Art by Niki Hilsabeck

Painting again with my little mini-me, we stuck to the bright colors in the initial watercolor. She even stomped on it with her little feet, which led to some worrisome scrubbing later during the clean-up time-- I was afraid the red paint was something else. She scrawled in some shapes with the watercolor pencil, which I began to fill in with paint. She also added her own paint and water, and as the forms emerged, it began to look a little dragon-like. I decided to call it "Breath of Fire." I wanted to keep it abstract, though, so I didn't fill in lines to identify an actual dragon. My favorite part of the picture is the part with the two little red dots at the bottom-- they were from my daughter's brush, not mine. "Breath of Fire" 9 x 12 Pastel and watercolor on paper Click here to buy print: http://www.redbubble.com/people/nikihilsabeck/art/6018887-1-breath-of-fire-pastel-and-watercolor

While painting again with my toddler, I started thinking about how much different life must be for artists today compared to those who created early cave paintings. "Lockin' Horns" 9 x 12 Watercolor and Pastel on Paper Click here to buy print: http://www.redbubble.com/people/nikihilsabeck/art/5934557-1-lockin-horns We have the luxury of bright light whenever we want it, as long as the electricity is functioning. We can paint in a comfortable environment at pretty much any time of day and year, if we have the convenience of a mild climate or a thermostat. We can paint on just about any surface. Our colors come out of a tube, ready made and pre-mixed if we want them to be. We can share our works worldwide, thanks to the internet. Best of all, I can sit on my kitchen floor and swirl paint around with my little girl, and there's no pressure to do anything but enjoy the experience-- and, I don't have to worry about being eaten! Started the painting above with watercolo...