal format of the painting emphasizes the hand-manicured rows of vines sweeping across the undulating hills. Crisp highlights underscore the brilliance of West Coast sun.

THE FULLNESS OF TIME

Size	Type	Editon	Price
41 X 16	Giclée Canvas	100	$650
30 X 11 5/8	Paper	250	$250


With The Harvest, artist June Carey returns to the location of her sell-out fine art edition Lost in a View. Inspired by the hills surrounding Florence and the Castello di Verrazzano Chianti region, the painting marks the warm fall days of the Tuscan grape harvest in late September and early October. Working farmers of all ages, men and women wearing their long aprons, gather at the edge of the field, laughing, talking and sometimes singing. They then go out with great purpose and energy, carrying their red buckets through the seasoned vines which are heavy with deep blue clusters of grapes. Cypress trees surround the ancient walls of the buildings that mark the home of wine cellars since the twelfth century.
“I bought one of the red grape harvest buckets to use as a prop in the paintings. At the vineyard, the workers eyed my camera with suspicion and curiosity. I held it up and yelled ‘Artista di California. E' bello!’ They laughed among themselves and went back to the harvest

THE HARVEST

Size	Type	Editon	Price
36 X 27	Giclée Canvas	75	$750


“This scene has actually been in the works for several years. I love village scenes and I think this will be the first of many. I hadn’t planned to include the figures or the dog when I began. I added the women because I feel that the people are as beautiful a part of Tuscany as the land and the history. Perso means “lost” and I usually am lost when I’m there! I don’t know where this village is—I hope that I can get lost there again sometime and that I can recognize the place!”

LOST IN CHIANTI

Size	Type	Editon	Price
18 X 24	Giclée Canvas	150	$495
30 X 40	Giclée Canvas	35	$995

MY GIRASOLI

Size	Type	Editon	Price
22 X 16 1/2	Paper	100	$250
24 X 18	Giclée Canvas	50	$495


“This bend in the road is a remote corner of the Alexander Valley,” says artist June Carey. “I go there to escape the congestion of the rest of the world—I don’t want to share the actual location, really! The chickens and geese wander happily through the vines, eating insects they find hiding under leaves and in the grass. The summer days are long, allowing the grapes to mature in their own good time. Tiger lilies and summer grasses support the wobbly arbor that tempts me to wander just a little bit closer.

MY SONOMA

Size	Type	Editon	Price
30 X 20	Giclée Canvas	200	$695


“The locals say we have two seasons in California: green and gold,” says artist June Carey. “In the late 1880s northern California became a source for the highest quality grain in the world, especially wheat. This period was known as the ‘Second Gold Rush.’ The grain was harvested and then floated down the rivers and canals on boats to San Francisco and loaded on to huge sailing ships. When the winds came the germ of the wheat and oat grasses spread and mixed with native varieties.
In the late spring now, when the rains end, the grasses adapt to the long dry summers by turning brilliant shades of gold. The fields remain this color until the fall rains bring the new green growth. In September, they are a beautiful contrast to the rich dark greens of the native valley oaks and live oaks.” The golden glow of grain highlights the dawning autumn beauty of Carey’s California valley in September Gold.

SEPTEMBER GOLD

Size	Type	Editon	Price
36 X 24	Giclée Canvas	100	$750
60 X 40	Giclée Canvas	75	$1950


“When one has lived a long time in northern California, as I have,” says June Carey, “it is easy to forget or take for granted the exquisite beauty of the California coastline. I had driven to Sonoma to photograph something entirely different, but as I made my way home, driving along the shore, I was astounded by the light on the water and the rough beauty of the rocks. Soon the sun would set and the first pale pink rays were creeping across the sparkling water. It was absolutely magnificent. I wanted to take that image home with me, to hold it in my mind and with this painting I think I have succeeded.”

SONOMA SURF

Size	Type	Editon	Price
48 X26	Giclée Canvas	50	$1250


“One evening many years ago, the light was perfect as my artist husband and I set out on a photo adventure,” says artist June Carey. “I drove into the Sea Ranch entrance and down around the bluffs, where we discovered a path. After running along the bluffs with our cameras, in and out of cypress forests and through blackberry bushes, the path opened into a beautiful cove, drenched in the last hour of golden sun. Because of the many recent storms, there was, in the protection of the cove, a wondrous accumulation of driftwood, knocking back and forth like an orchestra of wood percussion instruments as the waves flowed in and out. We climbed down onto the beach and took hundreds of photos. As each wave came and went, the wood was completely rearranged. I have painted this scene several times over the years.”

SUNDOWN AT SEA RANCH

Size	Type	Editon	Price
20 X 16	Giclée Canvas	100	$475