KJ’s Garden Arts

08/27/2026

Painting a love story.

08/27/2026

08/27/2026

With Josie’s help and a rush of creativity, stuff got done. Tomorrow is a “big” day. Photo of 48x 60 inch canvas next to easel for scale.

08/26/2026

Today sketchbook and practice vinyl. A bit inspired by Dolly and the need to practice different paints and brush strokes on vinyl. Tomorrow I will be prepping a large canvas commission and beginning to paint my actual vinyl commission. I’m a bit nervous about both.

By the way, anyone have a truck that can pick up very large canvases at Michael’s? They were about 1/2 inch too big to fit in my Santa Fe.

08/26/2026

Day 2 of working on this wonderful commission. I love it when a patron asks for something that pushes me to learn more. Using Daniel Smith watercolor ground on this practice vinyl and it’s taking forever to dry. I am so ready to put down some new ideas. It’s the 2nd step
of expressing these beautiful stories of one of my most cherished patrons. Stay tuned.

08/25/2026

Working on a commission today for a very special couple and had already sketched in the butterflies when I heard the news about Dolly. Bless her heart and all of us. But, love is like a butterfly.

08/24/2026

So honored and humbled to be a part of this project. There is always a Garden of Hope with many Signs of Healing along the way.

Garden of Hope: Healing looks different for everyone. 🌸

For Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we invited our community to share their personal perspectives on what healing means to them. To everyone who contributed: thank you. Your words offer comfort, connection, and a vital reminder to survivors everywhere that you are not alone.

Both canvases were painted by local artist Karen Alward with KJ’s Garden Arts, who dedicated her time and talent to bring this project to life. We could not be more grateful for her support and beautiful work!

Note on submissions: To protect privacy and ensure clarity, some entries have been slightly shortened or excerpted for space. We remain deeply grateful to everyone who shared their voice. 💙

If you or someone you know needs support, help is available: 24/7 crisis line: 800-226-7273

08/15/2026

And four hours later, there are four art kits complete with an hour and a half instructional video that really needs to be cut down. If you like pet humor, and lots of random thoughts while painting, this one is for you.

Now to print the instructions and edit the video. I have a date with Canva and YouTube in my near future.

08/13/2026

Last one! So much fun!