Art by Niki Hilsabeck

Now that I've gotten a little better handle on gardening (or at least not killing my plants), I find myself doing "plant checks" throughout the day.  I check first to see what's been munched on by the gophers, squirrels, bunnies, hornworms, or whatever else helps itself to my plants.  I also check to see what needs to be deadheaded, what's sprouted, and what needs water.  Sometimes I just like to pull up a gardening mat to sit on and observe the plants.  This is especially fun when new things are sprouting-- if we're not in the middle of a heatwave or a cold snap (rare here in Fallbrook), I usually have new seeds going somewhere. This morning was wet and foggy, so I also got to go out early and look for unique spiderwebs.  I haven't tried painting one yet, but having grown up a fan of Charlotte's Web , I take pictures of the more intricate ones.  The kids and I also do a "wellness check" on our current crop of entertaining bugs and reptiles

Have you ever wondered whether to call a piece of artwork created with pastels a painting, or a drawing?  Does it even matter what you call it? For starters, pastel paintings are definitely paintings!  A medium doesn't have to come out of a tube or be applied with a brush to be considered eligible to make a true painting.  Despite this common knowledge among those who appreciate pastel works, many art websites and organizations have their own differing criteria for labeling pastel works. So how do you know whether a pastel artwork is a painting, drawing, or sketch?  In this post, I'll share how I define my pastel artworks.  I don't follow any official guidelines, but I do try to stay consistent with how I label my works so that they're easy to identify across my online portfolios. Pastel Sketches: "Raggedy Bird" (Available on Daily Paintworks)  A pastel sketch is something I created in one quick go with dry pastel, using little or no blending. It m

Impressionism has been popular for over a hundred years, while many other art styles have come and gone... why is that? "Water Lilies" Prints Available I used to thing it was just the immediacy of the artwork, combined with the picturesque scenes painted by the original impressionists.  Those are of course great reasons to love impressionism! However, I enjoy a modern-day impressionistic scene just as much as those of the original famous impressionists.  "Mission Water Lilies" Available on Etsy Of course, water lilies are just as amazing to observe and paint today as they were 150 years ago.    "Oak Pair" Available on My Website One reason I think impressionism is still a popular style is because for us (the viewers), it allows our eyes to do part of the work.  It gives the initial impression, and lets viewers fill in the details on their own.  (This might also be why some people dislike impressionism-- they are searching for details