Tag: New Blog

Prickling Pear Series

So many green hues dance around my palette as I create these tiny wonders. Yellow and blue intertwine with the movement and bring pleasing depth to the eye. I love how vastly different these paintings are even though the subject is the same. Even the plant is the same. Perspective. It amazes me how something can become so different even when it started from an identical source. Have you ever looked at something or someone for an extended period of time and noticed subtle changes. In a person the change can be the way their face lights up when they laugh and how it distorts if they feel upset. Nature has this similar way about it. The lighting of the sun can change the mood of the entire idea for a composition. The wind can blow differently day to day and rain clouds can roll in with drops of water coming from the sky. So many things can happen at any given moment and the idea that was sparked outside can drastically change at my art table once I am home. Amazing and fascinating.

I chose this cactus because it holds a special place in my heart and fills me with happy memories whenever I look upon it. The goal is to show how inviting the desert can be even when it is hot and scary to some people. This blog is an introduction to my new painting series. These paintings are meant to express emotion and inspire any feeling you have when you gaze upon them. I hope these watercolors transport you to a place in time where you can just sit and marvel at the beautiful colors of the world around you. Cacti sit still even in the wind when they are close to the ground. They are sturdy and resilient to so many of the elements they face. These plants remind me of important people in my own life and how much they have taught me. How sometimes it is more important to just sit and watch, or listen, and not share ones opinion but really be there in the moment for others. This series holds so many feelings for me and expresses so much in such a small piece of art. Each painting I create is a piece of myself. A memory, a hope or dream, a vision, and all that inspires me is in each stroke of my paintbrush. I hope you feel something when you look at these paintings. If I inspire one person, I will be elated! Thank you for reading and have a Marvelous Monday!

-Karen Hilliard

All paintings will be available soon. Please Contact me if you are interested and I will email you when they are released!

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Cactus Gardens

Also, if you would like another way to show support, I have a few options. “Buy me a coffee” which is a way for anyone to contribute to the creative process behind the paintings. Fuel the artist so to speak. Here is the link if you are interested. The funds go to supplies and gas to get out to the trails. I truly appreciate the support and the fact that you are liking these blogs, as well as my art posts. I am working hard to bring you all fresh content! Here is the link to my Instagram where I try to post daily. You can also find me on Facebook at my art page Karen Hilliard Art.

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Support for the Artist | Art Support — Please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! If you would like to 🙂

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

Cactus Paintings

Water pools upon the paper and waits patiently for color to grace its presence. The color will bring the glistening clear liquid to life and create a new way of looking at the world. Hues will dance and bleed while moving in every direction or groove of the paper. Then, a shape, or form will come to life in the way of a subject. An object of attraction, affection, passion, memory, etc. Art is being made. Life is finding new meaning. Creation is happening. What will these colors form on the paper? Will it look the same to everyone who may gaze upon it? Will all the feelings and emotions people have towards this artwork be the same? No, is the answer to those last two questions. Art is not only a journey for the artist but also an entirely different experience for each person who views the piece that was created. Passion, drive…what are these? The answer: They are different for everyone. Currently, the new motivation or obsession is with desert life. My cactus in particular. I am fascinated by the complexity of the plant. It just sits there, yet, it creates and brings so much life, in and surrounding it.

All paintings will be available soon. Please Contact me if you are interested and I will email you when they are released!

How can something that just sits, silently, waiting to prick and protect itself, also be such an amazing world all on its own? The paddles hold water and liquid to quench the thirst of animals. Birds and bugs burrow into the cactus paddles creating shelter from the elements. The birds that nest inside hope for protection from predators, knowing the spines of the cactus will dissuade any creatures that pass by. However, the desert tortoise will just chomp down regardless of the pointy needles. Interesting. How do they do that? Doesn’t it hurt…even a tiny bit? Reptiles and birds are not the only ones to enjoy the cactus. Atop the paddles bloom beautiful flowers that attract pollinators to the nectar. The pollen brings life back to the bee hives and lifts the spirits of butterflies as well. Once the flowers are touched by the love of these insects, they can produce food. The beaver tail cactus creates amazing prickling pears that can be consumed and enjoyed. This blog is an introduction to my new painting series. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for reading and have a Marvelous Monday!

-Karen Hilliard

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Rattlesnakes, Oh My! — Watercolor Journey

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Zion Shenanigans — Watercolor Journey

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

A New Home

Sitting in a turquoise pot at the bottom of a mountain, with a view of beautiful sunsets, rests the cactus formed by one magic paddle. Now the cactus has a new home just outside the city limits. The hustle and bustle of cars and the sound of daily sirens are no longer heard as much. New life has been brought out and bright yellow flowers have bloomed. The blossoming of new beginnings for the cactus are on the horizon. New pollinators have been welcomed and new fruit has been created. The magic paddle now has grown into a mighty cactus. The sprinklers have given the plant a new life and new hope for the future. Dew drops glisten in the morning light and bugs make their way around the spines to see what they can find to eat. This cactus is pure magic. A life all of its own. One plant thriving in the desert. Creating an abundance of life and opportunity for others.

The yellow flowers attract many insects and birds. It is amazing to watch. They open with the rising sun and close with each sunset. The moonlight shines gloriously on the spines and the cactus is illuminated at night. This truly is a mystical plant. A cactus can hold so much uncertainty and pain all the while having hope then resilience. This plant is persistent and shows perseverance daily. Tortoises don’t mind the pain and eat the paddles for hydration even though the plant struggles to protect itself from these very moments. Insects and birds create homes in the paddles and find shelter from the storms. Cactus plants are like little hotels for creatures who need a home. It amazes me how I can sit and watch a cactus for long periods of time. I grew up along the ocean of California and now the Nevada desert has a huge piece of my heart. What is a place you love? Thank you for reading and have a marvelous Monday!!

-Karen Hilliard

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

Prickling Pear Harvest

The boy and the girl were so excited about their magic paddle and how well it was growing. They reminisced about a trip they had taken to Sedona, Arizona where they both tasted the Prickling Pears for the first time. They had hiked through the desert all day and then were walking back to their hotel room when they spied some amazing beaver tail cactus. The boy found some pears on the ground and chose to pick them up. He carried them all the way to the hotel where he proceeded to try and pick each spine out by hand. The girl spent an hour pulling the spines out of his hand while they both smiled at one another. After all the silliness was done, they sat eating the pears while watching the southwest sun set behind the mountains. The taste of the pears will always be delicious because of the moments leading up to trying them. Do you have a special food that brings up such a happy memory for you? Have you noticed that when you try it again, it may taste different? Each time we taste a pear from a cactus we remember how sweet they were that day in Sedona.

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Prickling Pear Harvest

Recently, my husband and I picked the pears off of our cactus and tried them. They were not as sweet as we remembered but while we talked about our experience in Sedona, we noticed the flavor of the pears started to get better. It amazes me how such a wonderful memory can bring back sensory details as well as mental ones. Emotional connection is truly amazing. The new painting series I am creating is based on the feelings and moments in time of our Sedona trip. These paintings encompass so many feelings intertwined in the colors and movement of each brush stroke. I hope you will enjoy the journey of our cactus and the prickling pears that are developing this season. Our tortoise also enjoyed some of the fruit last night. We loved having the opportunity to give her a more natural dietary experience. Thank you all for reading and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

-Karen Hilliard

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

Back to Cusco

We left Machu Picchu in the afternoon and had to keep a steady pace in order to have time in Aguas Calientes to gather our bags, run around a few shops, and then catch the train back to Cusco. Our first thought was to take our time down the steps leading back to the city. We chose to side step the whole way back to save our knees after Papi told us what happened to his. He said he was foolish in his younger years and was living with the consequences now. In order to protect our knees we watched and made sure our knees were not going over our toes and we were not taking giant steps forward. Instead, the side stepping and keeping our hips in a perpendicular line or 90 degree angle was our goal. There were so many steps to navigate. We found some cool stones on the way down that looked like the “Stairs of Death,” and got some great pictures! We trekked onward to get to the city.

Down, down, and down we went until we reached the hiking sign and the bridge. It was nice seeing everything in the daylight and we got some great photos to remember those moments. The bridge we walked on in the morning was even nicer than we previously thought and the water flowing beneath it was breathtaking. As we crossed the bridge, we recalled our time on Machu Picchu. It was such a magical place based high in the mountains encamped by morning midst and we will remember it fondly for all time. Saying goodbye to something on our life’s bucket list felt strange because we waited so long to see it, hike the trail to it, and to just be present in Peru. We were both smiling as we walked into the city of Aguas Calientes feeling like something great had been accomplished.

Walking around the shops was wonderful. I really enjoyed all the colors and images throughout the city. We were on the hunt for produce to find a giant avocado. Luckily, we ran into our friends again from Taiwan and ended up finding an amazing market with produce galore. There, in the middle of the hustle and bustle of people and food stood a stand with giant avocados! We were really excited and picked out two that we would eat later at the hostel in Cusco. After saying goodbye again to our friends, we went to a few more shops and proceeded to go find the train. Chris had never ridden on a train so this was really awesome for him. We found a great spot and took some pictures, then our two friends boarded and joined us for our final hang out of this amazing trip. Everyone fell asleep and when the train stopped we were told to hustle off because the next stop was a long stretch away. Chris left his water bottle on the train and we learned to not ever rush, even if we ended up going the wrong way for hours on end. Taking the tortoise cow is our way. I hope you all have a wonderful day and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Big News!! My painting, “Machu Picchu Llamas Number 2” won Second Place in the Nevada Watercolor Society Spring Exhibition. If any of you live in Henderson, Nevada…you can check it out at the Multicultural Center!!

Machu Picchu Llamas | llama | Karen Hilliard Art | Watercolor — AVAILABLE CLICK HERE

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Tags Inca Trail, New Blog, Peru, watercolor painting

Ziplining in Peru

ris and I woke up and spent some time together, then we packed up our gear and headed out to breakfast. Everyone was already sitting and pretty much done eating when we arrived. Unfortunately we got the times mixed up and were a tad late to the party. They had all scheduled zip lining and we were not originally going with them. As we all sat around chatting with one another, they convinced us to join them, and we were so glad we ended up going. What an adventure!

Everyone waited for us to finish ordering and eating. They all got hot beverages to sip and enjoy so we felt relaxed instead of rushed. Again, we could not have gotten placed with a better group of people. All the other groups we saw had tired tourists with sores all over their legs from bugs and bushes. The other adventure enthusiasts said their guides had such a quick pace that they could hardly keep up! Needless to say we were so grateful to have Papi as our guide. He was so patient and waited for all of us to go at our own pace, take pictures, and talked us into pretty much all the excursions. When we finished eating, we were on our way to a great experience.

Upon arriving at the zipline course we saw a foosball table. Everyone in our group had a turn as we waited to sign up for the ziplining. There were 3 lines we were going to try and one was super long and the other very fast. The first one was a warm up to get to the longer one’s destination. Chris got the nickname superman after the second one. He decided to try the monkey pose where the person on the zipline is upside down hanging from their waste harness. He thought our guide said to pull up after he saw the river and there was a grave misunderstanding. As I saw him plummeting to his beheading I threw my arms up and screamed “pull up!” Well, he could not hear me because he was too far away and he just gave me a thumbs up, like yes, this is fun! He pulled his head up at the last second, literally, and I almost watched him get beheaded on our honeymoon. The others in our group got it all on tape which was nice because he did not believe us until he saw it. So the name stuck and he became Superman for the remainder of our trip and still to this day. If you ever go ziplining please double check with your guide on what they say to do.

At the end of the last line, our friend tripped over a rock and hurt herself. She had to go to the hospital and Papi had to give us to another guide. This is why I told you all about the other guides and he was no different. The pace was fast and tiring but Chris made sure we went at our speed and stopped for breaks. He said, they won’t leave us here, Papi will be mad. Papi was scheduled to meet us at the entrance to Matchu Picchu and he told this guide we better all arrive in one piece, and we did. So we continued to take breaks but did not meander as much or take as many photos for the last stretch to Aguas Calientes. I feel we took plenty though and had an amazing time. We were glad because everyone in our group decided to stick together and make the guide wait for us so none of us got left behind. They were wonderful people.

Have a Marvelous Monday and thank you for reading! Tomorrow will be about the walk back to Cusco! If you would like to read about our time at Machu Picchu, you can click on previous blogs! All on the Inca Trail.

-Karen Hilliard

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Machu Picchu Llamas Number 1 | Karen Hilliard Art | Watercolor | Original Art | Tiny Paintings — AVAILABLE CLICK HERE

The other blog on Machu Picchu is “Love for Peru” where I write about my experience with llamas! Check it out.

Tags New Blog, Peru, watercolor painting

Santa Teresa Hot Springs

Finally reaching our destination for ultimate relaxation was wonderful. There were showers where we could rinse off before getting into the magical waters. The divine hot springs of Santa Teresa were there for years prior, and in our lifetime they had been sectioned off by mankind into various size pools for the enjoyment of humans. We were grateful to relax and rejuvenate after a very long hike through the jungle.

Our entire group got ready and went into the waters while Chris and I sat outside of them and waited. The lighting was perfect and the sun was ready to go and sleep behind the mountains. I had a little bit of time to create a painting in my travel sketchbook so I decided to enjoy that moment before dipping into the hot springs. Chris chose to hang out with me and talk to me while I painted. The rest of our group soon realized I was an artist and it became a point of interest in every stop we had after this.

When the painting was finished, Chris and I went into the waters and just looked at each other with a smile on our faces. It was a magical moment for sure. One of those times where everything just felt right, calm, peaceful, and yet exciting all at the same time. When we all got out and the sun had set, we finished the day in Santa Teresa. Our sleeping arrangements that night were wonderful and the group decided to give Chris and I a room to ourselves. Papi and the wonderful people chose to gift us a private room for the rest of the trip as a honeymoon gift. They were all super kind and this was an amazing experience for Chris and I. We slept so good and woke up, joined everyone for breakfast at a local restaurant, and got to walk around the town for a bit.

Inca Trail Series 1 Number 1 | Karen Hilliard Art | Peru — AVAILABLE CLICK HERE

I hope you all have a marvelous Monday. Here are the paintings in this Inca Trail Series so far…Number 1 is from Blog, “Trekking to Santa Teresa.” Number 2, is a work in progress. Number 3 is from Blog “Delicious Fruit.” Number 4 is from Blog “Hot Springs.” Thank you for traveling around Peru with us, reading these blogs, and next week we will take you on our zip lining adventure! Have a wonderful weekend!

-Karen Hilliard

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Tags New Blog, Peru, watercolor painting

Adventures on the Inca Trail…

Part Two

After taking our moment to relax by the river it was time to trek onward. One girl from our group took off at a very brisk pace to get her workout in so our guide kept up with her, and the rest of us meandered about until we met up with them. We kept a nice relaxing pace so we could take in our surroundings. The smell of fresh water hitting the rocks and the breeze of the trees in the air was magical. All of us helped each other over large boulders and made sure each person did not slip in the wet rocks. It was quite an adventure in many ways leading up to the lovely way to cross the river.

As we approached our guide, we got our bearings and faced a wire pulley system. There was a person at the end on the other side of the river sending the swing back to where we were. It was a two person swing, no more, no less. The weight was to be distributed perfectly. What we did not know was how fast we were going to fly across the river. Chris and I managed to get a quick picture of our boots crossing the river to remember the experience. Since he and I were so tall they instructed us to keep our feet raised in the air the entire way. They said this was the only way to ensure we would not break our legs at the end due to all the rocks. Well, raising the legs as high as we could, using our core muscles, and holding hands…we crossed the river on a “swing” pulley system. We both laughed as we landed on the other side since it was a sharp, abrupt stop.

We got out with shaky legs and hands to find another hike ahead to the hot springs. There was a very tall tunnel we had to walk through and it was nice to see the light at the end of it. Luckily, we brought our headlamps so it all worked out. As we neared the sunshine we saw creatures in the distance and were met by some beautiful wild horses. They were dark umber and raw sienna in color and looked completely content around people. Behind them we saw a gravely trail and were told it led right up to the hot springs. The hike to the magical waters was exaggerated and we came upon them quite quickly. After taking photographs of the horses from a safe distance, we walked on through beautiful mountains to take a soak in some lovely natural springs. Friday, I will take you into Santa Teresa and write about our ziplining experience. Stay tuned, and have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Here are the paintings in this Inca Trail Series so far…Number 1 is from Blog, “Trekking to Santa Teresa”. Number 2, is a work in progress. Number 3 is from Blog “Delicious Fruit.” Number 4 is from Blog “Hot Springs.” Number 5 is from Blog “Climb to Machu Picchu.”

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Tags New Blog, Peru

Adventures on the Inca Trail

Part One

The hike along the trail was a stimulus of all our senses. The sun was bright overhead and shining it’s warmth down upon us. We were blessed with cool weather which was nice since we wore long pants, long sleeved mosquito repelling shirts, and hats with a sun brim. REI in the United States is a magical place to shop for any outdoor excursion needs. We found everything we needed there right before we left. We were confident in our hiking boots and they kept us blister free the entire time in Peru and beyond. The brand we chose was Solomon. They were and are very comfortable to hike in. Our feet were very dry in the boots and water did not get in when we hiked through streams or rivers. I was super happy to photograph our boots on the Inca Trail for our memory book.

The hike had many down and uphill gradient changes with steep stairs in certain sections. The trail was carved out nicely through the forest due to many people walking on it. We loved that everyday was a workout and found everything in Peru eventually went up. The stairs to climb had very high steps which I will write more about in my blog on Machu Picchu when we get there. For now, I will stick focus on our hike to the hot springs. Before we could reach the springs, we stopped for extra water and some souvenirs along the mountain pass. These Peruvian People put a little store on the trail for tourists to take a break and it was lovely. We got to see what happens to a Poinsettia Plant when given the opportunity to grow naturally and not trimmed down. They are huge, and look like trees filled with red or pink leaves, depending on the type of Poinsettia. After this sweet little stop, we traveled on to have lunch at a local restaurant right on the river.

Exotic Flower. Peru Series Number 2 — AVAILABLE CLICK HERE

We set our small backpacks down in the restaurant and had some time before food was served. As we walked around the perimeter of the building we came across hammocks the owners hung outside for weary travelers to take a nap in. It was lovely to take a break and listen to the roar of the river alongside the hammocks. We also spied a beautiful green grasshopper bug inside of a brightly pink colored flower. I wanted to share this little guy with you all again! When we were finished walking around the food was also finished being prepared. All of us gathered and sat at the table and were served to eat family style to just grab what we wanted to eat. It was a wonderful middle of the hike and we all just wanted to stay and lay in the hammocks for several hours, but we had to trek on to Santa Teresa.

Have a Wonderful Weekend and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Karen Hilliard Art | Watercolor Painting | Inca Trail Number 2 — **AVAILABLE CLICK HERE**

Tags Inca Trail, New Blog, watercolor painting

Eco Hostel in Peru

We stayed at an amazing Eco Hostel in the Mountains on our way to Machu Picchu. Lunch was wonderful and each dish had flavors abound just by incorporating different vegetables. We were fascinated that no spices were used, just the natural palette of a garden variety. As we ate our meal, we were told about the history of the hostel in the mountains. How every item needs to be carried up the long trail as no vehicles can drive on such narrow paths. This hostel was such a lovely experience. We had our own room and a community shower beneath us. We slept high in the mountain range and woke up staring at the most amazing view of the clouds rolling over the mountain. The people at this Eco Hostel were super friendly and had us help make dinner. I got to peel the potatoes while the guinea pigs ran around my feet collecting scraps. Such pleasant sounds were coming out of these tiny creatures while we were making supper. They are also wonderful little garbage disposals. Luckily, there were no guinea pigs on their menu even though it is a delicacy in Peru.

Llama from Peru/Karen Hilliard Art/Machu Picchu/Llama — PRIVATE COLLECTION

Chris and I were served llama so I scraped mine on to his plate while no one was looking. I made sure to do this in segments so it looked like I was eating it. Did not want to be rude. These people walked all this food up the mountain to their hostel just to feed us. The garden items were grown on site. They also made us fresh coffee in the morning from beans they roasted and ground themselves. It was delicious. While we had our morning coffee, our tour guide wanted to decorate our faces with pollen from a local flower. He said it also would deter any biting bugs. I would have been the first in the chair if I had heard him first. Bugs bite me all the time and I did not want any mosquito bites in South America while hiking through the rainforest. I put pictures of my and Chris’s “face paint” here in the blog. After we both got these drawn on us, we were shown some lovely handmade jewelry. This post backtracks a bit but I wanted you to all understand why I could not eat the llamas. They were everywhere and just had the sweetest faces.

The owners brought out their handmade items on boards and explained they made these to help them be able to afford food for their guests. We bought two friendship bracelets and two necklaces we wore the entire trip. Peru happened in the summer of 2017 and I just wiggled my bracelet off in April of 2023. This bracelet still had not fallen off even when my dog ate one of the connecting strings. I did not bring my wedding ring on this trip, so for me, this bracelet symbolized my and Chris’s bond. I am so glad I let the woman tie the bracelet on because I did not want it to fall off, and it never did! After we purchased these very sentimental items, it was time to depart. We reluctantly left the slice of heaven, high in the sky on the Inca Trail, to walk on to Machu Picchu with the understanding there would be more cities and stops on the way.

I hope you all enjoyed this blog. Thank you for reading and have a Wonderful Wednesday!!

-Karen Hilliard

If you would like to, please leave your Social Media handle on the “Buy me a Coffee” page so I can thank you in my Instagram/Facebook Stories! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your support!

Tags New Blog, Peru