Angela Kallsen 7/11/25 Angela Kallsen 7/11/25

Heat Stress

The summer has been full. Full of sun, of travel, of long, blazing days that somehow swept me away from my studio. The oil paintings in my Vita Vinea series have been sitting quietly, waiting. Even with an air conditioner, the studio can heat up like the Sahara and make work difficult during these midsummer afternoons. It reminded me of grapevines under heat stress; how they shut down and basically hibernate during the worst of it to wait for more ideal conditions…

Angela Kallsen 6/6/25 Angela Kallsen 6/6/25

Sketching History in the Willamette Valley: A Visit to Eyrie Vineyards

A sharp kee-eeeee-arr breaks the silence as I climb up this monumental slope of vines and silver grasses. Circling overhead are a pair of the iconic Red-tailed hawks that inspired the name for this place. I’m in the middle of the original Pinot Noir vines at Eyrie Vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. These aren’t just old vines—they’re the first Pinot Noir vines ever planted in Oregon, put into the earth in 1965 by David and Diana Lett, two visionaries who dared to believe that Burgundian grapes could thrive in the Pacific Northwest...

Angela Kallsen 5/2/25 Angela Kallsen 5/2/25

A Record of Persistence

Last fall in Bordeaux, I found an old vine that stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t the most dramatic in the vineyard, nor was it the gnarliest or the most laden with fruit. But there was something in its shape, its stance, that felt deeply human. Twisted, weathered, stubbornly reaching. I photographed it from every angle, trying to memorize the way its arms held the last clusters of grapes and how its leaves, tinged scarlet and gold, fluttered like old paper in the wind.

Angela Kallsen 4/23/25 Angela Kallsen 4/23/25

Following Van Gogh: A Painter’s Pilgrimage Through Provence

There’s something about Provence that vibrates beneath your skin. The light dances differently here—brighter, bolder, almost operatic. I just returned from a trip that felt less like travel and more like a spiritual excavation. I went to see the places where Van Gogh lived, worked, and wrestled with the world, and I came back with a head and heart brimming with color, texture, and longing.

Angela Kallsen 1/10/25 Angela Kallsen 1/10/25

It Might as Well be Spring

For me, painting grapevines is deeply personal. Grape cultivation is such a patient process- each vine tells a story of weathering storms, adapting to change, and producing fruit in its own time. Some vines produce their best fruit right away in their youth. For others, it takes decades before their very best is achieved. It’s a perfect metaphor for the creative process and for life itself.