Art by Niki Hilsabeck

"Bloom Where You Are" 5.5 x 3.5 in. pastel on paper Click here to view on Etsy It's been a long time since I've posted-- over a year!  And what a year it was--  Like many people, I had more time at home than ever this last year.  The extra time, however, did not translate into productivity.  I did learn to make my own bread, and am now the proud feeder and caregiver to my very own sourdough starter.   I wish I could say that I got better at something I'd wanted to have time at home to do-- gardening?  Finishing more paintings?  Writing?  Of course, I know from experience that being home more doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of things that end up needing attention--cleaning up after pets, kids, homeschooling, cooking more.   Instead of being productive, I found myself spending additional time reading.  I was also able to do some commission work, which gave me the opportunity to be creative (and carried the bonus of built-in...

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...

It's been quite a summer! I'm now cataract-free and adjusting to the changes in my vision-- it was only one cataract, which caused a few months of cloudy vision, but it definitely had an effect on my attitude toward life and painting. "His Love Endures Forever" 9 x 12 pastel on paper Click here to view on my website We've had a strange summer this year: extremely hot June, a strong rainstorm in July, and a mild August so far.  Being unable to see meant that I spent a lot of time home, which suited me fine as the traffic here seems to get worse every time I leave the house.  The children were of course bored and bickering much of the time, but they seem to do that whether we're home or not.  The summer definitely had its share of annoying occurrences. As we read Psalm 136 in church last week, I couldn't help thinking of this view of the ocean.  I love being at the beach and seeing when the light peeks through the clouds and glitters on the water.  I...

It's hard not to be inspired by the skies here in Southern California-- particularly at this time of year, with storms moving in and out throughout the days. "Evening Sky" 4.5 x 5.5 inch pastel on paper Click here to view large At the risk of sounding like a mommy-blogger, I've fallen behind in my artwork and posting since summer ended for a couple of reasons (they rhyme with "mildren").  I've also fallen into a bit of a painting slump, but the sunsets and sunrises here in Fallbrook have drawn me back into making more time for artwork. We're having a particularly vibrant winter, as the frequent rain invigorates the contrasting colors in the landscape here.  We've also had some noisy horned owls, who like to announce their imminent departure each morning just before the sun begins to rise.  This means I'm usually up early to get a peek at the silhouette of our vocal visitors before they fly off to hide and sleep-- and if I can keep my ...

"Squirrel Snack" 17 x 20 Pastel on Paper Click here to view details 2014 Entry Although the show ended last month, I thought I would share a few of my Art of the Avocado entries over the last few years. Each year, I try to do something a little different for the Art of the Avocado contest that coincides with the Avocado Festival in Fallbrook, California.  This year, I submitted two entries: the painting featured above, and an acrylic piece on canvas that I framed under glass.  You can see both pieces (along with my photobombing cat) in the photo below: The painting on the right is called "Yin-Yang Yum," and features the way avocados usually look at our house: scraped clean and eaten! The inspiration for "Squirrel Snack" came from a photo I took of a freshly snatched avocado, which appeared to have become the victim of hungry ground squirrels.  Anyone who has an avocado grove probably recognizes this view of an avocado! I always find i...

"Hippie Flowers" 6 x 9 inch pastel on drawing paper Click here to view large or see purchase details December usually isn't the best time for me-- everything seems to hit the fan mid-month, leaving me exhausted (and this time sick) by the time the holidays are over.  These little flowers cheered me up as I worked on them (I called them "Hippie Flowers" because they reminded me of something from the sixties). In spite of that, I've been working for a while on a few pieces to demonstrate one of my favorite elements of painting with pastel: the delicate push-pull between the soft, blended areas and the bolder, harder lines and strokes. One of the most relaxing things I can think of to do is to smear a pastel painting. In my first pastel classes, we learned to block in areas of color and smear the painting as a whole to achieve that soft background effect unique to pastel.  After a layer of fixative (if desired), we would then go back over the piece, a...

"Herbst" 9 x 12 Chalk Pastel on Paper Click here to view large or purchase original "Herbst" is the German word for fall.  It seemed to fit this picture better than the English word for some reason. The bird is a bit large for a dove, but it was a dove that inspired this painting.  I took a quick photo of this bird relaxing in my driveway as the sun was heading for the horizon a few weeks ago, on a rare day where it had cooled off somewhat. Fall is usually my favorite season. The days have been so hot these last two months, it's been difficult to remember that summer's been over for a while.  The best part of the day for me this year is when the brutal sun sets, and the air takes on a mild chill.  We have a variety of birds who visit our property and seem to enjoy the evening cooling as well. It was nice to sit down and make a spontaneous painting that didn't turn into hours of hesitating and overthinking e...