Art by Niki Hilsabeck

These paintings have taken a while to complete. They were done in multiple layers, over sporadic sessions. The first one began with an acrylic knife painting on Canson Canva-paper, and was inspired by a photo of the plants at a butterfly exhibit near San Diego, CA: "Indoor Garden" 12 x 16 Mixed Media on Paper Click here to purchase original I finished the painting by adding layers of chalk pastel and a bit more acrylic. It was so heavily textured, I had to knock some of the pastel back to soften the center of the piece. I wanted to show how alive the plants were: flowers swaying from the ceiling, blossoms bursting out of pots and bushes, and leaves sprouting all over the background. The large black pot and green beams help anchor all the plant life, reminding the viewers that they are experiencing an indoor garden, rather than a lush jungle. In contrast to all this vibrant growth, the next piece was inspired by the comforting forms of a pair of pitchers: "Big...

I hit a wall a few weeks ago, after taking a week off painting. I returned to pastels and plein air, only to feel that I needed to breathe new life into my work. The best way I know to do that: experiment! I've used Canson Canva-paper a few times before. I wanted to see how it held up under some thick paint, and played around with my palette knife and some acrylic paint (applied impasto style). After adding a layer of chalk pastel to each, I ended up with the following two pieces: "Shimmer" 12 x 16 Acrylic and Pastel on Canson Canva-paper Click here to purchase original "Dschungel" 12 x 16 Acrylic and Chalk Pastel on Canson Canva-paper Email nicolehilsabeck@yahoo.com if interested in purchasing ("Dschungel" is German for "Jungle." It's always been one of my favorite German words.) Both of these pieces were based loosely on photographs taken around Southern California (one at a butterfly exhibit, another at a theme park). I ...