Willowing Arts: A Year of Magic & Fairy Tales (January)

When I taught school, one of the older kids (a 4th grader) would come on the intercom at 8:05.  He or she would lead the whole school in the Pledge of Allegiance. That would be followed by the school creed and motto:

At Holcomb School, 

we are a diverse community 

of respectful, responsible, and creative 

life-long learners. 

Aim High!

I haven't said that sentence daily for a nearly a decade, but I think I'm holding true to being a life-long learner! 

Acrylics & paint pen

Masking fluid, watercolor, paint pen

Watercolor, paint pens, colored pencils

Watercolor, paint pens, colored pencils

Pen & ink drawing, collage, stencil, acrylic inks

Acrylics, paint pens

Art Journal Cover, gesso, acrylics, paint pen

Watercolor & salt, pencil & blending stump, splatter, gel pen

Layers of collage papers, craft paint mark making, paint pens 

My Girl

I love my job.

Ok... so it's not really a job.

I love being asked and being able to put someone's treasured image onto canvas.  I asked Dayna if she wanted to give the painting a title and write something about it.  I don't know this kitty, but I love her through Dayna's words.

15 years ago this January, I walked into the Windsor Humane Society looking to adopt a cat. Cliché as it sounds, I remember it just like yesterday. I think within minutes of meeting Harper, affectionately nicknamed ‘Lovebug’, she instantly started purring and I instantly started crying. Something just clicked in that very moment, a bond that my husband years later would refer to as my ‘outer organ’. Often, people refer to their pets as their fur babies or children and I have always thought of Harper as mine. But reflecting on our last 15 years together, I now realize that she’s truly mothered me over every one of those years instead. She was my only friend when I found my new footing in a completely new life across the country from anyone I knew. It was her that would give me all the kisses and head butts after a hard day at university or an awful day at work. She’s laid motionless by my side when I would have migraines that would take me out for days, been my ‘something to hold on for’ for years of depression and mental health challenges and still harasses me when I spend too much time in my office or away from her when I must travel. She’s my shadow, my moufette, the pookster, the Harpster…she’s my girl. 

This is not this kitty's first time to appear on my canvas. if you look really closely... back there in the trees... zoom in... at the base of the third tree from the left... Ah ha!!! There she is!

Original Oil Painting on 9"x 12" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Pretty Pink Daisies

 

The cards have spoken...

Bloom... Magenta... Add More Texture

✓... ✓... ✓...

This was  good time to try out my new "stuff."

Here's where I'd like to say how much I loved using it and how it made the paint thick and able to hold rich textures with swipes of the palette knife.  I'd like to say how it was so fun to use and I can't wait to use it again.

But...

It didn't really seem to do much of anything. Hmmm... I'll give it another try soon. 

These pink daisies (coneflowers?) grew in the back yard of my parents home.

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 8" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Willowing Arts: A Year of Magic Taster Sessions (11-20)

More lessons... more fun... more surprises...

Watercolor & Pen
Gathering (fairy) inspiration from what might be outside in the yard

Acrylics
Using only 4 colors: 2 browns, red, white

Colored Pencils

Craft Paint

Acrylic on paper, then gesso over negative space

Collaged notecards, then ink over negative space.
Story cards, showing what 's personally important.

Watercolor in blobs then inks to find floral possibilities.

Markers, overlapping doodling

Gesso mixed with baby powder
Applied then scratched to remove creating runes

Collage with acrylic, papers, stencils, pictures, doily
Let some images/words escape the border of the picture

I Like... (12/25)

Thank you to Leeanne of Not Afraid of Color for reminding me to notice things I like. 
Click on HER BLOG to see what positive things others like. 

I like having chickens in the backyard.

i like having friends over for a paint night.

I like tomatoes from the garden.  These are the last ones of the season to ripen.
That's it until next summer!

I like watching an amaryllis bloom in winter.

I like making a little Blurb book each year to show all the paintings I've done.
Click HERE if you want to see.  After it opens, click "Preview" then click on
the corner to flip through the pages.  

 I like our new bird feeder.  It shows us birds who've been visiting.  

It also tells what kind of bird and how often they've visited.

  but it didn't recognize this species...

Red Poppies

I wanted to do one more painting before bringing 2025 to a close.  How about some bright red poppies!  I've done similar paintings before and find this style very satisfying to work on and to look at.

Also, I got to visit the Blick Art store in Kansas City and wanted to try out some of my new playthings.  I got a little jar of Gamblin Cold Wax Medium.  It says it's "...made from 100% beeswax... holds the thickest and sharpest marks... for artists interested in creating bold texture...." Now, how could I have left that on the store shelf?!

When I put the tip of my palette knife in to take a bit out, it reminds me of a tiny jar of Crisco shortening.  For this painting, I added a little dollop of it to each of my paint colors.  Yes!  There's so much texture on this one!  I can hardly wait until it's dry enough to run my fingers across it. (Am I the only person who has to remind myself in museums that I mustn't touch because it's highly frowned upon there? I think not.)  I'm going to enjoy this one for as long as it gets to hang on one of my walls. I'm going to enjoy seeing it, and in a week or so I'll enjoy touching it.

Original Oil Painting on 11"x 14" wrapped canvas.

[SOLD]

A Warm Embrace

 Purrrrrrrr-fect!

This girl does love our cat, Buff.

And, it's quite obvious that he fully enjoys the adoration... don't you think? 

Well, his expression might not exactly show it, but he does have the option of running away, hiding, or staying in a different room.  He likes to be in the room where ever the kids are just to keep an eye on things. Being in the same room means that he has to put up with lots of loving. 

She also loves her own kitty, Kevin.

This week my friend and art mentor Cheri did our 120th Weekly-ish Challenge.  It was her turn to come up with the topic.  She gave "Warm ______."  I filled in the blank with "Warm Embrace."

I've painted each of my grands when they were two, and this little one needed to join the wall with her siblings and cousins.

Original Oil Painting on 10"x 10" Wrapped Canvas

[NFS]

Willowing Arts: Year of Magic Taster Sessions (1-10)

These are the first third of the "taster sessions" from the 2026 mixed media lessons from the Willowing Arts online classes.  They're kind of like a sneak peek or preview of what's to come. I don't know if I'll get to all of them before the "real" lessons begin, but I've enjoyed learning from and working on these!

Drawing & painting a mermaid
[watercolor, colored pencils, paint pens]

Drawing whimsy
[watercolor, colored pencil]

Telling a story with images, torn paper, and marks on journal page
[gesso on journal layout, pencil, colored paper,
glue, paint applied with palette knife]

Finding a face on the textured page with only two colors
[collage scraps, gesso, paint
applied with brush, palette knife, & credit card edge]

Drawing & painting the ultimate magic & fairy tale creature.
[watercolor, colored pencils, paint pen]

Inventing a surreal landscape
[acrylic paint, collage papers, paint pens]

Creating cards with my "word-of-the-year" words from past years.
[cardstock, magazine pictures, photos, glue, collage paper]

Folding a tiny booklet
[paper scraps, stamps, glue, markers]

Putting different reference photos (butterfly, cup & saucer, granddaughter)
 together to create a new image
[watercolor, acrylic paint, marker, colored pencil]

Making "blooms" of watercolor to discover shapes
[watercolor, silver marker]

Little Guy

What 'cha doin' little kitty?

Sweet little thing... Does anyone else get funny cat videos in their feed then scroll and laugh and scroll and laugh and scroll? Yeah, I know there's an algorithm that says I'll click.

I didn't set out to be a painter of cats, but several have popped onto my easel lately. This little guy is a cutie. He looks like he needs to be picked up and cuddled.

Helen, once again you have honored a very special pet for a family member. Barrie, my youngest daughter, made a move in 2018 to start a new life and a new job. She left behind a rascal of a shelter cat she had learned to love. Within a week of moving, she knew she needed a furry friend of her own.  An online photo from the local shelter provided a look-alike kitten who needed a home. It was love at first sight, and the rest is history. “Little Guy” became cat #3 in the family but will always be #1 for Barrie! Thank you, Helen.❤️ 

Original Oil Painting on 7"x 9" Canvas Board

[SOLD]

Guitar Dreams

I never know when the next inspiration will come or where it will come from.

And, I can never guess who the next commission will come from.

If you read my blog or know my work, you know I do love a painting with a story.  Either the painting tells a story, or there's a story behind how the painting came to be.  This one has both.

This is Aaron.  I see Aaron on a regular basis.  By "regular basis," I mean that he comes to my house once each year for the annual termite insurance check up.  Every year as he goes around checking baseboards, he also looks at and asks about my paintings that are hanging on the walls just waiting for their forever homes.  This fall was no different except that he seemed very specific when asking about my paintings... How much did I charge... How long did one take... Did I ever do commissions....

He was interested in a painting for his son.

It turns out that when he's not doing his day job, he plays guitar.  He invited us to a gig, and he's really good. A few days later, he sent me a photo and asked if it would be a possibility to paint it.

I do love a commission piece that challenges me.  This one certainly did just that. 

Usually, the idea is to simplify the photo, paint only the important things and leave out things that don't add to the story.  Well, in this case, just about everything needed to stay. So... I focused on one thing at a time.

It's fun to watch the process. 

Click and enjoy this little 38 second video that will take you from blank canvas to finished painting.

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

A Vintage Christmas

It's a vintage inspired holiday scene with seaside greens!  Right?

I hope so... 

Every third time, my Weekly-ish Challenge partner and I "go to the cards" for our new task.  

We draw a card from the Subject section, the Color section, and the Wildcard section.

Here were the cards drawn.

And, speaking of drawing... I was drawing a blank... nothing...

Until...

My friend Joyce said, "Look at this cute picture of us putting our Christmas tree up!" 

Ahhhhh!!!! I need that! Send it to me! Can I use it? It's just what I've been looking for.

I'd like to say that Joyce was shocked and confused... No, she knows me.  She just texted me the photo.

Original Acrylic Painting on 8"x 10" Canvas Board

[SOLD]

Mr. Tut Tut

He looks pretty comfortable there, doesn't he.  He doesn't seem to mind having only one eye. My friend showed me several photos, and I immediately knew that this was the one.  He not only looks comfortable, he looks like he owns the place and simply allows his humans to live there too. I didn't know him, but think I would have liked him. 

I'll share my friend's words:

"Thank you, Helen, for honoring Mr. Tut Tut with a beautiful pet portrait. He was adopted many years ago by a cat-loving mountaineer, park ranger who would eventually become my son-in-law. Tut was accompanied by another Maine Coon who Mike named Little Girl. They resided with him in Yosemite National Park and 3 more parks beyond. He was beloved by Mike and Barrie and all who knew him. In Mike’s words, 'He was a singular cat, and everybody loved the big, big guy.' Helen, you captured his spirit."

Original Oil Painting on 7"x 9" Canvas Board
[SOLD]