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Helen Shideler

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Helen Shideler
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  • Home
    • Commissions
    • My Artistic Journey CV
    • FAQ’s
    • Links
    • Photo Album
    • Bio
  • Artwork
    • Available Artwork
    • My Plein Air Journey
    • My Print Shop
    • Animal Kingdom
    • East Coast Stills
    • Feathered Friends
    • Florals
    • Mussels and More
    • People
    • Poured Watercolour
    • Scapes
    • The Pond
  • Artist Blog
  • Contact me
  • Events
    • Fund Raisers
    • Exhibitions

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  • Blog
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  • Home
    • My Artistic Journey CV
    • Commissions
    • FAQ’s
    • Links
    • Photo Album
    • Bio
  • Portfolio
    • Animal Kingdom
    • Feathered Friends
    • Florals
    • Mussels and More
    • People
    • Poured Watercolour
    • Scapes
    • The Pond
    • Available Artwork
    • My Plein Air Journey
    • East Coast Stills
    • My Print Shop

Recent Posts

  • Sun, Salt and Slow Time
    In My Plein Air Adventures, Travelling Colours
  • Q1 and what have I done?
    In Artwork, Fauna - Feathers and Fur, From My Studio, Scapes - Coastal and Land, Still Life - Florals & Much More
  • 2025 A Year of Color and Attention
    In Artful Reflections, Scapes - Coastal and Land, Still Life - Florals & Much More
  • Artwork,  My Plein Air Adventures,  Still Life - Florals & Much More

    How is it July already?

    7 July 2024 / No Comments

    How is it July already? I am in shock at how fast this year is going. Please summer, won’t you slow down just a little for us? The moods of Lac Cameron, PQ We recently travelled to Ontario and then to Quebec to visit with our family and to help them build a deck at their lakeside cottage. The lake of course, is incredibly beautiful and ever changing.  I did not paint on days when we had torrential rains (well, maybe before the rain started) and with high winds. I never really considered that high temperatures would also be a deterrent. Biting bugs I understand and I regularly hide form…

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    Helen Shideler

    You May Also Like

    Cascading Blooms Watercolour Complete

    28 March 2016

    Ever Watchful – Cardinal painting

    15 February 2020

    Sea Shells at the Sea Shore

    8 June 2025
  • My Painting Process,  Still Life - Florals & Much More

    Dancing With the Sun

    9 May 2023 / No Comments

    I love it when paintings name themselves. Quite often as I am working on them, the name just comes to me and it almost always is the right name for the piece. This was one of those times. Dancing With the Sun. Just feels right  Were you aware that sunflowers move so that their “face” follows the sun? I think that this was so cool. So the flowers really do a slow dance with the sun each day and I danced under the sunflowers. It’s no wonder this flower makes everyone feel so much joy. The beautiful complementary yellow flowers against summers cobalt blue sky – so beautiful. Here are…

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    Helen Shideler

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    On Watch

    10 December 2017

    May you live in interesting times…

    23 December 2020

    Hat Trick

    3 February 2014
  • My Painting Process,  Still Life - Florals & Much More

    Colours of Ode to Joy

    8 May 2022 / No Comments

    Often when you paint your love of painting shines through. I am so happy with the feeling I captured with this painting – it feels happy and joyful to me. Colours of Ode to Joy It feels like joy. Yesterday, I completed this painting. I felt so happy when I looked up from my palette and realized there was nowhere left to put paint. I stood back to look at it and smiled and signed it. I am so happy with the feeling I captured with with this piece – it feels happy and joyful to me. Within minutes of signing it, I had a friend visit my studio. This…

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    Helen Shideler

    You May Also Like

    Dancing With the Sun

    9 May 2023

    Sunshine and Shadows floral painting

    9 October 2017

    Autumn poured watercolour painting

    3 November 2019
  • Artwork,  Lessons Learned,  Still Life - Florals & Much More

    Growing Skyward

    10 December 2021 / No Comments

    Once upon day in late spring, I happened upon a wild garden of lupines. I got down as low as I possibly could to take my reference photos. I love this perspective of how these lupins are growing skyward reaching towards heaven. Inspiration in a ditch Inspiration can happen literally anywhere. When I was out driving around looking for potential reference photos, I noticed a ditch full of lupines in all colours imaginable growing at the edge of a parking lot. Of course I had to go and take as many reference photos as possible. It didn’t hurt that the sky and the lighting seemed perfect to me. I have…

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    Helen Shideler

    You May Also Like

    Sunny Serenade, A Lilac story

    12 January 2025

    The Prince of Rockwood Park

    24 March 2024

    Early wrap to this years challenge

    25 February 2018
  • Artwork,  Helpful Hints,  My Painting Process,  Poured Watercolour,  Product Review,  Still Life - Florals & Much More

    Red Hot Pink poured watercolour

    3 May 2020 / No Comments

    Red Hot Pink poured watercolour painting with process and product review I was feeling adventurous so I experimented with a few new products – one product I love and the other – not so much. In the pink It’s been a rather long, cold and wet spring. I wanted to paint something that celebrates summer heat and sunshine. Something bold and beautiful. Also I wanted to painting something that develops quicker than my oil paintings. So I turned to my photos of last summer’s planters and found red petunias! I also took this an an opportunity to push it a bit and experiment with a couple different products. Dr Ph.…

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    Helen Shideler

    You May Also Like

    Early wrap to this years challenge

    25 February 2018

    Ducks in a Row

    10 April 2020

    Stepping Out Ruddy Turnstones

    16 May 2020
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ARTIST & BLOGGER

Hi, I’m Helen. Welcome to my online home. Here, you’ll find a collection of my art creations inspired by light, colour and texture.

Explore, enjoy and feel free to connect!

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Categories

  • A Tale Unfolds (5)
  • Artful Reflections (15)
  • Artwork (79)
    • Fauna – Feathers and Fur (19)
    • People (4)
    • Scapes – Coastal and Land (15)
    • Still Life – Florals & Much More (38)
  • Events (25)
  • From My Studio (12)
    • Product Review (7)
  • Kudos (9)
  • My Painting Process (50)
    • Helpful Hints (7)
    • Lessons Learned (23)
    • Poured Watercolour (13)
  • My Plein Air Adventures (20)
  • Travelling Colours (20)

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coastal art Feathered Friends florals and feathers Mussel shell painting sea shore painting

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Copyright

As the artist I retain the the reproductive rights to my artwork in any form. Thank you for following along and appreciating my work.

Memory Lane Omigoodness this is like a happy reun Memory Lane

Omigoodness this is like a happy reunion 

Looking through my pile of watercolour Plein Air paintings. From the beaches of PEI to San Diego and Coronado Island to Bermuda and Wyoming ….New Brunswick and BC and even Florida

So many memories and I remember every day around each of these paintings 
This is why painting from life is so important to me…the colours, the sensations and reason for the paintings are forever embedded in my memory-  and are often teased out in my studio work.
I am so blessed that I’ve been able to travel and paint

Happy memories 

#livelifeincolour #getoutsideandpaint #pleinairpainter #pleinaircanada #helenshideler
Special Commission I am so very grateful that I Special Commission 

I am so very grateful that I was asked to paint this commission. It is a really heartfelt painting for the owners and through the early discussion stage we discovered that we have a connection that made this process even more special…and emotional.  Often in our lives I profoundly believe that we are guided to make connections. This experience was most definitely one of those times. Thank you….

I combined three different photos to create this piece. 
Acrylic on cradled wood panel
12x24”

#eastcoastartist #beautifulnewbrunswick #beautifulnewbrunswick #livelifeincolour #helenshideler
“HIGH HOPES” That look of longing. Of knowing wha “HIGH HOPES”

That look of longing. Of knowing what is up there and but not how to reach it. It’s our peanut feeder. Just high enough to be out of reach and no way for him to swipe one or two. These clever birds will almost always find a way. This one started to bully the blue jays into dropping their treasured peanuts!  Quite the raucous. Quite the show!

12x12x1.5” 
Acrylic on deep cradled panel

#eastcoastartist #livelifeincolour #crowsofinstagram #crowart #helenshideler
DOING THE HOKEY POKEY So much fun….and this song DOING THE HOKEY POKEY

So much fun….and this song was going through my mind for most of the time I was painting it. Who can resist a dancing crow?

12 x 12 x1.5” acrylic on deep cradled panel

#artinprogress #eastcoastartist #helenshideler #crowart #contemporyrealism
“ATTITUDE” He didn’t fly in. He just walked. Stra “ATTITUDE”

He didn’t fly in. He just walked. Straight towards me. I was crouched on the ground at Lily Lake trying to get some great duck reference photos. Then I felt its presence. Turned with camera ready…..

No rush. No fear. Just that steady, deliberate approach — like he already owns the ground. Probably thinking I was going to feed him.

There’s something about a crow coming straight at you. Not frantic. With intent. And all “Attitude”

Acrylic on deep cradled panel 
12x12x 1.5”

#crow #contemporarypainting #birdart #eastcoastartist #helenshideler
“Moonlit Magic” I had a vision for this painting “Moonlit Magic”

I had a vision for this painting with a very dark background…and it worked. But only in the daytime. So I went back in and lit up the background some…and now the painting works in the evening and daytime.

I’m surprising myself at how much I’m enjoying acrylics I’ve again…mind you not the dry time. I have a mini split in my studio. Often the painting works is literally dry on my brush before I can get it on my painting. This is tough on my brushes as well.  Working through my supply of surfaces in hopes of bringing it down to a reasonable stash. Called high hopes eh?

11x14 acrylic on cradled wood panel

#eastcoastartist #helenshideler #studiowork #artinprogress
“Spring Delivery” The robins bring joy to my hear “Spring Delivery”

The robins bring joy to my heart. They are most often the first of the migratory birds to come back - giving us hope that spring really is on its way. And with that hope comes nesting season.  We have had robins nest at our cottage, at our home beside our power meter, and in our climbing hydrangeas in our backyard. It is always delightful and feels like such a privilege to see. 

Spring Delivery is a bit of an experiment. I started out by pouring acrylics….they were not happy to pour on this surface - but I stayed with it and it worked out. My goal was to add some depth before I started painting. 

Acrylic on gesso board. 12x16”

#eastcoastartist #robinsofinstagram #nestingrobin #birdsinart #helenshideler
“SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT” Because sometimes you g “SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT”

Because sometimes you gotta let the world know….don’t you agree?  I have an idea for a series called Midnight. I think you can see where this may go. One of my many goals for 2026 is to use up a lot of the surfaces that I have on hand. Because, you know, artists collect lots of stuff. 

I think this rather handsome corvid is happy to announce that he’ll have company soon. 

A bit of a product review. This is painted on a pre-gessoed cradled panel. I found the surface to be ridiculously slippery and not user friendly. You cannot layer or glaze before the previous layer is completely dry or the paint will lift off almost back to the original white. AAAAANNNNDDD…it scratches super easy. My fingernails left tracks and they were not easy to cover up.  But I have many. And will use them as the finished work looks great and they are pricey (meaning higher quality I think). I have t named the brand…would only do that privately - but it’s most likely not the one you think. 

#eastcoastartist #artinprogress #studiowork #helenshideler #crowart
“Everlasting Memories” What does one do with thei “Everlasting Memories”

What does one do with their collection of shells? Well, rather than make a wreath…I painted a wreath from my shells. It’s funny, but last year I painted a few other shell paintings. When I look at them, I see the same shells painted into this piece. I must only grab the shells near the top of the case for references.

These shells mean a lot to me. I’d collected them over many years and really do treasure them and the days I got to spend at the beach. I know we are not supposed to take shells from the beach now, but at the time it was an acceptable thing to collect.

This painting is a “Round Tuit” - meaning I’ve been planning on painting this project for many years and I finally got around to it!

24 x24” oil painting with shell details in video
Will be custom framed once dry enough

#eastcoastartist #artinprogress #studiowork #livelifeincolour #helenshideler
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Recent Posts

  • Sun, Salt and Slow Time
    In My Plein Air Adventures, Travelling Colours
  • Q1 and what have I done?
    In Artwork, Fauna - Feathers and Fur, From My Studio, Scapes - Coastal and Land, Still Life - Florals & Much More
  • 2025 A Year of Color and Attention
    In Artful Reflections, Scapes - Coastal and Land, Still Life - Florals & Much More
  • When Your Art Page Gets Hacked
    In Artful Reflections, Lessons Learned, My Painting Process, Scapes - Coastal and Land

Categories

Copyright

As the artist I retain the the reproductive rights to my artwork in any form.

My Artwork may not be photographed, sketched, painted, added in part or in whole to any other artwork, or reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the artist prior to moving forward.

Thank you for following along and appreciating my work.

©Helen Shideler

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