Category: Watercolor Painting

Night Camping

Circle Tour Part 2

We just needed a place to stop for the night, as we left the farmstead a little later than planned. This is us though, we don’t really plan, for this exact reason. As we drove through the forests of Wisconsin, we luckily came across a recreation area along the lakeshore. All I could think was, “Hello Mosquitos,” and what an introduction to humid summer nights this was. I got eaten alive and Chris was fine, of course. This was a wonderful little spot near a marina and had an awesome staircase down to a quiet beach. The dog, Chris, and I loved walking along the sand in the early morning light. My husband carried our dog down and back up the stairs since he was feeling a little tired. We also walked along the boat docks and happened upon some interesting looking spiders. If anyone knows the species, please leave it in the comments below.

**CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR!**

I just tried to find the location of where we camped but alas, I could not. I will continue to write about this trip in the next few weeks of blogs. Here is a link to camping along Lake Superior for the Circle Tour. Click here for campsite information. Chris and I just went with the flow of the day and did not really plan out where to sleep. Sometimes it was in a tent and others in the car. Here are some photographs of the spot we stopped at first since I cannot remember the name. The night we rolled into this recreation area there were no campgrounds. We popped our tent up in front of the car and slept about three to four hours, then we broke everything down at dawn and packed up the car before heading to the beach.

Watching Chris carry our pup down the stairs made me melt. I love how considerate he is for all creatures on this walk of life. He went barefoot all the way to the beach and I followed suit. The sand was nice and cool with tiny pebbles throughout. The water was still and calm which was perfect for skipping stones. Chris is very good at this! I love watching them and counting how many times they jump. Our dog was very curious as well since frisbee was his favorite sport, in his younger years. It was fun seeing his head bob up and down with the movement of the rocks. I skipped some as well and almost beat my husband in number of skips but not in distance. I hope you enjoyed this little walk down to Lake Superior which starts our journey of the next several blogs until we get to Canada! Have a wonderful Wednesday and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Second stop on the tour!

Circle Tour

Let’s start this blog off with the first state on the journey, Wisconsin. We had the pleasure of visiting with wonderful people on their farm while in this lovely state. Our first stop on the tour was at Four Mile Farmstead in Washburn, WI. Since this trip, their farm has moved locations and their name has changed to Drifty Acres. (I added their Instagram link into this post, just click on the name of their current farm.) These two wonderful souls took Chris and I on a ferry ride to Madeline Island in Lake Superior. They traveled to this island to sell their wares and afterwards we all enjoyed having a good time by jumping in the lake and cooling off. Hanging out in the main town was quite charming as well. It was a nice relaxing visit to start our vacation.

Four Mile Farmstead Series #10|Karen Hilliard Art|Watercolor|4x6 — **CLICK HERE FOR THE LAST SET OF GREETING CARDS!!**

Four Mile Farmstead Number 11|Karen Hilliard Art|Watercolor|4x6 — **CLICK HERE FOR THE LAST SET OF GREETING CARDS!!**

After we all spent time on the island, we went back to Four Mile Farmstead. There were many chores to do, however, they did them all! They wanted us to just visit and used the opportunity to give themselves a quick break when their chores were through. The animals came first of course! They took us to a tranquil little spot along the river in Washburn where the dogs enjoyed some time in the water. Their two dogs were running around and bounding through the forest while ours was keeping a watchful eye on them. Our dog at the time was very old and in his last year of life. He mostly loved telling people and animals his thoughts on how we all should behave. This trip was very special for the three of us, my husband, myself, and our dog of 15 years. I am forever thankful he had the opportunity to be on this adventure with us.

After the river, we all walked back to the farm for an evening meal. These are two of the hardest working people I have ever met. At the time, they were working on their own microgreens business, starting a goat herd, and using compost to start their own garden so they could be self-sustainable while both having full time jobs. Their idea of a “break” was still a lot of work for them and very early mornings. She taught me how to milk the goats and the importance of keeping them calm at all times so they don’t step in, or kick the bucket. Disposing of the first couple of squirts of milk as well as it is not good for humans to drink this. Both of these people are very knowledgeable and love helping out anyone who is interested in farming. I highly recommend checking out their Instagram account or Facebook. I also created a series of Tiny Paintings of their farm Four Mile Farmstead and 10% of all profits goes back to the farm. Two more paintings are available for purchase if you would like to help them out with artwork, or you can go to their page directly as they are always having amazing things going on.

I will continue blogging about our trip around the lake. I know you all want to know about Pancake Bay, Canada, from my previous post “Summer.”

Thank you for reading and Happy Monday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags farm paintings, farm series, goats, watercolor painting

Fall

Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year other than Spring. In the early months of the year, flowers bloom all around the United States and fill our views with delightful colors. In the later months, colors illuminate our optic nerve differently. Oranges, browns, reds, and deep hues of fire fill forests with warmth and welcome the cool seasons approaching. Fall is a time of gathering together, warming by a fire, and sipping hot chocolate. Pumpkin patches are in full swing, the holidays are on their way, and families are making plans to gather together. A warm hug surrounds everyone and they just have to open their arms to accept the love. All of these feelings inspired my recent series of paintings from Red Rock Canyon State Park here in Nevada.

Fall in Red Rock Canyon Series 1 Number 5 | Karen Hilliard Art | Watercolor | Tiny Paintings | 4x6 — **CLICK THE PICTURE TO GO TO THE PAINTING** **YOU WISH TO SEE**!

Paintings, Number 1, 2, and 3, have gone off to their new homes and 4-8 have been created. These lovely paintings await a nice home to share the joy of Fall. I am currently working on 9 and 10. This has been a very fun series to create and gives me such joy. I love the feeling that these Tiny Paintings may bring someone else happiness and uplift them. So many of my happiest memories are of this time of year and I try to portray this in my paintings. The months of Fall can be cold and frigid which many people do not prefer; so in these paintings, I try to show the warmth through the black dreary coldness. I want them to represent good times and restore positive memories in their viewers.

Fall in Red Rock Number 4 | Karen Hilliard Art | Tiny Paintings | 4x6 — **CLICK THE PICTURE TO GO TO THE PAINTING** **YOU WISH TO SEE**!

Fall in Red Rock Series 1 Number 7 | Karen Hilliard Art | Tiny Paintings | 4x6 | Original | Watercolor — **CLICK THE PICTURE TO GO TO THE PAINTING** **YOU WISH TO SEE**!

Some questions I would ask are:

What are your memories of Fall and Winter? Were they happy or not so fun? What memories do you want to create now that you are older? My answer to the last one is new traditions with my family. I want to keep doing the traditions I had with my family growing up and extend new ideas with new experiences for my little family here in the desert. I would love to find a local pumpkin patch and pick out pumpkins, have hot cocoa, take many photos, and walk around the patch. Laughter, for me, needs to be in every memory. Simple moments have had the most impact on my life and have sparked my imagination in amazing ways. Like the Hay Bale Maze in the television show Gilmore Girls, a simple moment. The whole town was upset about the money spent on the maze and it ended up being a wonderful experience for everyone. Even the character Luke enjoyed it! So that is what I wish for this Fall Season, simple moments. What do you wish for?

Thank you for reading and have a great week!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags fall, fall leaves, fall season, New Blog, red rock canyon, watercolor painting

Ah Spring…

Spring is a beautiful time of year. The pollinators are hard at work on flowers to get a taste of their nectar. Here in the desert the bees work tirelessly on pollinating the cactus flowers on beaver tails and this leaves behind new opportunities for cactus pears. These are delicious morsels and very colorful to behold. In our garden right outside our kitchen door, we have lovely sunflowers that chase the rays of the sun all day. The bees also pollinate these and the flower goes to seed for the many birds who frequent our backyard. The desert tortoises are also out eating anything they can find and loving the water in the cactus. This is what goes on in our tiny spot on the planet, what blooms where you live?

Valley of Fire Flowers Series 1 #9 • Tiny Painting • Karen Hilliard Art

Valley Of Fire Series Greetings Cards • Watercolor Painting • Karen Hilliard Art

In other parts of the country roses, wildflowers, and tulips abound. Color is booming and blooming everywhere. Yellow tulips are one of my favorite flowers and I have yet to paint them. I have longed to get a bouquet of them with a variety of colors. Fields of tulips in another country would be an ideal painting situation for me, or a vast area of lavender fields. Where is somewhere you would love to travel to for the pure experience of flowers? I think France would be an ideal place for lavender and Japan for the cherry blossoms on trees. While in Tuscany I had the pleasure of traveling by train and viewing fields of sunflowers. They were everywhere and I was eternally happy. This was in the summertime and may be put in my next blog on Friday. Roses are one of my husband’s favorite flowers. What are some of yours?

Sunflower Series 2 Number 1 | Karen Hilliard Art | Watercolor | Tiny Paintings

Mine would be sunflowers and tulips. Another friend from Barcelona mentioned the exact flowers that bring me joy are the ones that bring them happiness. I wonder how a painting of tulips and sunflowers would look and what I would place as a filler? Do you have any thoughts on this? For now, desert bound, I paint my surroundings. Luckily, I am inspired anywhere I go and wherever my eyes gaze. The pure enjoyment of being an artist and feeling motivation from all of nature is my deepest passion. I feel truly blessed. So, in conclusion, Spring brings so many wonderful feelings to the surface. The color and fragrance alone are amazing and the season also brings new hope with possibilities. Have a happy Wednesday, and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags bees, spring, sunflowers, watercolor painting

Blog 100

Wow, this is my 100th blog. I just want to take a moment to thank all of you for reading these and tell you it means a lot to me. I have received text messages, private messages, emails, and comments on the actual blogs. It is amazing to meet with you all here on my little spot online. For those of you following from the beginning, thank you so much! For those of you recently reading, I am overjoyed to write for you Monday, Wednesday, and Friday every week. Here you will find posts about my artwork, hiking/climbing adventures, camping trips, and so on. This blog is meant to inspire everyone to go for their dreams and believe in the possibilities of life. My artwork will hopefully create new perspectives of the outside world and encourage others to see the world a little differently.

Fall in Red Rock | Original Watercolor | Karen Hilliard Art | Tiny Painting | Starting Bid | Auction

Fall in Red Rock Canyon | Tiny Painting | Karen Hilliard Art | Small Works | 4x6

The newest series in my portfolio has been ink and watercolor Tiny Paintings. These are 4” x 6” paintings created on Mixed Media paper. They can fit into a 5×7 inch frame with a mat opening for a 4×6 inch image. Please mat the artwork before framing so the watercolor does not stick to the glass. This is for those of you who would like to purchase my artwork. The direct link to the Tiny Paintings is here…click here! “Fall in Red Rock” is the newest series and the focus is on contrast of colors. I am using a lot of different variants of warm orange and cool blue hues. I hope you like these pieces. Numbers one, two, and three have sold. Number three was very exciting to create. The intricate details were created with ink and then watercolor was applied after for shadows and texture.

Each leaf was painted individually and the wash work was done with great intention. I chose a few spots to do a watercolor wash in and then ended up layering over it several times. Basically, the whole entire piece is very detailed. The top right corner is a little bit more loose to give the viewer a little bit of play with their imagination. I like how this painting was of a tree and ended up looking like the desert floor with leaves scattered around twigs, or a root system. This was a truly enjoyable piece to paint and I hope you look forward to the rest of this series. Numbers 4, 5, and 6 are now up on the website for your enjoyment. They can be found in the Small Works link or on my Home Page under Small Works. Thank you for reading 100 blogs and I am happy to continue writing more for all of you. Have a great weekend and stay safe!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags 100th Blog, red rock canyon, tiny paintings, watercolor painting

What? A Bighorn!!

Sometimes I just have to stop and stare in awe with pure amazement at what I see. In the morning with the brisk air upon our faces and the sun rising over the mountains, we looked up to see a magnificent beast of a bighorn in front of us. When out in nature it is so very important to respect the habitat of wild animals. No picture was taken at this time. The bighorn sheep was walking and wandering around solo looking for food. He saw us, and ran up the mountain face bounding with such strength and agility. We were forever impressed by the speed of this animal. Our dog just sat and watched marveling at this creature before us. One day I will paint this experience and may add another blog about the emotions, as there were many, and I still will not be able to describe the feelings of wonder.

Bighorn in Zion | Original Watercolor | Karen Hilliard Art | Small works

We have seen bighorn before and photographed herds of them. We saw some in Zion, UT, while kayaking Black Canyon, AZ, and in Valley of Fire here in Nevada. Still, wow, this one was special. The way our dog reacted with such calmness and the still of the air was amazing. The colors of the morning sky were breathtaking and my husband holding my hand gave me all the feels. This was truly a special and spectacular event in my life. I was able to take some photographs of the wash with the perfect light of day. I created a few paintings and kept some solely as photographs. Finding a branch from a bush sitting staring at the sky was my favorite picture. The temperature that day was a perfect cool desert morning.

Walking along the trail after seeing this profound animal, we just kept smiling. Have you ever had a day like this, where everything goes right, and magical things keep happening? It was interesting that the air was cool in the middle of July. These months are usually filled with heat warnings and severe dry weather. We were able to stay out longer than we thought due to such wonderful conditions. We explored further on the trail than we had gone before and were able to observe a cluster of rocks coming up from the earth. We tried to get a photograph close up to the rocks in the hopes of making them look like a canyon even though they were at the level of our feet. We felt like giants in a wonderland. I look forward to painting these pictures for you and adding them to my Lake Mead series. Stay tuned and look for them on the website soon!

Thank you for reading and have a great Monday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags bighorn sheep, blue heeler, lake mead recreation area

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

Blotting

Always Carry a Paper Towel

One of the lines from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy that my husband and I love is “Always Carry a Towel.” We discuss this at length to the point where he actually packs a towel for any of our adventures because we never know when we will need one. It actually comes in handy with the dog and any water source quite often! Speaking of water and needing a quick way to clean things up; I usually use a paper towel when blotting watercolor paint. I use a regular reusable rag when working with acrylics. The fine details and intricate lines I create with watercolor require a gentle hand with the aid of a small surface area especially with my 4″ x 6″ Originals. Paper towels are easy to fold into tiny spaces in order to collect excess water or fix runaway paint.

Canopies of California Number 1 | Karen Hilliard Art | Tiny Paintings — Click here for Tiny Paintings

Canopies of California Number 2 | Karen Hilliard Art | Tiny Paintings — Click here for Tiny Paintings

The joy of watercolor is to let the paint flow and interact with each color differently. In my large pieces I do need some control to keep my fine lines from trickling into nothingness. So I suggest always carrying a paper towel and yes, I reuse them. One paper towel will last me about 2 to 3 months if my dog does not get a hold of it and chew it up. I have to hide these beauties as if they were buried treasure he cannot sniff out. Keeping these paper towels safe for multiple months can be a challenge but I love reusing them so it is necessary. Blotting is super important in my technique so the paper does not buckle. I work in a wet on dry technique and control the minute wet on wet interactions specifically. Some of my recent work was wet on wet with a wet on dry technique to complete it and it was very enjoyable. The Daisy Way series was fascinating and fun to create. I used a paper towel with both styles and prefer the wet on dry for my larger works.

Daisy Way Spring | Karen Hilliard Art | Watercolor — Click Here For: Original Daisy Paintings Link or Dolphin Smiles Print Link

Dolphin Smiles | Original | Karen Hilliard Art | Watercolor — Click Here For: Original Daisy Paintings Link or Dolphin Smiles Print Link

The wet on dry allows me to work for several hours, days, months on a piece. I can let it sit, focus on the lines, and challenge myself with determination to finish these. Each large painting takes many layers and many hours of work. Dolphin Smiles was painted using a wet on dry technique. My gallery focuses on the natural world and includes portraits interacting with nature. Recently I have been working in my sketchbook and posting videos on social media platforms. Each video, if you focus, you can see me use a paper towel to blot a section of the painting. These timelapse videos move quicker than I could ever paint in real life so you have to watch very closely to see a paper towel on one of these “reels.” Please drop a comment on what you use to blot your surface area, excess water problems, etc. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and I will respond in 24-48 hours Monday-Friday. You can also send me a private message at khilliardart.com/contact

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful Wednesday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags California Redwoods, daisies painting, Daisy

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