california coast – Karen Hilliard Art

So many smells surround me and the sounds of this forest are unique. It is wet and damp here in certain places. The ground beneath my paws is soft and mud is bouncing back up on my stomach. My muscles feel rejuvenated and strong. The air in my lungs is crisp and fresh, unlike the dust of the desert I call home. The trees…the glorious trees…where do I begin to leave my mark? Everyone needs to know I was here. My humans are keeping me close on this infernal leash, yet I know it is for my safety, as well as there’s. Apparently there is a plant here called poison oak and even if I get the oil in my fur, they can catch it by petting me. It is okay, the hold on me is loose so I still feel grateful to explore. There are so many puddles to drink water from and the rain feels nice on my fur.

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Redwoods | These Trees Are Tall

My eyes are always watching this baby by my side and my ears are perked up to hear for miles in order to keep her safe. She sure does love to splash in puddles. The tiny human gives me treats, throws my ball…not far…but she throws it and gets excited, so I must keep her near me at all times. The joy of this creature is interesting and I find that my heart feels warm when she is around. The forest is welcoming and the whole family seems to really enjoy it. I wonder if they are going to leave their mark? My mom is taking pictures, so many pictures. She is an artist and wants to paint…EVERYTHING! I am writing this blog to tell you all that she painted some of these trees and we are all super excited. She is releasing them tomorrow with prints as well. She is offering a 10% OFF COUPON in her Newsletter, so make sure to sign up for that. I think she did a great job with the mood, since that is what I can see clearly in her work. I hope you all get a chance to get outside with people you love this weekend. I am looking forward to my humans taking me somewhere awesome! Thank you for reading!!

-Spector

Karen Hilliard Art | Redwoods | California | Shining Light | Watercolor and Ink — SOLD

Redwoods Spreading Light | Karen Hilliard Art — SOLD

I left off on Monday with the second painting in the series. The third tiny painting from the coast is a zoomed in version, or macro, of Number 2. I chose to take the portion of the bottom left and blow it up for an individual painting in this series. I was fascinated by the tiny plant hairs on the rocks in the tidepool portion of the painting and wanted to emphasize their beauty with color. Every brush stroke created tiny hair lines and layered texture. As I painted this, I could almost feel the softness of the algae on the rocks, smell the salt air, and feel the midst of the ocean touching my face. This painting brought me back to many happy times. I was very glad that Number 2 and 3 went to the same home to be enjoyed together for all time.

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Number 4 in the series is a farther away look, or micro, at the ocean and tide pool rocks. This painting is set at a different time of day when the sun is just starting to set and relax in the sky. I love the color in the clouds and tried to bring out the purples along with the blues of the sky. The reflection on the water, with the waves, was interesting to paint. I love that no matter how many times I look at the ocean, the waves always seem to break in different waves. New patterns are created with wind and water. Nature is such a powerful force and I could stare at what is created by the elements for a very long time.

CLICK HERE -> https://khilliardart.com/product/california-coast-series-1-4-original/

This series reminded me that I am not just fascinated by rocks and trees, but by the four elements altogether. Wind, Fire, and Water create the formations in the rocks (Earth) and trees that I am so fascinated with. I could stare at the trees blowing, ocean crashing, canyons forming, and fire burning for many hours and feel complete satisfaction. I hope my paintings move my viewers in such ways. My goal is to bring joy, conversation, and happy memories through my artwork.

-Karen Hilliard