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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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  • Home
    • My Artistic Journey CV
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    • 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
  • Events,  My Plein Air Adventures,  Travelling Colours

    SKB Workshop in Dubois WY 2014

    28 September 2014 / No Comments

    It is so had to believe another year has come and went.  Attending the SKB workshop in Dubois again this year was almost a completely different experience from last year.  Last year I spent most of the week in complete awe!  Getting to meet my Art Colony friends in person and hang out with them for over a week.  The entire experience was nothing less than amazing.  So many wonderful memories. It is so had to believe another year has come and went.  Attending the SKB workshop in Dubois again this year was almost a completely different experience from last year.  Last year I spent most of the week in…

    Read More
    Helen Shideler

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    Early wrap to this years challenge

    25 February 2018

    30 Day Challenge Complete for Another Year

    3 February 2016

    Stone Church Artist’s Residency

    23 October 2022
  • Artful Reflections,  People,  Travelling Colours

    New York Minute (sigh)

    18 May 2014 / No Comments

    Last week, I cannot believe it has been a week already, we had an opportunity to got to New York City!   Pretty unbelievable place.  Although there seemed to be far more people there than I remembered from the last time, the place is WONDERFUL! And bright! And colourful! We stayed right on Times Square for the first two nights. Right outside our hotel door seemed like millions of people. And then moved to Central Park for the next two. Took lots of photos, ate really well, walked until we dropped – quite literally!   And we took in “The Lion King” as well as The Museum of Natural History…

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    Helen Shideler

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    Horizon Health and the most excellent after care

    27 April 2025

    The missed shots

    10 November 2024

    A nice story

    18 June 2019
  • Lessons Learned,  My Painting Process,  Travelling Colours

    Hat Trick

    3 February 2014 / No Comments

    I am loving this technique I love that even with the layers of paint you can still see the impasto underpainting- in this cast the texture I created by painting through burlap.  The process is mess and I admit I am quite nervous with as I usually know almost exactly what I am doing.  Not quite the case with complex underpainting processes and also with poured watercolour paintings. The element of surprise and then the reality of what in the heck am I going to do with this? I admit I am a planner.  I will decide on a element whether it be the subject or the texture and think…

    Read More
    Helen Shideler

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    The missed shots

    10 November 2024

    Growing Skyward

    10 December 2021

    Well DANG

    2 November 2021
  • Events,  Kudos,  My Plein Air Adventures,  Travelling Colours

    I Had a Total Blast

    6 October 2013 / No Comments

    2013 SKB Workshop in Dubois WY Wyoming was everything I had hoped it would be and more!   A very special photo of me receiving a 2nd Place Award Ribbon in Water Colour from Sir John Seerey-Lester (sigh).  He told me that my painting was really a lovely little piece! I so love meeting my friends from Art Colony Blog in person and getting to know them!  We had so much fun. We created so many memories and have the photos to prove it!  We have photos with ourselves with an amazing group of famous artists..Robert Bateman, Morten Solberg, Greg Beecham, Sir John Seerey-Lester and his wife Suzy, Carl Purcell…

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    Helen Shideler

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    To Santa Fe and back

    24 April 2018

    Painting Returns Home with Two Awards

    9 December 2014

    SCA Art Chat with Helen

    30 April 2021
  • Events,  My Plein Air Adventures,  Travelling Colours

    Planning My Packing

    2 September 2013 / No Comments

    I am excited beyond belief! In less than two weeks I will be travelling to Dubois, WY where I will be painting to my heart’s content. Dubois is known for its western flavour and also being cowboy country with real ranches! Its also the location of the Susan Kathleen Black Foundations workshop that I will be attending. This is a major life experience for me. This is the first time I am travelling that far on my own with three flight changes. Adding to the excitement that I plan to meet up with a group of women that I only know online! Additionally we all plan on visiting Yellowstone National…

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    Helen Shideler

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    Painting Returns Home with Two Awards

    9 December 2014

    SCA Art Chat with Helen

    30 April 2021

    Stone Church Artist’s Residency

    23 October 2022
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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

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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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