HK’s Big Adventure

Thank you for stopping by to look at my art and find out more about my paintings. I’m a traditional artist from Kansas who loves to paint animals and nature in vibrant colors, as well as fantasy illustrations and commissions. I’ve been working in watercolors, acrylics, oils and mixed media for over 15 years.

Saying farewell to our church family at Nall Naz in KC

At the beginning of July 2024, my husband and I made a big life change and moved from the city where I’ve spent my whole life to a small town in Kansas called Abilene. This little town is full of history, nice people, and beautiful things that are inspiring me to paint. I can’t wait to get to know people better and to find out all there is to learn about the local history and lore. We’ve been on quite an adventure this month while we are waiting for our rental home to be ready for us to move in!

We stayed a week in a classic roadside motel, The Diamond, before moving to a camper at the Lazy Dog Ranch, which will be our temporary home for the rest of July. The Lazy Dog Ranch is also a Christmas Tree farm, and home to two beautiful longhorn steers, a sweet black cat named Buck, a whole bunch of chickens and roosters, and of course, several lazy dogs. Its picturesque and quiet here and as you can imagine, the inspiration for painting is never much farther away than a leisurely stroll around the property. I’m thankful for this peaceful place to land while so many other parts of our life are in a bit of unsettled chaos.

Marshall, our mackerel tabby, is adjusting somewhat well to becoming an Adventure Kitty, but he doesn’t quite understand why I’m not more concerned about the giant noisy dinosaur birds that have the camper surrounded every morning. Johnny and I have been enjoying the farm fresh eggs and produce that our hosts have been sharing.

I already have a couple of art events lined up for me here in Abilene, and I’m excited for the oppurtunities that are coming in quickly! I’ll be Plein Air painting at the Petals at the Park event on July 20th at Eisenhower Park, and I also have an amazing opportunity to teach painting to a group of travelers from Abilene’s sister city in Japan!

Since moving to Abilene, I finally have the time to start working on a project that has been on my mind and heart for a few years. PrairieLore is a collection of art and fiction writing inspired by the local nature and wildlife here in Kansas, and the magical creatures that are hiding just out of the sight of human eyes in gardens, parks, Flint Hills and farmland. I hope someday PrairieLore will become an entire book to publish. Until then, you can follow my PrairieLore adventures on this blog and my social media, and don’t forget to collect the MiniPrint trading cards that will go with each magical creature in the series. The MiniPrints are $12 each for a high quality 4 x 6 Giclee print that comes in a protective sleeve, and its an easy way to support your friendly neighborhood artist who just so happens to be going through a majorly stressful life transition at the moment!

I can’t wait to settle into our new home and start setting up my art studio, where more art will come to life. As soon as we are settled, I’ll start taking commissions again, and maybe, if all goes well, I’ll be starting a youtube channel for art lessons and PrairieLore updates. Big things are happening so make sure you all keep in touch!

-HK-