Thank you for helping me choose my new Etsy Avatar!

Thank you so much for the awesome community at Etsy that helped me choose my new avatar! The bird came a very close runner up, and might need to make an appearance as avatar in the future:
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2 New Watercolors...For SALE in my Etsy Shop!

New to my shop are these 2 watercolor paintings! Each measures 7"x9" on 140 lb. watercolor paper, aaaaand - they are FOR SALE in my Etsy shop! The top piece was inspired by all of those romantically inclined birds that are swarming my backyard, proclaiming with abandon that YES! it's spring! It's called "Be Still My Heart", and features a captivated purple bird and his yellow lady love.
The second is called "Entwined", and features one of my signature ladies being slowly embraced by a flowering vine. I can't be happier that spring is finally arrived and had to express my joy here!
Please visit my Etsy shop if you're interested in purchasing either of these original pieces of art!

Safely Home - Original Watercolor

A fall from your "nest" and your world is turned upside down... But find your way back again and suddenly the world is put to rights. Even better, when a friend helps you to find your way back.
An original watercolor on 11"x15" sized 140 lb. watercolor paper, "Safely Home" is my newest in this lovely medium.

Now Available - Fine Art Giclee Prints!

Now avaiable in my Etsy shop are Fine Art Giclee prints! They have been printed using Epson Ultrachrome professional archival inks on Somerset Velvet paper. This paper is incredible, and has the look and feel of high quality watercolor paper! There is absolutely no glare on these prints, and they are of such quality that they have been often mistaken for originals works! Right now I have "Dreaming of Darcy - Isabella" available, but I'll be happy to have any of my original paintings printed in this manner for you. Contact me at christina@hoydendesigns.com with your special requests! Please click on this link to see the first of my prints!

My Etsy Store is having a SALE!!!

Now on SALE are select items from my Etsy shop! Please visit this link! to view or purchase these one of a kind pieces. Each is hand-painted, and would make a charming addition to your life!

What's in a Name??? Meet "Thoughtful" and "Dreamy" and find out!

My two little ladies have been completed! And, thank goodness, they have names... "Thoughtful" and "Dreamy" (Dreamy is the lady with the flower). Not sisters, but the same woman showing different emotional sides to herself.
These are small 5x7 watercolors on 140 lb. watercolor paper. Please scroll down for an "in progress" view!

"Dreaming of Darcy - Chloe" joins our group of ladies!

Sleek and elegant, Chloe is the newest addition to my Dreaming of Darcy painting series! She is one of my contemporary ladies, and has lived most of her life in Paris; thus she is filled not only with dreams, but also a passion for the enigmatic Mr.Darcy!
An 8x10 acrylic painting on a canvas panel. Please contact me at christina@hoydendesigns.com if you'd like to request a print of her!

What's in a Name???

These 2 little paintings are my latest watercolors, each 5x7 and painted on 140 lb. watercolor paper. When this picture was taken, each was in a varying degree of incompleteness. Now we come to my problem...I can't, for the life of me, think of names for them! I thought it should have something to do with 2 sisters and I should name them accordingly. But I'm still drawing a blank. My initial thought, of course, was from Jane Austen's novel Sense & Sensibility (now really, is anyone who knows me at all surprised by this?) and I should use Marianne & Elinor, the names of the sisters in the novel. But these are not a part of my Jane Austen inspired series "Dreaming of Darcy", so that just won't do. Argh!

Tranquil Earth - "Sweet Abandon"...

There is nothing like the free spirit of a child. They will find utter joy in the most simple things. As adults, we often lose that spirit. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to let go and enjoy life like that again? In "Sweet Abandon", that spirit is well and truly alive! After all, what better image is there of a spirit letting go and experiencing freedom and joy than of a person falling back with utter abandon into a pile of autumn leaves?
This is an acrylic painting done on 16x20 stretched canvas. While I do not have prints available just yet, please feel free to e-mail me at christina@hoydendesigns.com if you're interested. Thank you!

Art Prints are Coming!

I just received my first giclee art print from one of my paintings today, and it is incredible! Very soon I'll be offering them up for sale on several of my most popular paintings. Please contact me at christina@hoydendesigns.com if you have a special painting you'd like to have a print of.
Thank you!