Walking in Different Worlds

I walk in many worlds. One I visit often is the place I am surrounded by with the dry desert air and beautiful sunsets on the horizon. Another is my childhood memories calling me home and longing for the coastal scenes from California. As for my paintings, I think recently there has been a little back and forth amongst the desert scenery and the tall trees of my homeland. After working on the detailed piece “Resolute Protector,” from Grove of Old Trees in California, I needed to relax with some Tiny Paintings. The series took on a life of its own after I went to the Sunflower Fields with my family. I became fascinated with the flowers and the insects working hard at their daily tasks. One of the 4” x 4” paintings I did was of a bee whose wings were quite on the way out and I wondered how long their life would be. What have they been through, I thought? How many times were they out after sundown and could not get back to the hive? Did they have to wait for the dew to dry and is that why their wings looked so tattered or were they attacked by another insect like the green beetles flying about?

My husband had other thoughts because some of the beetles were hanging out closely together. The males and females if you know what I mean. He had funny questions we discussed over the breakfast burritos after we walked the fields of Gilcrease Orchard. So the world I walk in currently is one of flowers, heat, rock formations, and some trees located on Mt. Charleston. I tell you all of this because my blogs may be a bit all over the place in the coming months. I will go back and forth from my new body of work on the Redwoods and my deep love for the desert as well. Mt. Charleston is home to Bristlecone, Ponderosa, and other pines as well as oak, and manzanita trees. To say that I am overstimulated would be about on point. My next Newsletter should have my new rock piece and Redwood pieces finished. We shall see. I feel like a very little busy bee these days…at least in my mind art wise. Now, to find the time between making food, cleaning the home, and hiking the trails, to actually sit down and paint! Watch for videos and blog posts. They are coming!

Thank you for reading and have a fantastic Friday!

-Karen Hilliard