Corridan Gallery presents a solo exhibition of California Landscape Oil Paintings
by Karen Fedderson, September and October, 2026

“Beauty Abides”

In lieu of a reception this exhibition kicks off with a 3-day Open Studio Celebration as part of the Santa Barbara Studio Artists Open Studio Tour. If you have a ticket to the Tour be sure to stop by and see this amazing show. If not stop by anyway, you can always visit Karen Fedderson’s Studio and Corridan Gallery free of charge.

Roughly translated, the Bible verse Ecclesiastes 1:4 says: "One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth abides forever." Abide can be defined as a verb; to endure without yielding, to remain, stay and continue without changing.
Beauty is more difficult to define. We will say, in this case, Natural Beauty is a visual quality that resonates with the viewer, which forms a connection that strikes a chord within the soul. It is an interactive process; one must make an effort to perceive the beauty. And so, Karen Fedderson has spent decades seeking the beautiful places in California, especially near her home in Santa Barbara. She patiently observes an area that interests her; sketching and noting qualities of light, form and color until a composition is ingrained in her memory. She has formed the connection to the place. She returns to her studio with the sketches, notes and photos to begin the artwork.

For one to say that “Beauty Abides” may be optimistic, but it is not naïve. Throughout California, certainly here in Santa Barbara County, natural beauty continues in the face of fires & floods, the noise and congestion of crowding and automobile traffic. People here support bold resistance to hideous over-development and industrial growth. Artist groups such as The Oak Group and Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment (S.C.A.P.E.) have organized Exhibitions and Paint-outs where artists focus their work on certain areas that are in jeopardy, bringing visual testament to the public.
Largely due to the heightened awareness and celebration of unmolested natural areas by artists there has been action by the public to preserve the spaces. The Beauty endures. Karen Fedderson has noted that over the decades areas that have been damaged by natural causes or human development usually recover once the area is cleared of the impinging forces. And so, in spite of all the well founded concern about Global Climate Change, one can justifiably hope that the beauty of nature will endure.