Tag: watercolor painting

These Precious Moments

Bountiful rejuvenation happens in the desert after moderate levels of rainfall. The luscious green plants spring up all throughout the land. Some may say, there is nothing as far as the eye can see, but I see everything! The ankle breaking cholla cactus that drops its seeds everywhere are quite interesting. The dog has to learn to avoid such plants. Some plants are friendly to the touch and tickle our palms as we walk by. Our daughter loves reaching out and feeling trees or bushes so I am constantly on the lookout for thorns or unfriendly protective plants while hiking in the desert. This plant was lovely and she really enjoyed the texture. It had yellow and green leaves and was set inside a crevice of sandstone. Plants amaze me how they can grow in cracks. They are so resilient.

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | These Precious Moments

I have been working on this small sketchbook of our hikes and backpacking trips for her memories. Hopefully, as she ages, she can look back and remember some of our wonderful moments outside. So much happens out there. This sketch is from hiking at Red Springs in Calico Basin. The parking lot is the turn off right before the loop of Red Rock Canyon and it is free to hike Red Springs. A natural spring! There is also sport and trad climbing right near the parking lot. The boulder field is up a ways and past the houses. It is a great out and back day hike and wonderful for children. They get to run around, climb, and explore what looks like another planet. I hope you all get a chance to go and if you need any more information, I linked it here! May your Monday night be magical and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, red rock canyon, watercolor painting

Play Time

Traveling from California forests to Nevada deserts was a huge climate change for our little one. Not only were there vast topography changes but also stimulation and shifts due to weather differences. In California we had the cold, wet, damp, and dewy mornings combined with rain. This led to luscious forest growth and green all around us under the redwoods. In the desert we shared moments of sand running through our fingers and staying in the crevices of the lines in our hands. Both climates were cool, however, California had a bit more of a chill due to the coastal midst. Hiking in the desert is also magical how quickly the temperature can drop once the sun sets behind the mountains. Both states shared a winter chill that our daughter and I enjoyed. We both love wearing hats so it was nice to be able to share fun memories with our knitted wear.

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Day Hike — AVAILABLE CLICK HERE

Today we hiked the beautiful Red Rock Canyon here in Nevada. This place used to feel like our backyard as we were a bit closer and now it is a journey. Luckily, it makes the hiking there all the more wondrous and enjoyable. Sharing these moments with a toddler is a completely different experience than how my husband and I used to run 4 to 6 miles in a short amount of time. Now, the time is still the same, yet the distance may not even equate to a mile. Immediately out of the backpack, her hands glide into the sediments below her feet and around her being. The smile on her face illuminates everything and everyone on the trail. I love how when people see a baby they immediately smile and wave, or say hello. At least, out in nature this has been a welcoming experience. While greeting every human and dog on the trail, we were also fascinated by animal poop, wild plants, and above everything…rocks. More will be shared this week in future blogs so stay tuned and stay safe out there! Thank you for reading and I hope you all had a marvelous Monday.

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, red rock canyon, watercolor painting

Winter Solstice

The shortest of days and longest of nights is upon us! Winter Solstice has come and with it the first day of winter. A time to celebrate the return of the sun and the welcoming of warmth returning. My family and I celebrated this magical day with a hike, a meal, and reflection on everything important to us. We dried oranges to decorate our home while giggling and enjoying each other’s company. Our first attempt at a sugary delicious Yule Log was a success and the fire was lit in our fireplace. This is a time of year to remember those who are important and reach out to loved ones with open arms. We are fortunate to have many wonderful people in our lives and each one fills us with gratitude for their existence. The wonderful experiences I have with those around me really sparks the fire of my artistic journey. Today was about appreciation for loved ones and reminders were all around.

The hike was lovely with the sun shining overhead. The dog had a blast and was in full protection mode for our little one. Even though the parents were both there to watch out for her, he only left her side to fetch a stick. Keeping a watchful eye at all times, the stick was quickly dropped the second she even stumbled. He is an amazing dog and we are blessed to have him. Our daughter loved feeling the sediments between and beneath her fingers. Climbing up and down sand drifts as well as rocky paths were her favorite on this day. My husband and I just enjoyed the ambiance around us and carried it with us back to our homestead where we created some magic. Twinkle lights, orange slices, crafts, food, and more, illuminated our day with light. This solstice has been a wonderful start to an exciting new journey. I love the idea of rebirth associated with the return of the sun. Did any of you celebrate? If so, what did you do? Also, I made candied oranges which have a nice association with St. Nicholas and the gold coins he gave away, along with chocolate. Gift giving this time of year is by far my favorite. Thank you for reading and I hope you had a serene Saturday!!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

“Juliet’s Fall”

Here they are! The new Tiny Painting Series, “Juliet’s Fall.” I wrote about these little color wonders in my previous blogs “Fall Season,” and in “Chestnuts” I gave a glimpse of one of the other paintings with Fall foliage. The colors of this series brought such joy to my studio and warmth to my home. I wrote in my Newsletter about how I envisioned knitting sweaters, hand warmers, and scarves while possibly sipping tea or coffee. Going from the “Pumpkins 2024 Series” to “Juliet’s Fall” was a wonderful transition from October to November for me. These new paintings focusing mainly on leaves and season changes reminded me of our last days at the Pumpkin Patch at Gilcrease Orchard. Watching the vines and leaves descend due to people choosing their pumpkins and also because of heat exhaustion, was an interesting change to experience from the year before. The pumpkin Patch was much cooler last year than this one and we could really see the difference in pumpkins this year from the year prior. They have been ripening sooner than expected and many meals have been made already! The Pumpkin paintings have filled my home with new colors thank the year before and inspired those deep orange hues for the new Fall pieces as well.

I released the paintings in my Newsletter as well along with the New larger painting I have been working on, still a work in progress. You can find out more about that painting by signing up for my Newsletter…just an email from me to you every month with new artwork, and a friendly hello! In this blog, I am diving a bit deeper into the inspiration for these smaller works. Juliet, the photographer, is a wonderful person who fills the world with color and light. She is also an amazing mother with fantastic children who bring light to this world as well. Juliet is honest, hard working, brilliant, and has a warm glow about her. She can talk with anyone and treats everyone with respect. I wanted to honor her personality in these Tiny Paintings. It was a challenge to create smaller bits and pieces of this beautiful lady’s persona and hopefully you can feel her light shining through to all of you. I will be adding more paintings to this series, and they will all look different than the ones posted. Wishing you all a Fabulous Friday and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

Trials and Tribulations

I have been through many trials and tribulations throughout my life and I am a huge fan of the trials. Focusing on the trying aspect of many ventures has helped me through any type of discomfort. If I am writing about art, since this is an art post, I would focus on the many attempts for each painting, drawing, sketch, etc. There is such a joy in the build up of what an art project will eventually turn into. Most of the time, I love to just start with a dot or a line and see where it will take me. There are many mess ups, mistakes, or as Bob Ross put it, “Happy Little Accidents.” Life boils down to how we look at things and what perspective we are seeing each moment with. The movie, “The Choice,” adapted from the book by Nicholas Sparks, explains this in a lovely way. Life comes down to choices. The mom in Bridgerton spoke to her daughter about love being a choice, which I find to be a wonderful description of life and love. We choose how we perceive everything that comes our way. How long to give it space in our thoughts, bodies, etc. A hard concept to wrap the mind around most of the time, but an amazing concept of confidence non the less. Sometimes working through things daily, hourly, minute by minute, can become a necessity. So…back to how this relates to art.

Karen Hilliard Art | Redwoods - Lighting the Way | Watercolor and Ink — **SOLD**

My mind can get caught up in details and lost in them at the same time. In the past, if something did not look just right, it weighed on my thought process. Now, I don’t really have the time for this circle or merry-go-round so to speak. With such a limited amount of time, I have to focus on what I want to accomplish minute by minute. The most important part of my day is now a tiny human and I do not have the luxury of getting lost in certain mindsets. I am grateful everyday for the new perspective of “slow down, enjoy it!” Each painting has now become more free and has a bit of air to them. Now, I let the paint tell me where it wants to go…even on a portrait which could be quite scary or nerve-wracking. A whole new thought process of choice. Choosing to let go and find comfort in the uncomfortable. I love my tight style of detail oriented pieces as well as my more recent loose ink and watercolor paintings I have been creating. They are still highly detailed as well, just a bit more play with water. Smaller works are more suitable for the time I have allotted presently. While I long to work on larger pieces, I am grateful for any moment at my art table. I had no idea where I was going with this post when I started to write. Trying to keep up with the consistency of my blog and social media is a whole different story for another time. As for now, I enjoy the trials of everyday life and look forward to lessons I can learn. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful Wednesday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

Pumpkin Patch

Days at the pumpkin patch have been filled with happiness and wonder. Walking into Holvrease and getting greeted by the staff with such joy is a great experience and sets the mood for a fun filled day! Meandering along the path to the pumpkins and choosing a wheelbarrow to collect our treasures also brings a smile to our faces. From the moment we enter to the moment we leave the Patch is full of possibilities. I love watching our daughter run her fingers through the dirt, collect it, and watch it float in the air through her fingertips. Children truly are fascinating. These years of wonder are filled with whimsy and a sparkling personality is being formed.

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Pumpkin Patch

Karen Hilliard Art | Pumpkins 2024 Number 10 — AVAILABLE CLICK HERE!

The pumpkin series holds so many meanings for me. Each one wrapped in my memories of where we picked the pumpkin, the weather during the day as it has been vastly different, and the people we were with upon choosing the pumpkin. We think of what good we will create when I finish a painting and the pumpkin is ready to carve. We have made soup, gnocchi, bread, and scones so far. Last year we attempted chocolate chip pumpkin cookies which came out nice but way different than the recipe. So each pumpkin in the “Pumpkins 2024 Series” holds a special place in my mind. Every painting I create does actually since most are from nature and an experience in my life. The memories of going to the Pumpkin Patch with sisters, nieces, friends, cousins, and our loved ones will live in these paintings for all time. I hope these pumpkins bring you joy and a bit of whimsy. What a wonderful world we live in. Thank you for reading and have a marvelous Monday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, Pumpkin Patch, watercolor painting

Apple Cider Cookies

The cookies were a big hit!! Children and Adults loved them! The aroma filled our home with the scent of fresh picked apples right from the farm. Sheffield “Apple Pie Spice” is a lovely blend of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, Ginger, and Cloves. This was our free gift when we purchased our teas a couple of weeks ago. The shop owner also gave us a little recipe card for their “Caramel Apple Cookies” which would have made three dozen cookies if made correctly. The recipe is linked above which is free on their website, and I also linked their pie spice which you can order if you would like to purchase it. I used one rounded teaspoon instead of maybe two per cookie and they were a bit more bite sized than the picture showed. My brown sugar was all clumped (afterwards I added an apple slice to help fix this situation) and I think I ended up using one cup of Brown Sugar instead of the Cup and a Quarter Cup the recipe called for. Everyone seemed to like the smaller portions that added a nice pop of flavor to all of our palettes. I think I will use one rounded teaspoon when I make these cookies in the future as well.

Karen Hilliard Art | Blog | Apple Cider Cookies

Karen Hilliard Art | Pumpkins 2024 Number 6 — **AVAILABLE** CLICK HERE

My family was in town to go to the Pumpkin Patch at Gilcrease Orchard with us and I wanted to make something special for the kids. Pumpkin Soup was a give in and some sourdough with pumpkin added to it accompanied the soup nicely. The cookies were an afterthought because the Orchard also makes delicious apple and pear cider which we had on hand in our fridge. I thought the cider would go nicely in the cookie recipe and substituted it for the apple juice. Each cookie had the delicious flavor of the cider and the kids ended up enjoying the apple cider at the orchard the next day as well. I did not make the Caramel frosting for the cookies but will definitely be trying this next time. If you end up frosting the cookies with the Sheffield recipe, please let me know in the comments, or by contacting me, how they turn out. I would love some feedback. Baking sure does bring everyone together and warms the home in such a wonderful way. I hope you all have a Soulful Sunday and thank you for reading my blogs!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags Apple Cider, New Blog, Pumpkins, watercolor painting

The Art of Whimsy

Karen Hilliard Art Blog | Pumpkins 2024 | Pumpkin Paintings — AVAILABLE

Karen Hilliard Art | Pumpkins 2024 Series Number 1 — AVAILABLE

Whimsical is defined as playful or amusing, also as appealing. This pumpkin series is meant to bring a jovial jive so they dance through the minds of each viewer and take each person to a land of wonderment. The land of awe where anything is possible and the world is full of all the colors on the spectrum. There is a play of light and dark throughout this series including various undertones with different techniques. Water play and detailed brushwork went hand in hand with each piece and the ink came at the beginning, middle, and end. Every time I look upon these pumpkins, I am transported back in time to happy memories of holidays with my family and the warmth this time of year brings. These colorful wonders also ground me into the present moments I am having with my little family at the Pumpkin Patch and watching our daughter explore the natural world. The paintings also give me hope for our future and dreams we have coming into fruition. Consistently putting in the time, hard work, and dedication needed for these goals to become a reality. This series is definitely a fun project for me.

Every year the pumpkins we choose change yet we always try to find the majority for eating. We cook soup, scones, breads, etc. If you have a recipe or a link to one, please share it in the comments below. The previous blog Pumpkin Soup was supposed to be about soup, yet, as writing is a form of art, it took two directions. That blog became one of hope for others and an outstretched hand. This blog comes back to the original sentiment of the series and the loveliness I am trying to spread in the world, one painting at a time. Whimsy means fanciful, which is in one’s imagination, and behavior for which we act. These paintings are a glimpse inside my mind which is a spider web of wondrous thoughts, hopes, and dreams. Each brush stroke, dot of the paintbrush, or pen is a thought from me to you. I see many different images in the lines of my creations and usually am smiling the whole time while working on these fun little pumpkins. I occasionally have a determined or concentrated look on my face and then a chuckle comes from my mouth while the water flows its own way again. These little pieces are meant to bring magic and humor into your life and to be viewed with whimsy. I love how each painting is unique and not one is painted the same!

Wishing you all a Wonderful Weekend! Thank you for reading.

-Karen Hilliard

SOLD!

Tags New Blog, Pumpkin Spice, Pumpkins, watercolor painting

Pumpkin Soup

Italian Seasoning with Thyme and Rosemary filled the air around my house while I walked our dog. I drifted back to childhood memories of my Grandfather and all of his stories blanketed me under the stars. As we walked the third lap and it was nearing 9pm, I smiled with the mere thought that the smell was coming from my home. My husband carved one of the Gilcrease Pumpkins tonight and I boiled the flesh of the squash. The red pumpkin ended up being really soft and when blended into a purée, it turned more into a soup, so I decided to make soup. While it simmered I was thinking about the sales of the recent “Pumpkins 2024 Series Number 2” and “Number 8,” and feeling overjoyed at this time of year. A time for family, friends, and loved ones to come together and share hearth and home. I also thought of those who feel alone at this time of year, and hoped if they saw these colorful paintings that the artwork may bring a smile to their faces. A warm hug, an outstretched hand possibly, to know they are not alone. I hope this series brings whimsy and color into people’s homes and hearts.

Here are a few more of these pumpkins to view. October is becoming one of my favorite months and the Fall season is as well. Thanksgiving truly was not really a great time of year for me until I met my husband and his joy of cooking inspired my own. Even around many people, I still felt alone and misunderstood at times. Growing up as an artist can create a lot of different emotions at once, and I felt all over the place with many thoughts. Usually what I wanted to create next, yet did not know how to express these ideas. My recent series on the Redwoods touch on Togetherness especially for this time of year. I was fortunate to keep my wonderment from childhood alive and well as I grew and evolved. This “Pumpkins 2024 Series” reaches out with color and liveliness. These pumpkins are meant to spread jovial energy and happiness this time of year. I hope this post finds you well and if you feel lost, please reach out to someone, you are not alone. If you know someone who feels lonely this time of year, please reach out to them as well. Every time my Grandpa called me on the phone I would say, thanks for calling. He always replied, “Thank you for picking up. If you didn’t there would be no conversation.” Thank you for reading and have a wonderful Wednesday!

-Karen Hilliard

“A true selfless act always sparks another.”

~Klaus

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

Pumpkins 2024

A walk in the pumpkin patch for our child to embrace nature and for us to collect pumpkins for cooking, also created something marvelous. These days with our daughter, family, and friends inspired my new series of paintings, “Pumpkins 2024.” I wanted to incorporate the absolute joy of wonder experienced when we watched our daughter explore the fields, run her fingers through the dirt, watch bees work doing their magic, and choose her first pumpkin of the season. We were fortunate to have her Godmother, also her auntie, visit and help her choose this pumpkin two years in a row! The Pumpkin Patch is more than just holiday joy for us, we choose the best pumpkins we can find for baking and cooking. Art is about trying new things and reaching outside the lines of being boxed in. Each year the soup, scones, and whatever else we make with the pumpkins, all taste entirely different. Making mistakes always creates happiness in this home. While watching children explore and wonder, I went into a whimsical world myself. We ended up finding some really great pumpkins this year and the paintings represent the actual pumpkin with a twist to leave every viewer pondering. What do you see in these pumpkins? What do they make you think about?

The colors are vastly different and make me think of the leaves changing and Fall arriving in the forest. Watching the leaves fall to the ground to become compost for new life is fascinating. The orange hues and accents of browns throughout this season bring warm thoughts and make me think about the sun. I added yellow to each pumpkin in order to represent sunlight. My husband pointed out how the leaves were wilting in the sun and would perk back up at night when the weather cooled. The one thing about living in the desert is the heat. It almost feels year round these days. The Pumpkin Patch at Gilcrease Orchard was very warm by nine and ten o’clock in the morning. We love going to Gilcrease because it is very family friendly and they have wonderful food, along with a live band on the weekends. Going as early as possible is the best time to beat the heat and crowds of people if you would like to get those awesome family photos every year. I will be writing more about the Orchard and our experiences while spreading joy with this new series in the next few blog posts. Thank you all for reading and I hope you have a Marvelous Monday! Spread that sunshine!!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, pumpkin paintings, watercolor painting