I love painting small and having my original art be available to everyone. I hope the new series of Tiny Paintings about Mt. Charleston, Nevada will bring people joy. I decided to paint trees, rocks, trails, flora, and maybe some images of the mountain itself. The paintings will be centered around Fletcher Canyon, North Loop Trail, and Mary Jane Falls. If there are any spots you deeply love and would like to see paintings of, please send me an email. I paint from my own reference photos so I will see if I have any photographs of different areas.
Mt. Charleston Series 1 Number 1 is a painting of a tree. This Bristlcone pine was found at the top of the North Loop trail on the way to Raintree. Along the mountain path lies a lane of sculptured trees. The colors and movement of these images fascinate me. I love the combination and contrast of blues mixed with orange and light white with yellow intertwined. I see the details in the nooks and crannies that were molded by the elements. I often wonder whether a crack in the wood was molded by the rain or the wind, and what the storm may have been like to cause such a shape. My mind drifts and I see creations and creatures form in the lines of the wood. This small work painting was inspired by another larger work “Rooster in the Wood” which recently sold last year. I am pleased I can make a Tiny replica piece for others to enjoy.
The next painting in the series may be a tree, or a rock, you will have to check back to see! These will be fun and imaginative pieces. Winsor Newton Professional Watercolours are my medium of choice for this project. They will be applied using size 0 and 000 brushes. No sketch of these will be done on the original before applying the paint. I like knowing that whatever comes from the paintbrush on to the paper was meant to come out. There are also some process videos of this painting on my YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok pages @khilliardart if you would like to see them. Thank you for reading and please contact me with any questions.
-Karen Hillliard