Last week I delivered two commissioned paintings to their new owners, and it warms my heart to see how delighted they are with their special new art pieces.

The painting pictured here, Tamarack Territory, varnished watercolour on 16 x 16 inch panel, now graces a home near Ottawa, Ontario.

Not familiar with the term 'commissioned'? It refers to custom artwork created with the specifications of the client in mind. Over the years, I have created almost 100 custom paintings for clients who wanted to celebrate the memory or feeling of a special time and place.

In the case of Tamarack Territory, my clients saw the two reference photos pictured here in an article I wrote in 2024, Manitoba: Through An Artist's Eye.

The first photo is Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park near Dauphin. The leaning tree on the point caught my eye but I also love the rocks in the foreground and the moody sky.

My client is from New Brunswick originally and this scene reminded her of the seashore there.

The second photo I took from the train between Thompson and Churchill. The tamaracks were in their full autumn glory the week we were there. They are a deciduous conifer whose soft needles turn golden in the fall, drop from the tree and regrow each spring.

My clients let me know they wanted a painting of the rocky shore with a few tamarack trees added. We agreed on a size that suited their wall space and I worked on the new scene for five weeks, completing it on Christmas Day.

Painting the sky and water waves really stretched my technical creative skills, and I was very pleased with the success of the finished painting. Knowing that it will be treasured in its new home also is very important to me as an artist, and provides the impetus to keep painting.

The second commissioned painting, Whispers of the Wilderness, varnished watercolour on 8 x 8 inch panel, is shown here. It now resides in Peterborough, Ontario.

My client saw a similar painting of mine last summer in my blog post New Works: Little Gems from my Traveling Studio.

The piece captured her love of exploring northern lakes by canoe and she admired the scene, but it was a bit too large for the wall space she had in mind. She asked me to create a new version of the scene in a smaller size, and with more emphasis on autumn foliage.

I finished her painting on Christmas Day and she and her husband picked it up from my studio last weekend.

The next day she sent me this photo of the new painting hanging in their living room and commented "Hi Karen! It’s hanging with my other favourite pictures!! Thank you for your incredible talent." I think the painting looks perfect in its new home (below a previous painting of mine, Whispers of the North) and am so pleased my clients are happy.

Whether large or small, a work of art can communicate in a personal way what no other object can. It is a permanent presence in our lives and can be passed on to future generations.

If you would like to acquire a painting similar to one of my previous pieces, or inspired by my travel stories from all across Canada, please contact me to discuss your ideas.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

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When I created this charming watercolour scene last July in our Airstream trailer, I loved the peaceful feeling the artwork conveyed.

While I have made over 400 paintings about rocks, this was my first one with a dragonfly. It was pure joy to recreate the body markings and delicate wings of this exquisite creature.

At the time, I had no idea how profoundly this little dragonfly at rest on a pebble beach would touch the hearts of thousands of people I have never met.

First, a little back story:

A Place of Rest, varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel was inspired by a photo I took in 2019 of a Mosaic Darner dragonfly at L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic site in Newfoundland.

I selected these uniquely striped stones from my vast pebble collection (many of which also came from Newfoundland) to use as painting references.

Then I sketched a still life scene showing the smooth stones nestled together between a few large boulders. One of those boulders became the dragonfly's perch.

In August I introduced this painting along with several more in my Studio Newsletter. One of my subscribers, a collector of my work in Georgia, USA, moved swiftly and acquired A Place of Rest for her home.

This fall, I entered a digital image of A Place of Rest into the Richeson75 international online art competition and it was accepted as a Finalist. As is my habit, I announced this happy news on Facebook, and that is when things got really exciting very quickly.

Here is my Facebook post from November 20:

I am thrilled to announce that my watercolour painting A Place of Rest has been selected as a Finalist in the Richeson75 Animals, Birds, and Wildlife 2025 annual international competition.
Typically, this prestigious event attracts submissions from 3,500 artists in over 70 countries, so it is an incredible honour to see my little painting from Canada be accepted by the jury.
The 75 Finalists and Winners paintings are on permanent display online at
https://richeson75.com/pages/wildlife/2025/index.html There are some awesome pieces here so do check them out!
A Place of Rest (varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel) now resides in the home of one of my collectors in Georgia, USA. She sent me this lovely note: "Your painting arrived. When I opened it, my husband said "wow, that's amazing!" You have a gift for watercolor realism I haven't seen from any other artist. Thanks so much - you can rest assured your work will be well appreciated in its new home."

I was not prepared for, and cannot explain, the avalanche of good wishes that came my way in response to this post. Shown below are Facebook's audience engagement stats as of November 24.

Including two Facebook group sites where I shared my post, in the span of four days it has been viewed over 100,000 times, reached over 70,000 people, and attracted over 5,000 interactions including almost 1,000 comments. I have never had a post receive this much attention in all the years I have been on Facebook.

In the midst of all this excitement, several people asked if they could order prints of my dragonfly painting, so I got to work on that right away.

I am happy to report, A Place of Rest is now available as art prints from my online publisher Fine Art America. (Just in time, in case they have a Black Friday Sale!)

Prints of this dragonfly painting can be ordered on your choice of substrates (paper, canvas, metal, acrylic, wood, or fabric) in sizes ranging from 8 x 8 inches to 36 x 36 inches. Fine Art America will create a custom archival print to your specifications and ship directly to you from their closest manufacturing facility. Shown here is an example of a framed paper print. Check out my entire collection of art prints here.

And that is the remarkable tale of how my little dragonfly went viral.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post. 

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In last month's post, The Magic of Mazinaw, I shared with you my most inspiring photos and videos from our recent ten-day camping trip to Bon Echo Provincial Park in eastern Ontario.

This park is one of those magical places that makes us pause, breathe, and rediscover the rejuvenating power of Nature. It is no wonder that people have felt a reverence for this place for thousands of years.

Now that my husband and I are settled back in at home after the camping season ended, I have been happily working on new paintings in my studio.

As well as three commissioned custom artworks for clients, I have been painting my Bon Echo Collection. I am so excited to share the first small pieces in this series with you now. 

Pictured above is Mazinaw Memoir (varnished watercolour on 6 x 12 inch panel). This is the panoramic view that greeted me during the first sunset I witnessed in this park.

The last rays of sunshine painted the granite cliff orange, while dramatic purple shadows crept up its face. Tranquil water reflected the entire wondrous display, with a few ripples guiding our eyes through the scene.

Shown here is the photo I took that evening, which I used as one of several references for the painting.

I made a few changes to the near shore to improve the balance of the composition.

Click here for more information about Mazinaw Memoir.

Pictured here is Mazinaw Magic, (varnished watercolour on 8 x 8 inch panel), the next piece in my Bon Echo Collection.

This painting captures a special moment, when afternoon sun lights up the cliff face, and its warmth is reflected in the breaking waves along a pebble beach. We almost can hear the waves as they are guided gently onto the shore by a soft breeze.

Shown here is the photo I took that afternoon and used as a general reference for the painting.

I took some artistic licence with the beach gravel and I used warmer colours in the entire scene.

Click here for more information about Mazinaw Magic.

The Bon Echo Collection is inspired by the quiet power of lake and rock and the freshness of autumn air in the pines. I hope these paintings serve as reminders of the power of art to bring peace and presence back into our lives.

More Bon Echo paintings will continue into next year. It’s a body of work that deserves time to breathe, and I can’t wait to reveal the collection as it evolves.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter for exclusive early access to new work, studio news updates, travel tales, painting tips, and notices of upcoming exhibitions.

My husband and I love to go camping in our travel trailer whenever we can during Canada's warmer season. Some years these trips add up to several months of travel as we explore various regions of this beautiful country.

Being on the road for extended trips is exciting but we still need 'down time' to just relax and recharge. Once a week or so, we pause the holiday for a few hours so I can do something creative.

Sometimes, that activity might be cooking a special meal for guests, or baking a dessert, but most often it involves painting. I wrote a blog post a while back about my art studio on the road and in the photo above, you can see that setup at the dinette of our Airstream trailer.

This July, I was able to complete four small paintings in our trailer, while we explored Saskatchewan.

These new works are pictured here and their back stories are featured in this post.

I sketched all the compositions onto watercolour paper before we left home, and brought all the reference photos I needed.

Having this prep work done makes it easy to start painting when I have a morning or afternoon to spare while we travel.

A Place of Rest, varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel (pictured above) was inspired by this close-up photo I took in 2019 of a Mosaic Darner dragonfly at L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic site in Newfoundland.

I saved the photo for just the right composition, and finally inspiration struck this summer.

I selected over twenty uniquely striped stones from my vast pebble collection (many of which also came from Newfoundland).

Then I sketched a still life scene showing the smooth stones nestled together between a few large boulders. One of those boulders was to be the dragonfly's perch. 

I brought a photo of the group of pebbles with me to use as a painting reference. Can you match up the stones in the painting with the stones in my reference photo? Sizes and colours may be different.

While I have made over 400 paintings of rocks, this was my first one with a dragonfly. It was fun to recreate the body markings and delicate wings of this exquisite creature.

Click here for more details about A Place of Rest.

Northern lakes continue to provide limitless inspiration for my artwork. Solitaire Stillness, varnished watercolour on 8 x 8 inch panel, captures a quiet moment on Solitaire Lake near Huntsville, ON.

We spent a lovely day hiking around the shore of this charming lake on a gorgeous, warm fall day in 2022. 

The stunning contrast of deep blue water and azure skies against orange and gold autumn foliage always calls out to my creative soul. Being surrounded by this visual beauty and the gentle sounds of nature - birds singing, frogs croaking and leaves rustling - brings me profound peace. I hope this painting conveys the same feeling to you.

Click here for more information about Solitaire Solitude.

The latest piece in my Northern Journeys series is Heart of the Wilderness, varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel. This island scene with a canoe resting on the rocks is composed from my imagination, using the rocky shore and pine tree reference photos pictured here.

I created a misty background with hints of autumn hues along the far shore. In contrast, the rocky island crowned with a cluster of trees and bushes is in sharp focus.

It took many layers of paint to create the brilliantly saturated colour of this collection of fall foliage.

Click here for more information about Heart of the Wilderness.

Superior Sunrise, varnished watercolour on 8 x 8 inch panel, was inspired by a remarkable photo of the Lake Superior shore taken by Shanna Cameron, and used as reference for my painting, with her gracious permission.

Shanna's photo is pictured here beside my own reference photo taken in Pukaskwa National Park's old growth forest.

I added a cluster of trees from Pukaskwa to those in Shanna's photo, to create a more balanced composition.

I also changed the position of the moon to make it more prominent in the final scene.

Click here for more information about Superior Sunrise.

I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse behind the scenes to see how these four little gems came into existence. This collection reminds me of the saying "Good things come in small packages".

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

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Today, I am telling the creation story of And Nothing Else Matters, varnished watercolour on 16 x 20 inch panel. This piece is the latest in my Northern Journeys series, which features iconic canoes on northern lakes.

The painting was inspired by this photo I took of an island while on a 1000 Island cruise last summer. The moment I caught sight of this tree-covered chunk of weathered rock in the St. Lawrence River, I knew I had to paint it. When I saw that my photo had captured clearly the rippled reflection, I decided to take on the challenge of featuring this difficult painting aspect as well.

Before I started the painting, I already knew its name. 'And Nothing Else Matters' is the title of one of my two favourite songs by Metallica, but also refers to the idea of escaping the cares and concerns of everyday life by returning to the peace and tranquility of Nature. It is ironic that I should name this quiet, serene scene after a heavy metal song from the 1990's.

Without further ado, here are the sequential steps of creating this intricate artwork:

DAY 1: I have finished the 16 x 20 inch pencil sketch on 300 lb watercolour paper. So this artwork would fit my Northern Journeys theme, I decided to add to the foreground of the composition a rocky shore with a canoe resting on it. This gives the viewer a sense of happy anticipation of the wonders of Nature that await discovery.

DAYS 2 & 3: Using masking tape and masking fluid, I masked out all shorelines so I would be able to paint the water quickly using a wet-in-wet technique. 

After wetting the upper half of the scene and painting the sky, I blotted out colour where it overlapped the tree shapes. Then I wet the lower half and added the base layer for the water. After drying overnight, I painted a second layer on the water. 

I don't often paint reflections on rippling water, so I am feeling my way gradually, trying to create complex wave patterns that make sense and draw the eye towards the island.

DAYS 4 & 5: After completing five layers of paint on the water, (enough that I am confident no more wet-in-wet paint application will be needed), I let the painting dry fully and removed all masking from shorelines. 

The blue sky reflections on rippling water are not complete but are starting to look more realistic. Work on the tan and green island reflections has begun.

DAY 6: The island's reflections are mostly done, and I am very happy with the effect. 

The first layer of colour on the foreground rocks is on and salted, and I have begun applying the 'grisaille' (monochromatic values) layer to the island rocks, to lock in the shadow and crevice shapes.

DAYS 7 & 8: The island rock is mostly done, and I am very happy with the effect. I have revelled in painting the rocky places of Canada for almost 40 years and thoroughly enjoy portraying their quiet strength and majesty in watercolour. 

I have begun the grassy patch in the foreground, which is causing me some concern as I experiment with this section. Working from my imagination on this bit brings risks and challenges.

DAY 9: I have started to paint the trees on the island and this section of the painting is going well. In the early decades of my art practice, I had great difficulty painting masses of foliage. I kept observing and practising, paying attention to shapes and shadows, and eventually developed a successful method for this type of subject. 

Adding more dark greens to the island reflection has made the lighter areas representing the rock reflections 'pop'. I didn't know if I could manage to create realistic water reflections, but I finally can say the water is done and I am pleased with the result.

I have added shadows and contours to the rock in the foreground, but I am not happy with the section to the right of the canoe. The line where the rock meets the blue water looks awkward. I now realize I extended the imagined shadowy crevices all the way to the upper edge of the rock - a rookie move. I will have to think about how to redo this section.

DAY 10: While considering my options for fixing the problematic foreground rock shadows, I switched to painting the canoe. Some would call this procrastination... :-)

Then I tried lifting excess paint from the rock shadows using a stiff wet brush, but the paint had stained the paper and wouldn't come off. Time to bring out the big guns!

After the paper dried, to the right of the canoe I masked off the water where it touches the foreground rock. I used torn strips of masking tape, to create an irregular edge. 

I then used a wet Magic Eraser to scrub off paint everywhere I wanted to recapture the feeling of sunlight on stone. This erasing process removed the upper layer of paper along with the paint, creating a rougher paper surface; however, since the subject is rock, having a rough texture is no problem. 

Once the paper was dry, I painted on new, smaller rock crevices and texture, and I think the rock looks much more realistic now.

DAY 11: Here I am in my studio working on the island scene. I finished painting the trees and thought the painting was complete. 

While reviewing the whole composition, I realized the tidy patch of grass under the canoe was illogical. It should look more like the island, covered in tree debris. 

So how to change course? The green pigments had stained the paper and could not be removed with a wet brush. 

Solution: I covered the green grass with three coats of absorbent ground medium. This created a white area the precise shape I needed, with absorbent properties resembling virgin watercolour paper.

DAY 12: I painted on dried leaves and twigs under the canoe to finish the scene... finally! Once it was fully dry, I mounted the painting onto an archival wood panel and protected it with seven coats of UV-resistant varnish. (To see my full process of framing watercolour paintings without glass, click here.) 

There was barely time to frame the finished painting before it was acquired by one of my collectors in Ottawa, ON. Everyone is delighted that this master work has found its forever home.

I hope you have enjoyed this insider's view of my painting strategies. There is so much more to planning and executing a painting than most people think. 

I am profoundly grateful to live this artist's life, being able to share with the world my soul-deep connection with nature and the art it inspires.

Custom art prints are available of And Nothing Else Matters through my publisher Fine Art America. View here.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter for exclusive early access to new work, studio news updates, travel tales, painting tips, and notices of upcoming exhibitions.

Canada holds profound beauty in all its regions and seasons, and I am immensely grateful to live here. I have been painting the unique rocks of this country since the 1980's and they remain one of my favourite subjects to portray in watercolour.

In my latest painting series, I include a collection of rosy pink pebbles and a red maple leaf resting on a weathered board. Together these represent my rustic interpretation of the Canadian flag.

The concept for this series came from a daydream about the red pebbles (pictured here) that I was using as reference for a stone circle painting seven years ago.

I imagined adding a red maple leaf to the centre of the circle, and that lead to another idea: if I changed the shape to a rectangle it could resemble the Canadian flag. 

Then I pondered which light coloured, straight-sided, natural object could I use to represent the white part of the flag. I decided a weathered piece of lumber, such as one might use to build a dock or a deck, would be suitable, and add a 'cottagey' feel to the composition.

I sketched out my idea on watercolour paper, masked out the leaf and painted the weathered wood. After removing the masking, I painted the leaf. Then I masked out stripes on certain pebbles and painted them in various hues of soft reddish colours.

I thought the resulting painting Canada Rocks! #1 (shown here varnished and mounted in a black wood frame) was patriotic in a fun, outdoorsy way and it sold to a collector shortly after.

I intended to do more in the flag series but life (and a pandemic) took me on a different artistic path for several years.

Fast forward to 2025. With threats of annexation by the current leader of a neighbouring country, Canadians have experienced a profound rekindling of our national pride. Witnessing this huge wave of Canadian solidarity brought to mind my flag painting and I felt compelled to continue my series.

Click on the photos below for more information about these paintings.

The first version I completed this winter is shown above, Canada Rocks! #2, varnished watercolour on 6 x 12 inch panel.

Pictured above is the next version, Canada Rocks! #3, varnished watercolour on 6 x 12 inch panel). 

I keep all my painting references and preliminary sketches in an archive so I can refer back to them if needed. This habit came in handy for my flag project. 

The shapes of the leaves in this flag series are taken from actual maple leaves that I pressed and traced onto paper thirty years ago. At that time, I was using them in preparation for a collection of maple leaf paintings I created between 1997 and 2000.

I had such fun creating these whimsical little paintings that I came up with a few ideas for other versions of the flag. I'll be working on those in the next few months, so it you want to join the wait list please contact me. And if you have a suggestion for another rustic flag painting, I would love to hear it.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

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In my last post, New Works: Misty Lakes and Canoes, I introduced four watercolour paintings in a new series called Northern Journeys. 

They all depict peaceful northern lakes with a canoe or two, creating stories of exploration and discovery, and prompting memories of happy adventures in the Canadian wilderness.

Today, I am sharing the creation steps involved in one of those paintings, titled Mystic Shoreline. Whether you are an art student, or just someone curious about how things are made, you will enjoy this behind-the-scenes story.

This piece was painted mostly in the traditional manner, starting with the soft hues of the sky and background, and then working in layers towards the darker foreground details. 

However, this painting had a change of direction mid-course, that I think made it a better composition and a more pleasing final result.

Have a look at this 90-second video to see what I mean:

I hope you have enjoyed this insider's view of my painting strategies. For more details about Mystic Shoreline, click here.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter for exclusive early access to new work, studio news updates, travel tales, painting tips, and notices of upcoming exhibitions.

I have been painting Canadian wilderness landscapes since the 1980's and and find their quiet magic to be infinitely inspiring.

This country holds profound beauty in all its regions and seasons, and I am immensely grateful to live here.

This winter, I have started a new painting series called Northern Journeys, focusing on misty northern lake scenes and that icon of the Canadian wilderness - the canoe.

Pictured above is one of the new pieces, Whispers of the North, varnished watercolour on 8 x 8 inch panel.

This series evokes a sense of discovery and that feeling for which we all yearn: a soul-deep connection with the natural world.

Shown here is Mystic Shoreline, varnished watercolour on 11 x 14 inch panel.

These paintings hint at the scent of pines on the breeze and the sound of water gently lapping rocky shores.

The new scenes convey that sense of excited anticipation that accompanies any journey to explore new horizons.

Pictured here is Lakeside Refuge, varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel.

We wonder what astonishing vistas will be revealed when the mist evaporates.

Which bird, fish, or animal will we encounter beyond that next point of land?

Pictured here is Adventures in Solitude, varnished watercolour on 24 x 12 inch panel.

During our exploration of these sacred places, whether in person or in our imaginations, we find peace and space to breathe. I hope my paintings remind you of the beauty that surrounds us, waiting to be explored.

Each of these paintings began in my sketchbook as a tiny concept drawing, such as those shown here.

I am most grateful to my friend Averill Ambrose, who graciously allowed me access to her canoe trip photos, providing valuable details for the watercraft depicted in my artwork.

For purchase inquiries or more details about these new paintings, including framed views, click on each image pictured above or visit my Available Paintings online gallery.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

Subscribe to Karen's Newsletter for exclusive early access to new work, studio news updates, travel tales, painting tips, and notices of upcoming exhibitions.

In my last post, I introduced this new painting Echoes of Summer (varnished watercolour on 18 x 24 inch panel). It portrays famous Mazinaw Rock in Bon Echo Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada.

Today I am sharing with you a time lapse video showing the creation steps involved in this complex artwork.

Being a confessed 'rockaholic', it was pure joy for me to depict the contours, colours, and crevices of this magnificent cliff. Capturing the intricate forms of trees clinging to the granite was more of a struggle but I just kept adding more details until the trees looked real.

The tiny kayaker paddling in the distance adds a human presence and gives scale to the 330 foot (100 metre) tall rock face.

Before you watch the video, I have a sweet story to tell you, about how this painting found a perfect home. 

After completing Echoes of Summer, I uploaded it's image and details onto my web site www.karenrichardson.ca and sent the link to my friend Kate, whose photo I used as reference for the painting. I knew she would be thrilled to see it finished. 

It turns out, Kate shared the link with friends of hers in Ottawa who also camp in Bon Echo Provincial Park regularly, and they bought the painting.

The collectors sent me this lovely note: "Kate is a good photographer and in all our years in Bon Echo [we] have never managed to capture the rock as she did. Now you have transformed her photo into a beautiful painting. We have canoed by the rock every year for over 20 years and will love having your outstanding painting to remind of us of those times. It will hang prominently in our family room where we will see it every day..."

I am delighted to learn this special piece will be treasured and enjoyed in its new home. To know that my paintings uplift people's lives every day is enormously satisfying, and keeps me invigorated to make new art to share with the world.

And now, without further adieu, I present the 90-second creation video. Click on the picture below and turn on your speakers.

Prints of Echoes of Summer are available in a variety of sizes on canvas, paper, and other substrates from my print-on-demand publisher. Click here to see the selection.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

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