Tag: watercolor painting

Butterscotch

The feel of the Bristlecone trees sculpted by wind and rain is smooth and cool to the touch. One post did not seem like enough of a story about my love for the trees growing on Mt. Charleston. They are pure joy to my sense of vision and I cannot get enough of them. The hike up North Loop trail could be considered moderate to extreme depending on the weather the day of the hike. Climbing up this mountain in the snow is a bit treacherous and it is important to have the right gear and know the trail very well. Luckily we have an amazing dog who is an excellent trail guide! Also, we have hiked the switchback mountain pass many times. I absolutely love the views up there and this one plateau where we relax before going up the ultra steep parts. On our way up, we stop and smell as many Ponderosa Pines as possible.

Bristlecone Pine Series 1 #2 • Nature Watercolor Painting • Karen Hilliard Art — CLICK HERE FOR PRINTS AND ORIGINALS

These majestic trees smell of Butterscotch if you ever get the chance to take a whiff. I highly recommend it. A dear friend of ours taught us about this on my first hike with her, on this very trail. We later learned about how the color of the bark changes when it is struck by lightning and how orange it can get. These trees are tall and fascinating. They remind me of the redwoods in California or the giant Sequoias, however, not as tall. They are the closest tree I can get to feeling home out here in the desert. This is probably why I like this trail so much, because it feels like home. The smells up the path are out of this world and there is hardly anyone hiking on it when we go. Hoping this post inspires you all to get outside and adventure in your own home towns, cities, countries, etc. We have a beautiful world out there and it is just waiting to be seen. Thank you for reading and have a Happy Weekend! Oh, and another dear friend bought me my first coffee! I will tag her on Facebook. Truly thankful for all of you reading these blogs and following my art journey. Thank you for inspiring me daily!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

Marvelous Mountain in the Desert

Bristlecone pine along the trails on mount Charleston are sculpted by wind and rain. For example, when hiking the north loop trail in Cayo canyon, you will find beautiful sculptures at the top near Raintree, a very old bristlecone pine, she stands alone. On the way to her majestic beauty, you can find many sculptures of these trees leading the way to her. I’ve done a small series of artwork on these very trees, because they are incredibly captivating. The colors vary depending on how high the sun is in the sky, if there is an overcast on the day of picture taking, and also depending on my mood while hiking. Sometimes I use a hint of yellow, blue, orange, as well as, of course, the contrasting shadows. I love the moments under an overcast sky where a different mood blankets over the subject I am photographing. The goal of this series was to capture to mood, movement, and possible adventures of these trees. Some of them were still alive and thriving while others were existing without their protective layer of pine needles. Some of these beautiful wonders had been struck by lightning and offered even deeper color hues of inspiration. I hope these paintings spark your interest and encourage you to see the beauty of our natural world.

Bristlecone Pine Series 1 #3 • Nature Watercolor Painting • Karen Hilliard Art

Thank you for taking a walk, hike, and exploring Mt. Charleston with me. This beautiful mountain in the desert is part of the Spring Mountain Range. The Peak of Charleston itself stands at an elevation of 11,916 feet. There are many different mileage details on the internet of how long the hike is, from 16.1 to 21 miles which is a vast difference. The GO Mt. Charleston Site has the trail leading from the South loop at an 8.5 mile strenuous hike. Here is the information if you would like to go to the peak. We personally prefer the North Loop trail hike up to Rain Tree. It is a nice steep climb and lovely in all weather. You can also keep hiking to get to the summit from here. If you have a favorite hike on this mountain or surrounding areas, please leave it in the comments below.

Thank you all for reading and have a wonderful Thursday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

Juniper Trees

Juniper trees are a beautiful sight to behold out at Red Rock Canyon. Actually, anywhere in the southwest where you can adventure out into the wilderness and find one of these beautiful specimens of foliage is a real treat. The berries are actually called cones and birds eat them, they can also be used to make gin, a drink for humans. The problem with the juniper trees recently has been bird droppings, or ding, with a mistletoe seed in the poop. This then attaches to the tree and sucks the water out of the bark to grow the plant, then the mistletoe eats the tree. The mistletoe is a parasite for the trees. Out in the desert, especially where water is scarce, plants have to fight to survive, and the mistletoe is really taking over a lot of the juniper trees. While we’re out hiking, we love to find these trees and stare in awe at their beauty, always hoping to not see mistletoe. When I stop to sketch these trees I try to capture their needles and show the berries in bright colors. To me, they look like Christmas tree ornaments adorning the tree naturally. What do you see when you spot them? Have any of you seen them in real life, or just in photographs? Here are some paintings of Junipers I have done over the last few years. Let me know your thoughts on the comments!

Red Rock Canyon Greeting Cards | Karen Hilliard Art | Juniper

What are you favorite paintings out of this little collection? What is your favorite tree or bird? I have a few plain air sketches of these trees from hiking as well and fortunately none of those have mistletoe. Please do not ever eat the mistletoe or berries as they are poisonous. I will not even eat a Juniper berry/cone if the mistletoe is growing anywhere on the tree. This parasite affects the structure of the tree. It can be removed carefully and trees can be spared, however that takes a specific skill set and knowledge in that area. Please do not attempt it unless you know what you are doing. Thank you for reading and have a marvelous Monday! Be safe out there!!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, red rock canyon, watercolor painting

Desert Life

Life in the desert is harsh and wondrous at the same time. I say harsh, because the animals have to survive in such dry and air conditions. The plants are pointy, poisonous, and protect themselves with multiple layers of pins or needles. The fruit is hard to come by and the water is scarce. All of this being said, the animals thrive, and survive.

The flowers bloom in the hopes to be pollinated and if so, the wildlife will flourish. Desert Tortoise surprise me with their ability to survive. one of the slowest moving animals, yet, they hold their own with their mighty shells. these creatures need to find a water source and can fill up by eating cactus paddles. the spines of a cactus do not hinder their mighty biting abilities. This is one of the reasons why these creatures are so fascinating. Another, is that when they are babies to yearlings, they can be flipped over and a snack for birds. How do they survive? How does anything in the desert survive? Especially without water! They do however camouflage nicely into the scenery and can also appear as a rock from a birds eye view. Maybe this is how they manage to avoid being eaten. Do you have any thoughts on this subject? For now, I will just share my love for tortoises with this Tiny Painting, “Waking Up.” I wanted to give this little creature some lettuce after a long span of time hibernating. These are amazing creatures who will get to out live most of us if the conditions allow them to.

Another animal I marvel at is the Bighorn sheep. I am in awe of their rock climbing abilities and natural agility. One time I was out hiking with my dog and some friends when all the dogs spied two bighorns running atop the mountain’s ridge. They were an amazing site to behold. The dogs felt they could catch the sheep and went bounding after them, yet the bighorn were way too far away to be caught. My dog stayed by my side and watched the others in disbelief. The sheep chased each other and looked as if they were having their own battle with one another and could not be troubled by any visitors. All of this being said, please make sure to leash your dogs and be mindful of the wildlife. We are always visitors in their habitats and do not want to disturb them. My friend’s dogs quickly came back when she called them and they were leashed the rest of the hike. Always be respectful out in nature. The desert is hard enough on the indigenous species living there without the hassle from outside visitors. Thank you for reading and tried lightly this Thursday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

Mushing Through Denali

To say this was one of the best trips I have been on would be an understatement. Other than Peru with Chris, this may have been the best adventure yet! My cousins wanted to go dog mushing while in Alaska. I had no idea what was in store and I am always up for fun activities so I said let’s do it! While driving to our destination, we had to look out for Moose and make sure none were in the road. They are huge animals and can total a car. We arrived at the Earthsong Lodge early in the morning after driving quite a ways. The owner of the Dog Sled Expeditions was amazing and so was his staff. My cousin got paired with the owner, her husband with one of their friends, and I was paired with one of the staff members who now is a guide for Earthsong Lodge. Each person was wonderful and made the experience memorable. We got fitted in our warm clothes we were to wear for the duration of the trip. A giant onesie with a super warm hood, boots, and gloves. After the fitting I needed the restroom and got pointed to the outhouse. I was warned about my bottom possibly sticking to the seat so I was super careful. It did not happen, thank goodness. Using the butt flap on the clothes was quite fun though.

After airing out in the chilly morning, I stepped out of the outhouse and met up with my cousins by the dog houses. They were so small I had no idea how a dog could fit in them but they sure did. The dogs must have been super warm too with how tight their quarters were. These dogs had energy like I have never seen and I have an Australian Cattle Dog (They are nuts with boundless energy!) These dogs, the mushing dogs, wanted to go, go, go, immediately out of the gate. They were chained to their spots and were not let off until they were individually walked to the line they would be attached to. Each dog was jumping and barking with such excitement and joy. All they wanted to do was work and get the job done. It was a sight to see and very interesting to hear. This trip heightened all my senses. The sights, smells, sounds, touch, and then a nice taste of hot chocolate that the owner provided as a surprise on our trail break! All senses activated and rejuvenated.

We were split up into three sleds. Each one of us had a musher and a different amount of dogs. The leader had the most with my cousin’s husband, she and the owner were next, then I was last with the most relaxed person to mush with. He was, and is, so knowledgeable and kind. I highly recommend booking him as your guide if you are ever in his neck of the woods whilst in Alaska. So much happened on this trip that this blog needs to be separated into two different entries. We were standing around and waiting for the gentlemen, mushers, to get their gear and be ready. This did not take long because they are professional and super on top of everything. After they got us situated in our sled, they took off to get the dogs energy out a bit. While on the trail they explained the commands and told us we would be mushing on that day. We thought we were just riding in the sled, oh no, no…we were going to mush!! Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the rest of the story on Monday!!

Sled Dog — CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL PAINTING!

Have a wonderful start to December everybody. I have been working on ornaments and Christmas orders. The ornaments are below and you can click on the painting to view them individually. Also, if you would like to show support, I recently joined “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 and 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! One more bit of news…My Newsletter also went out today and the sign up is on my homepage if you are interested. I have a coupon running for everyone who has signed up. Have a wonderful weekend!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog, watercolor painting

Lights and Ice

We drove back from the Ice Show listening to music and rolling around in the back of a van, then we were greeted with a Light Show upon our return to the hostel! What an amazing sight to see those lights and that sky in person. Pictures do it justice but the overall experience of standing below them, and looking up, is truly magical. They are unworldly. I felt as if I was standing on another planet or in space. The way the auroras moved and glided through the sky like a river flowing and carving out a canyon, it was breathtaking. On that night we were blessed with green and yellow lights. After staring at them for quite a while, we decided to go back to Billie‘s, grab our cameras, and try to capture the moment. By the time we got back, the lights were very light and fuzzy so we decided to head into town and go to the local bar. We drank, we danced, and we talked all night. Then we walked back to the hostel and enjoyed each other’s company.

The next day, my cousins came back, and I told them about the show.. We all decided to go that night because they wanted to experience it. I thought it would be the same as the night before, and I was wrong. All the sculptures were there that I saw before, but something amazing happened! When the sun fell, and the night came on, the head of the ice show and the workers lit a bonfire inside a giant ice cube. It was such an amazing sight to see. I loved watching the people stand around, looking like shadow figures and the light of the fire going up into the night sky. There were no aurora borealis on this night so this was a whole other light experience. Basically, Alaska was just an experience of lights. Between the aurora borealis, the ice show, and the bonfire we were treated to amazing wonders all around.

My cousins and I walked around and found a little house made out of ice that we sat in and talked for a while at the little table that the artist made. We sat in a ice car and pretended to drive it around. My cousin threw a snowball at her husband. Then they both put their tongues on ice and stared into each others eyes, and we were all grateful that their tongues didn’t get stuck to it like in a Christmas story! Hindsight… Super glad they didn’t get stuck. My cousin did grow up in Utah, in the snow, and took survival training when she was a young girl in high school, so she knows a lot about snow and ice. She wasn’t worried. Then we just walked around and talked and had a great time and that was when the sun was still in the sky. As I said, when the night fell on, the bonfire got lit, we just stood there and stared at it in awe of where we were. Forever grateful for this life and those experiences. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful Wednesday! I have an ornament collection this year inspired by our Alaska trip. Also, if anyone would like to show support, I have joined ”buy me a coffee” recently where viewers can contribute. This small act of kindness helps keep me motivated and is much appreciated. Here is the link, and Thank you!

-Karen Hilliard

Here are the Christmas Ornaments for 2023! These have motivated me to write about my trip to Alaska, and I hope you enjoy the journey. The link to all my Tundra Collection is HERE!!

Watchful Eye | Wolf Eye | Karen Hilliard Art | Original Art | Watercolor Painting

Tags Alaska, Fairbanks, Northern Lights, watercolor painting

A Day off in Cusco

The city was even more beautiful when we arrived back at the Eco Hostel. The beds were freshly made and the blankets kept us so warm and cozy. It was nice to rest our sore muscles. We asked the staff where they got the blankets and they just said in town, so we decided to go hunt them down. We wanted one for ourselves and a gift for family members. We were allowed to carry on one bag each with Spirit Airlines so we were going to get two blankets only. We asked the person at the front desk of the hostel for directions and headed into town. We walked down the hill and turned right as the directions stated, while the night was looming overhead. Darker and darker the streets were getting due to being in the mountains. We wondered if we would find this magical shop.

We were very tired when we turned on to the shop’s street and it was a ways off. We crossed over intersections and avoided cars. On the street where the blanket would be there was wire protruding off the roof of another shop. Chris and I are tall so I almost cut my eye on it. He saw the wire and pulled me out of the way just in time. I learned at that moment to watch my step way more carefully moving forward. Getting to the shop in the distance was such a reward. The owner was an amazing and honest man. He ran a family business and his son tried to spike the price on us since we were tourists. We said the price said a lot less on the floor model and he kept telling us it was way more. We decided to only get one blanket. As he rang us up, his father came out and got very upset at his son. We ended up getting two blankets for the owner’s original set price, which was less than the price his son wanted to charge us for one. This whole blog is turning into a sales pitch for these blankets but they are worth it!! I would link it here but there is no option to purchase them online. You just have to go to Cusco and ask.

After leaving this shop we had to walk up, up, up the hill back to the hostel. As we walked we saw a store with amazing fabrics and thin ribbon stitching for bags. I wished we found this place earlier because I would have bought some fabric and made my own bag. At this point we were running low on funds and space in our rucksacks to take back home to America. I was happy just window shopping in this wonderful shop brimming with colorful dyes and textiles. Peru is such a lively place filled with various hues that play with the eye and let the imagination run wild. On Friday I will walk you through the other shops in town we went to, our souvenirs, and the flee market shenanigans. Until then, have a wonderful Wednesday. The paintings from Peru are at the bottom and all linked if you are interested. 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.”

Inca Trail | Series 1 Number 3 Inca Trail | Delicious Fruit | Passion Fruit | Peru | Karen Hilliard Art Blog

Tags New Blog, Peru, watercolor painting

Llamas and More Await!

There were llamas everywhere we looked munching on grass throughout Machu Picchu. The brown and white ones were especially interesting to look at. I was partial to my all white llama that watched me paint for 60 seconds. He was a cheery one. None of the llamas spit on us so that was nice. Did you know that in the wild they fight off predators with their talon like hooves? They are fearless!! They live in high altitudes and their coat keeps them extra warm including their long graceful necks. I decided to do a Tiny Painting watercolor series on these llamas because they were just a dream come true for me to see them.

LLAMA **ORIGINAL WATERCOLORS 10% OFF TODAY ONLY!!**

I would always see pictures of Machu Picchu with llamas walking around it in tourist photos. Seeing them has been on my bucket list for a while. Right when we entered the ruins it was super foggy and misty. Once the midst cleared we saw a brown and white llama immediately munching grass in one of the stone tiers. We were a safe distance away so I got my camera out and started snapping pictures. Chris and I are used to being super respectful of wildlife and try to never disturb them in their habitats. These llamas, however, were very used to people. As we walked up the many stairs to take more pictures of Machu Picchu, you know the classic one I posted in my last blog, there were llamas abound!

When we found an initial photo opportunity we came across three llamas lying down with their necks stretched upward eating the leaves off trees. I stopped to take a picture with them for my nephew because I got him a Machu Picchu book with a llama on the cover. After this amazing experience was complete we got our photo with the mountain behind us. We were discussing how high we would have to climb to get the ‘classic’ photo of the whole mountain and ruins together. We walked on, and up many stairs, then found the spot. That is when we ran into the other person from our group and he helped us with the photo. After this we sat and had the wonderful llama experience I shared in “Exploring Machu Picchu.” After Mr. Llama was done watching me paint, Chris and I sat together marveling at the landscape and remembering our first hike where we both said “Machu Picchu” for the place we wanted to travel the most.

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful weekend! I look forward to writing about the journey back to Aguas Calientes, the shops, and the train ride back to the hostel next week. Stay tuned…

-Karen Hilliard

10% OFF TODAY ONLY! ORIGINAL LLAMA WATERCOLORS…

Machu Picchu Llamas Number 1 | Karen Hilliard Art | Watercolor | Original Art | Tiny Paintings — CLICK ON THE PAINTING TO GO TO THE ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR!

Tags New Blog, Peru, watercolor painting

Exploring Machu Picchu

Karen Hilliard Art Blog | Machu Picchu — The Line of People to get in!!

When we finally made it to the ruins, we felt we were walking around in a time of ancient history. Wondering what each place was made from and what the people did while there. What were their celebrations like? What did they do for worship? What were their meals like and sleeping quarters? How did the children interact and play…how did they learn? Papi answered a lot of our questions on the tour but some were still nice to ponder. Chris and I walked around for some time looking for his “Stairs of Death” and we thought we found them. An area was marked off with lethal warnings of falling to one’s death so we thought that area was where the stairs were. Nope. While writing about them in my blog last week I discovered they are in Wayna Picchu.

My friend from Taiwan has been reading these blogs and she kindly shared her photographs from her hike. This is the amazing friend who fell, hurt her leg, got stitches, rode up to Machu Picchu, and then when Papi left…hiked Wayna Picchu because she is tough! Her stitches held up and she said the pain killers were working so good that she did not want to miss out. I get that. Traveling around the world to see something you may never have the chance to go back and see. She put a smile on her face and went up to the top. They saw dancers up there and the “Stairs of Death.” Here are a few pictures she took and shared with me for this blog post. I hope you enjoy them. As I mentioned, Chris and I will have to go back if he ever wants to do the stair hike. For now…let’s head back to Machu Picchu.

We found a lovely spot to take pictures and the avocado guy was nice enough to take our picture staring at the mountain. He set us up and told us where to stand, look, etc. it was nice to have the help and the pictures turned out awesome. After this I found a spot to sit and paint. Chris wandered around and found a trail for us to hike together later, then came and sat with me while I painted. The most amazing thing happened to me at that moment. He sat and a llama came over to smell my paint set. It thought it was good I guess, and then the llama sniffed my face. I kept painting and he looked at my painting, then at Machu Picchu, then at my painting, then at me. This carried on for a minute and then the llama went to Chris for food…which he did not give the llama of course. We sat for a while and just enjoyed ourselves. More to come on Friday!

Have a Wondrous Wednesday and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Here is a taste of the blog coming out Friday…What do you think it will be about?

Tags New Blog, Peru, watercolor painting

Machu Picchu in All its Glory

Reaching the top of the stairs to Machu Picchu was a huge feat. We met up with Papi and the rest of the group and then proceeded to wait in a very long and grouped up line. There were so many people! We were glad to have our guide at this point of the experience. He led us all in and told us to stop and look around for a minute to take it all in. The midst rolling over the mountains in the early morning light was magical. It felt so surreal for Chris and I and we were speechless. This is saying a lot because we talk all the time. We have spent hours in road trips cross country with no radio in just listening to one another. So, I o have no words, was wonderful. We both just stood there admiring the landscape. Everyone in the group actually, all stood in silence. Then we heard Papu’s voice in the wind.

He was ready to tell us all about where we were, the people who built Machu Picchu, what the ruins represented, and so on. He told us once we were finished with his tour there would be time to explore individually and he would be gone. We were going to miss him and his great sense of humor but we’re so grateful for the stories and lessons he shared. He took us to the mirror pools, a lookout place, explained carvings, etc. we all stood around listening in awe and wonder. I sketched in a couple of places while Papi was talking and everyone enjoyed this. At the end, we all said our goodbyes and one person from our group took a giant avocado out of his bag, then started to eat it! Chris wanted to know where he got it and that will be in a future blog!

After we were done looking at him devour an avocado, we said goodbye to the people from Taiwan and they headed up to Wayna Picchu. I will tell you about their experience in tomorrows blog along with more on my and Chris’s Machu Picchu adventure. When everyone dispersed, Chris and I had to figure out where we were going and we went the wrong way. The ruins are set up on a one way system. We did not know this and a nice gentleman kept telling us we needed to turn around. Every time we thought we were going the right way we ran into him and he said nope, in Peruvian with a lot of head shaking and pointing. Eventually we went the right direction and ended up outside the gate of Machu Picchu super sad that we could not get back in. After waiting around, we heard others talking, followed their lead, and got back in with a stamp. This time…we would not mess up! More on what we saw in tomorrow’s blog and the llamas!!!! Below are some Peru Paintings I am putting on SALE for 10% OFF as a special deal to go with these blogs!

Thank you for reading and Happy Monday!

-Karen Hilliard