Category: Karen Hilliard Art Blog

Fall Watercolor Show

I have posted a blog about this painting before and now it has been accepted into the Nevada Watercolor Society Fall Show! I feel truly blessed to have had this painting be chosen to hang alongside wonderful works of art by various artists nationwide. The show will run for two months and ”Resolute Protector” will be on display for the duration. Below is my previous blog explaining the creation of this painting and how much it means to me.

Resolute Protector | Karen Hilliard Art | Original Watercolor | Redwoods | Watercolor Painting — **Click Here for the Original Watercolor!**

Somewhere in the midst off the California coast, a beautiful tree stump sits covered in moss. I became fascinated with this subject while walking around the woods with my family. After many photographs were taken, I came home and started to see different images in the textures of the tree. This title, along with others, popped into my mind as I painted this watercolor. The vision of a forest protector came to me. One in which is resolute in their purpose to protect the trees. Sitting socially among their friends, quiet, unseen almost, and ready to rumble at the first sign of trouble. This painting is a reminder that we are all connected. It is so lovely when I see photographs of human fingerprints and tree rings side by side. Also, branches and our bronchial patterns inside our lungs. Every time I venture into the forest I feel as if I am entering a different world, yet am reminded we are all of this Earth.

“Resolute Protector” holds many emotions for me and I tried to express them in every detail of this piece. I love the subject and how tree sheddings were collected, then protected by the mighty stump. The beautiful moss surrounding the pine needles gave the dried out old needles a feeling of rebirth into something new. Decomposition at its finest! I also found a lovely little nut or seed, and it turned into an eye of the protector. What do you see when you stare into this painting? Could you look at it forever and still be amazed?

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful weekend!

-Karen Hilliard

Importance of Play

Detail, depth, and determination to finish large paintings with a tiny paintbrush takes a lot of patience along with multiple hours of time. The importance of play while simultaneously working diligently is mandatory for me. When I let the water lead me and colors inspire my sketchbooks, I find a more relaxing atmosphere for my larger works. Play also consists of getting outside and roaming trails with my family. I recently got a backpack for our child and we have started going on new adventures together. To watch the play and imagination of a child is very special and inspiring. The other day, she found rocks on the trail and was so fascinated with them. We spent a good amount of time just feeling the textures and talking about them. I was so excited to sketch when I arrived home and found myself using deep oranges as well as reds from what we saw in the sandstone on our hike. I felt rejuvenated through playing around with my palette, watching the water bleed and flow in my sketchbook, then drawing with ink over some of the paint.

My new painting has no ink and does not need the hues I was driven by for my sketchbook, but it was fun nonetheless. It also gave me the extra jolt I needed to proceed with motivation. Currently, I am working on multiple paintings and one of them does have some Scarlet Lake, Alizarin Crimson, and some oranges interlaid throughout the work. The painting I am writing about may be the one for my September newsletter due to the recent inspiration on our hiking explorations. We shall see. Until then, I would love to hear what you do for “play.” Whether it is artistically, physically, or mentally. When I need a break from sketching as well, I find baking and cooking to be quite enjoyable. I play around in the kitchen often. This is another form of creativity for me and I get to eat what we make which is very enjoyable. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful Wednesday!

-Karen Hilliard

Summer Heat

Red Sandstone is illuminated in the summer heat and shines forth a vibrant orange color. I love walking around the vast desert and viewing so many marvels around me. Today I went for a short hike and saw two lovely ravens perched in the shade of a beautiful sandstone rock wall. The temperature this morning was intense and started climbing above 100 degrees by the time I left the trail. This is my reminder to anyone hiking in the desert to always be prepared. Sunhats, sunglasses, WATER, WATER, and more WATER!!! Always bring water for yourself and anyone else who may need some, for example, your four legged furry friend. Also, a little extra water for your paint set if you are doing any field sketching or watercolor explorations on the trail. Personally, I focused on doing a quick sketch upon returning home so we could get out of the sun as soon as possible.

While hiking during the summer, I also like to pick trails that have some shade just so there is a bit of relief. I am always mindful of the time of day as well since 8am starts to climb to the hundreds as soon as the sun is high in the sky. Today was a late start in the day for my family and I so we were only out for a very short time. The sketch I am choosing to share was done very quickly just for this blog. I chose to add in “Portrait of a Manatee” as well so you can get an idea of the beautiful colors we saw today. Come to think of it, the hues were a bit more orange like “Woman of the Rock” so I will add that painting as well. If anyone is interested in the originals, I still have the original of “Portrait of a Manatee,” however “Woman of the Rock” has been sold. There are Limited Edition Prints of “Woman of the Rock” and open edition prints of the manatee painting. If you have any questions, please CONTACT me. Thank you for reading and have a marvelous Monday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

“Frommer’s Whale” Blog

Just a nine minute drive from Arches National Park can get you to a desert wonderland. Many have trekked out to Moab for its amazing topographical wonders. Mountain Bikers especially love this place for the amazing desert slab sandstone trails. One could ride through beautiful canyons, challenging trails, beginner trails, and more! I personally went to this magical place on a bouldering trip many years ago. The weather was perfect and there were many rocks to explore for climbing purposes. One morning, I was fortunate enough to wake up to a gigantic boulder right outside my camp spot. I immediately saw a whale breaching out of the water. All this before my morning coffee, very surreal.

The rock and morning light created these beautiful blue hues all over the rock which made it look even more like water being splashed around. I pondered what I would have done if I was on a ship and saw a massive whale breach out of the water and jump super high in the air before ascending back into the ocean. There was no answer. I was just left in complete awe and decided to stare at the rock for a long time studying every inch of it. Later in the day I got a nice photograph of the same boulder and decided to paint it later when I was home in my studio. While out in nature I became very inspired by all the colors of the Southwest desert. It is truly a remarkable place to visit and I hope you all get the chance to do so. This Watercolor Fine Art Giclée Print is Available Now on my website. I have Four Sizes Available! Shipping is Included in the price for all USA addresses. I hope this print brings many years of wonder into your homes every time you look at it. Thank you for reading and have a splendid Saturday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting, watercolor print

Day Hike

Hiking today under the vibrant sun was a bit of a challenge. I chose a pretty steep start and it was the first hike with another person on my back. Totally worth it to hear my daughter’s laughter and see her face filled with pure joy. The heat was bearing down upon us so I made sure to not stay out too long and had us both drinking water out of our Camelback the entire time. I highly recommend the Deuter Kid Comfort Child Carrier if you are a mom with a longer torso. We bought ours through REI and I linked them above. This pack is amazing and easy to get on and off. I also was very pleased by the sunshade as it covered her face, eyes mainly, for both directions. She was also underneath my wide brimmed hat which helped a lot. The backpack was great and she did not overheat which was a concern here in the desert. A great time was had by both of us and I was able to get inspiration from the trail for the new sandstone piece I am working on.

I was fascinated by the yucca plants illuminating bright green hues against the red sandstone background. They reminded me of my paintings I did for my Red Rock Canyon Tiny Painting Series. Here are the paintings and if you click on each photo it will take you directly to the painting on my website. I was also reminded of the pine cones created a few years ago and how excited I am for this upcoming fall season. Now that I have this backpack, I am super pleased to be able to hike anywhere, but we do have to wait for the weather to cool down. Once this happens, my blogs will be filled with lovely pictures of the amazing scenery and hopefully a few awesome sketches of the day. Until then, please enjoy these photos and paintings. Have a wonderful weekend and stay safe out there. Water is amazing!! Thank you for reading.

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, red rock canyon, watercolor painting

“Interconnection” Blog

I have always been fascinated with recognizable patterns seen within tree stumps and the human fingerprint as well as photographs of our bronchial tubes compared alongside tree branches. Trees are the lungs of the world and provide us all with oxygen through photosynthesis while breaking down the carbon dioxide we breathe out. Our fingerprints identify us as individuals while tree rings show the age of the tree, and both can give a glimpse of our history. Keeping these ideas in mind while painting this piece, the title came to me due to the fact that Earth’s organisms are all connected in some beautiful way. “Interconnection,” is my new Original Watercolor painted on Arches Cold Pressed paper. The size of this painting is 9” x 12” painted edge to edge.

Interconnection • Watercolor Small Works • Karen Hilliard Art

For this piece I focused on the contrasts in the fallen tree we found and sketched it on location outside Red Rock State Park. The trees on this trail are large and beautiful. There are many Oak, Joshua, and Pinyon Pines throughout the various paths carved out by the elements and time. We love to hike these trails for the sand at our feet and it is exciting to watch the dog frolick among the foliage. Yet, we are always mindful of wildlife and watch our dog very closely around cholla cactus so he does not have any accidents. The trail we chose on that day was winding in the most beautiful ways and then we stumbled across the fallen trunk near a wash. I found the colors to be breathtaking!

“Interconnection” is NOW AVAILABLE!! There is only one! You can click here to be directed to the painting on my website, click the title, or the painting. I hope this artwork brings many years of wonder and conversation into your home! Thank you for reading this blog and have a Wonderful Wednesday.

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, red rock canyon, watercolor painting

Parts of Process

Hours of work in seconds of time. Grateful for the Time Lapse option on phones now and the ability to video my process. These are fun to watch for myself as well. Layering over and over humbles my mind every time I think or feel as if I can get a painting done more quickly. My process reminds me to slow down, take my time, and always strive for in depth quality. What is your process?

My happy place seems to be taking as much time as possible to ensure my vision comes across to the viewer. The remarkable thing that happens however, is that each viewer sees something different in my work than I had intended. This fascinating turn of events happens every time, with every painting, and I could not be more pleased. I love seeing and hearing new perspectives of my work and looking at each painting in a whole new light. I will continue to put hours upon hours of work into every stroke, every layer, and every detail as I strive to flow with the movement of my creations. I will always welcome anyone’s ideas and visions of my paintings and love hearing from you all about what you see in the compositions.

I am currently working on a sandstone rock face that was almost complete when it was set aside. The larger paintings can tend to become overwhelming and instead of overworking them to finish, or meet a deadline I set for myself, I choose to wait and refocus. This process is very important to me because I need to look at my pieces with fresh eyes from time to time. I will be excited to show this painting in my upcoming September Newsletter and have been showing sneak peeks of it on Instagram as well as Facebook through Reels. Stay tuned for more and as always, thank you for reading my blogs! Have a Marvelous Monday Evening!

-Karen Hilliard

Cohesive Contrast

Cohesive Contrast is inspired by the colors of Joe’s Valley, Utah. While out there bouldering I noticed the sun hitting the rocks and making the sandstone appear almost white. Deep in the shadows, underneath the rock face, creating caves and caverns, laid beautiful shades of purple, blue, and orange hints accentuating the sandstone. I wanted to show the cohesion of the texture of this rock. I was fascinated by how all the stones were held in place and how the bolder curled around itself. The contrast of this piece came as I added the colors. Trying to show the light where the sun was hitting the rock and its brightness, then comparing it to the dark shadows and shades underneath, brought the word contrast to mind. This small 6 x 6 has been nonstop, layering, adding depth, detailing, then repeating the whole process over and over. I hope you all see something in this painting, as I see many faces, especially when I turn the work.

I like this piece because it can be turned in all four directions and hung for your viewing pleasure. Each direction creates a totally different composition of the work and a new focal point. For my signature, I decided to show the angle of the original photograph where the white is on top and the shadows are on the bottom. As I turn the work, I do see a shift in vision, and my new focus becomes captivated by an interesting face in the contrast of colors between orange and white. What do you see in this painting? You can contact me via Instagram, Facebook, or my Contact page on my website to tell me what you like about this piece, or anything that interests you. It is now available on my website and it is the first 6 x 6 that I have painted so it is super special. I really enjoyed creating the subtle hues, and color variance of the white sandstone. Each tiny dash and dot created a new layer of wonder for me. This is an original only, One of a Kind. I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend and getting outside! Thank you for reading.

Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

Watering Hole

Another rock formation I became fascinated with at Joe’s Valley in Utah was this tiny weathered rock cropping I almost tripped over. Throughout time, as the plates inside the earth shift, outcroppings come to the surface to later rise into larger structures. In this small section of Joe’s Valley, I stumbled upon one that looked like a baby elephant. The trunk was sealed into another piece of rock and appeared to me as an elephant drinking water. Titling pieces is always a challenge and the title of this piece came to me later as I painted more and more. Yellow hues were chosen to emphasize the bright sun overhead the day I went climbing, and to show the textures developed on cream colored sandstone. The cool colors in the background represent the atmosphere the trees created and the breeze throughout the valley. I truly enjoyed painting every detail of this piece. The size ended up being a 9”x13” watercolor painting.

This Original Watercolor Painting, “Watering Hole,” is Available and ONE OF A KIND!! No Prints Made! If you are interested, click on the picture of the painting and you will be directed straight to my website to view the painting. If you would like to be the person to own this piece, then click on ADD TO CART and the painting will be shipped to you after purchasing it. This painting will be shipped free to any address in the United States. More information is available about this painting if you have any questions. Please contact me via my CONTACT page on my website. Thank you for reading and have a Wonderful Wednesday!

-Karen Hilliard

Joe’s Valley, Utah

Just a five and a half hour drive from Las Vegas will find you in a magical, sandstone, forest wonderland. Joe’s Valley is known for its amazing boulders which have attracted climbers for several years. The rocks sit east of the Joe’s Valley Reservoir along with flowing rivers and cool climate conditions. While there, I took several photographs of the topography, trees, and rock formations that were visible. The piece I am currently working on is from a climbing trip I took in 2008 long before I settled in Las Vegas for the second time. Traveling with my dog was one of the best times of my life. We stopped at many famous climbing locations filled with fields of boulders. Joe’s Valley is a wonderful place to visit and has bouldering opportunities scattered throughout the forest.

My dog enjoyed drinking the water while I climbed on the rocks. He was a great scout for awesome trails and always made it to the top of a climb to ensure I found my way back to the ground. The particular boulder I chose to paint was not one I ended up bouldering. I was fascinated with the multiple stones held safely together in this space. The contrasts of the color spectrum were also a joy to behold. I am trying to paint from the memories of the trip as well from many years ago. I wanted to show purple and orange intertwined in every part of this boulder. I will post this painting on my social media platforms when it is finished and it will be available to purchase on my website. No prints will be made so it is one of a kind!

Also, the mug was purchased at a tea shop here in Las Vegas called Sheffield Spice and Tea Company if any of you are interested in gnomes like me. They also have many other mug options available at their store location. Thank you for reading and have a marvelous Monday!

-Karen Hilliard