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Helen Shideler

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Helen Shideler
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    • East Coast Stills
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  • Artist Blog
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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
  • My Painting Process,  Still Life - Florals & Much More

    Yesterdays Blooms Finally Finished

    14 October 2014 / No Comments

    The name Yesterday’s Blooms came from a few different ideas I had white working on this watercolour of white roses that grow in the back corner of my yard.  Early in the season the blooms are so white, almost a transparent white. As the season progresses, the blooms take on a hint of pink.  Only to become quite pinkish and coral nearer to the fall as the bloom matures. I stepped back from this painting for a period (far too long) once I deepened the background.  I had to get my head around how deep the values really are on the “white” roses. The value of a grey scale value…

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    Helen Shideler

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    Bay of Fundy Blues

    19 January 2020

    Hat Trick

    3 February 2014

    My Process to Start a New Painting

    1 December 2015
  • Still Life - Florals & Much More

    Encore – Watercolour painting of Hibiscus

    2 June 2014 / No Comments

    This is an interesting watercolour painting of a hibiscus that grows in my corner garden… it is the last plant to emerge in the spring and the last plant to bloom in the garden.  Usually, this one blooms only after the first frost….and it takes it’s sweet old time.  Teasing us.  And then.. WOW!   I promised myself Every year I promise if it blooms on time (before the first frost) I will paint it.  Mother Nature has not exactly been on my side with this. I get a little anxious towards the end of August each year as I watch the wine coloured buds swell  promising  to soon open.…

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    Helen Shideler

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    Demo Poured Painting Colours of Autumn

    15 November 2015

    Winters Light Shines Through

    21 August 2016

    Spring Scentsation

    5 February 2017
  • Lessons Learned,  My Painting Process,  Still Life - Florals & Much More

    The Do Over

    27 November 2013 / No Comments

    Have you ever started a painting and just went for it? And then you step back and look at it and feel compelled to say holy crud! In the early stages a lot of work will look positively awful well, not right. You have a vision and stick with it only to create a miracle of sorts as you pull it together and it becomes the painting you were going for! Then there is the painting that builds and it does nothing for you.  You stand back to admire and scrutinize your work.  You get nothing.  It is not talking to you at all. There is no choice but to…

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    Helen Shideler

    You May Also Like

    The problem with Prussian blue – A comedy

    21 July 2018

    Golden Glow and a January update

    16 January 2022

    The missed shots

    10 November 2024
678

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)
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    • Still Life – Florals & Much More (38)
  • Events (25)
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    • 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

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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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