Category: Red Rock Canyon

Exploring the Desert

The desert is all around us and the canyons are in our backyard. We may have to drive a distance to be in their presence but it is always worth it! My advice today is to always carry toilet paper because you never know when you are going to need it. A doggy bag is also a good idea. Pack it in and pack it out is a very important phrase to remember while hiking out in nature. The desert, although seemingly prickly and fierce, is very fragile and it takes years for certain plants to reproduce. Tread lightly, carry water, and be careful in these harsh surroundings. This being said, let me take you on an adventure! Out into the wilderness we go, through the wash, and then who knows…Are you ready?

When our puppy was a wee little one we took him on a mini backpacking trip. We found a lovely water source for him in the spring runoff coming from the mountains. Taking many breaks to rest his puppy legs, I found some wonderful spots to stop and sketch. The flowers were blooming in patches everywhere we looked and gave the desert an artistic vibe. We felt as if we were walking in a painting. Being a visitor of such an amazing place creates a feeling of awe. Red Rock Canyon really made us feel small compared to the giant canyons before us. Our minds drifted to how we are such a small part of this giant rock we live on floating around in space. Earth is really a vast place and this feeling of it was here before us, will be here after us, was truly humbling. I try to always represent this in my work and emphasize the beauty of whichever place I am in.

Red Rock Canyon Series 1 #6|Karen Hilliard Art|Watercolor|Tiny Paintings|4x6 — Click Here for the Link to the Tiny Paintings!

The mountains surrounding us were large and comforting. They kept us shielded from the chilly winds and made us feel as if they were hugging us with their warmth. An immense sensation of protection swept over me as I sat there sketching our dog enjoying his drink from the stream. I also took many photographs and completed some paintings upon arriving home. The painting of the dog in the previous post is from this hike as well. These pictures were taken out in the desert on the backside of the Red Rock Canyon Loop. There is a wonderful hiking area where one can see wild burros romping in the desert and playing with their herd. On this day we did not see any large wildlife. We look forward to many more hikes in the future in this amazing spot. Hope to encourage you all to get outside and look at this big beautiful world with a new perspective! Happy Wednesday.

-Karen Hilliard

The Wash

In the hot summer months the water in the valley dries up and the wash becomes available to walk through. The path is riddled with beautiful sandstone and limestone rocks, pebbles, and boulders. It is an amazing workout on the ankles and legs which helps with dexterity. Balance with oneself and nature is necessary while exploring topography such as this. The heat of the desert settles in and the wash appears vast, hot, and completely sparse of life. There we are, walking, trudging along into the abyss wondering what treasures we will find. I love watching our dog bound endlessly from boulder to boulder like a billy goat on the side of a cliff. He has so much energy and it is nice to watch him in his element exploring every ounce of wonder.

His exercise in the summer months is limited due to the heat so we have to take the dog out hiking in the very early hours of the day. The fall months are a much nicer experience for the three of us and the exploration we love to do. The leaves change color, the wash is dry, and the breeze is cool if not cold. The mountains are starting to get ready for snow so they can supply the wash with water in the spring. The colors in the desert are glorious during the fall. The rocks on the path we trail on are wondrous shades of blue, purple, red, orange, yellow, white, and cream. We love feeling the smoothness of the rock faces whittled down by wind and rain in the wash. Sitting down on a nice surface area and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate or tea is a nice treat for the humans on this journey.

I used the Fall colors from the desert for inspiration on this little sketch.

The boundless energy of our dog keeps us entertained and moving forward under any circumstance. Sometimes we end up butt scooting down cliff faces and carrying the dog on our laps or handing him to and fro between one another. He is not a small or light animal but we manage. Through all this, we have a backpack that one of us carries with a sketchbook, watercolors, and a pen. Oftentimes we will find a spot where my husband and dog sit, relax, explore, or do whatever their hearts want to do at that moment. I sit and sketch, paint, or draw. I like to just look, observe, and think about what I see or notice as well. Writing down my thoughts is a must because of the vast beauty and endless ideas in front of me. I enclosed a few pictures of our hike in the wash. More to come!

Thank you for reading and have a happy Monday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags blue heeler, red rock canyon

Red Rock Canyon

Most of my inspiration for my paintings comes from hiking, climbing, and camping adventures. Red Rock Canyon is a place that holds a special spot in my heart. My husband and I go hiking in this area frequently. We love the sandstone for its rich orange, yellow, red, blue, and purple hues. Each rock face takes us on a trip into our imaginations and we have endless conversations about what we notice. The springs that run through the valley into the wash are breathtaking and when the river runs from the mountain run off it is magical. We see spadefoot toads in their tadpole state all the way to their evolution into mature toads. Beautiful Oak and Pinion trees surround us with their jovial leaves in the Springtime and send us into a colorful wonderland in the Fall.

Click Here to see Reels (Videos) on Instagram of the Painting Process!

On a recent exploration we happened upon a wondrous tree shedding its leaves into the wash. The water had since dried up and the rocks were cool from the morning air. A hint of blue color adorned the facade of these rocks in the early light. The leaves were a gorgeous combination of yellow, brown, orange, red, and many variations of these colors. I took many photographs and decided I would paint these images upon arriving at home. We were on a long hike that day and just wanted to keep moving forward to see what else we could find. I was very pleased with the angles I took and confident the photos would turn out well enough to not need to sketch as well. Out of the several photographs taken, I came up with a menagerie of images to use.

The hike through the canyon was amazing and cold. We loved wearing hats and jackets especially after surviving the hot Summer months here in the desert. We brought hot chocolates with us to enjoy and our sweet pup loved romping about. Always, always, always clean up after your pets. PLEASE! The only way to be able to have our furry friends on these hiking experiences is if we all Leave No Trace behind. That side note being mentioned, the dog had a glorious time. I got many awesome pictures of him as well which I will share in future blogs. I hope you all enjoyed walking around the canyon with me and I will be writing more about this place and sharing which hikes we love. I can mention trailheads as well if you would like. Leave me a comment about anything that interests you or a place in Red Rock Canyon you also love.

Thank you for reading! Have a safe and happy weekend friends.

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog

Sketchbook

Sometimes just throwing ideas down on paper is so liberating. When thoughts are circling around in my head I have to get them down or they may leave my mind forever. I have journals for writing, sketchbooks for drawing, and tiny pieces of paper all over the house for whatever pops into my head at the time. These recent sketches I have been posting on social media are from photographs I have taken on several hikes over the years. The current one is from the fall season in Red Rock Canyon State Park, Nevada.

My husband, dog, and I stumbled upon these beautiful rocks and trees in the wash one day. The morning sun lit up the canyon with beautiful hues of cool to warm pigments. Each leaf seemed to have multiple colors running throughout their surface area. It was like looking at time itself in such a small subject. I tried to portray this by using multiple colors in my palette for the atmosphere I was attempting to create. The reference photo is breathtaking and also overwhelming with the amount of color on a 4” x 6” sheet of paper which is such a small space to work from. The sketchbook chosen to execute this painting idea is an 11” x 14” so taking a micro subject and enlarging it into something else entirely.

Here is my Instagram Link for the Timelapse Videos!

The painting ended up becoming macro compared to the reference photo. I honed in on the rock face structure and a few of the leaves surrounding it. I wanted to show the texture of the rock, the lichen present, and the leaves laid upon the rock in a whimsical way. I love this piece for the details it allowed me to create and the intricate lines that were formed. Watching the watercolor flow and the ink mold was truly magical. These two mediums used together are becoming favorites of mine. I used the size S from my ink pen set again. I described the pens I use in the blog titled “Reference Photos” when I painted the cactus flowers. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at khilliardart.com/contact and I will respond within 24 hours Monday through Friday. Thank you for reading and have a lovely holiday tomorrow if you are in the USA. If you are anywhere else on this beautiful rock, enjoy the day floating in space!

-Karen Hilliard

Woman of the Rock

Calico Basin inside Red Rock Canyon State Park is a wonderful place to climb and hike. The trails are developed next to beautiful sandstone sculptures of amazing rock formations. Calico 1 Trail has Panty Wall with each route named by climbers to be quite humorous. Along the path to the marvelous climbs, I stumbled upon a lovely ridge of rocks. At the edge of the striations I saw a woman leaning back on the mountain for support. On her head I envisioned that she was carrying a basket of clothes, food, or water. She appeared fatigued in the hot desert sun but strong and willing to do her work. Also, she was wearing a sarong fashioned into a dress. The colors of the rock were contrasted with the background in such a pleasant way.

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINT-> https://khilliardart.com/product/woman-of-the-rock-print/

When I got home and looked through my photographs, I knew I had to paint her. I loved the way the shadows danced with their lines and flow. Almost as if they were moving like water into the red sandstone where she was resting. I chose cool colors to show the difference between her warmth and the heat of the sun. It was fun picturing a waterfall or river coming to soothe her as she worked so she could quench her thirst. I focused on the light in this painting and tried to illuminate the spirit of the woman that I saw. What do you see in the rock? Have any of you ever been on this hike in Red Rock Canyon and seen this woman of the rock?

-Karen Hilliard

Fallen Trees in Red Rock

As we walked around in the desert and absorbed our surroundings we found some amazing sites. Mountains of sandstone, riverbeds filled with stones, and fallen trees looking of driftwood all over the paths. The bark was sculpted by the elements of time with wind and water. When I look for inspiration I find it among the trees. I am captivated by texture, lines, and holes of various shapes. Some of the movement is created by the elements and others by the decay of insects. Sometimes the image of the whole tree creates a picture in my mind and other times I see creatures in sections of the bark. I title my pieces when I am out in nature and everyone else sees something different than I do. My favorite part of life is that we all have our own perspective.

In the first picture here I see a bird with a beak looking to their left. I also see a scrunched up face of a human looking to their right. In the second photo I see so much texture I do not know where to start with the focus of the painting. The second photo is one that I could make several paintings out of just from the lines and pockets alone. What do you see in these photographs?

In these vertical photographs I see many images. The tree stump on the left looks like a creature with a large eye and wrinkled mouth. I also see a horn coming out of the creature’s head. The photograph on the right shows me a lizard, a snake, or a bird with a long neck. I follow the grains of the wood from the foreground up into the horizon line of the piece. I like the contrast of color between the trees and the rocks in both compositions. I am excited to see what my hand and paintbrush create with these. Stay tuned!

“Moon Wizard” is an original painting. This watercolor measures 18″ x 24″ and is painted edge to edge. No prints were made. We found this tree on Dale’s Trail in Red Rock Canyon State Park. This trial is is off of the Pine Creek Trailhead and lies between Pine and Oak Creek.

-Karen Hilliard

Hiking in Red Rock Canyon

Starting in the early morning and feeling the cool wind on our faces, we braved the chilly air and went for a hike out in the desert. The dog needed a long adventure and we love being outdoors any chance we can get. As we walked down the sandy and stony path the beautiful mountains of Red Rock Canyon stood before us. The sun was in and out of the clouds which created beautiful contrasts on the rocks. The formation’s colors changed minute by minute and it was something that could not be captured on camera. Here are some pictures we got of the color changes as best as we could catch on our phone.

Along the trail, gorgeous Joshua trees fill the paths. Spring has sprung in the desert. We found beautiful flowers blooming out of the top of the plants. We thought it was interesting how the buds were eaten before they flowered. We imagined burros coming up and eating the plants. At the base of the trees laid beaver tail cactuses, or cacti depending on where you are from, and they were eaten by what we think were tortoises. Being out in nature sparks our imagination in so many ways leading to endless conversations. What are some ideas you have when you see bite marks in plants while you are on a hike? Do you bring your pets with you and how do they react outdoors?

The dog had an amazing time running around in the sand and rocks through the wash. He had so much curiosity and the wind was very enticing for his nose. His senses were on overload and we were thrilled to arrive home and have him sleep the rest of the day. In the next blog I will share some trees we came across and explain how the lines and shapes fascinate me to paint new watercolors. Looking forward to many new paintings to share with all of you in the future. I often wonder if I will paint all my photos and ideas in my lifetime. I sure am going to try! Where have you hiked recently? Send me a message if you would like to share.

-Karen Hilliard