Includes my art process, art shows, new ideas, products that are released into stores, artists I admire, and printable art that is free to download (free printable coloring pages, etc.). Your feedback is always welcome.
I’m delighted to participate in Ghost Gallery’s Annual Mini Show once again! This year, I submitted Cat in Black, a Japanese woodblock print, also known as mokuhanga.
I love the texture of this little print, from the striped background to the marks that make up the cat’s coat. Working in a single color lets those details carry the image.
The print measures 4 × 6 inches and comes in a 6 × 8-inch frame, ready to hang. It’s available for $48 through Ghost Gallery in Seattle.
It’s a cool, rainy start to the day, perfect for my early-morning Sketch-a-Day.
We have a family of catbirds living just off our patio. They crack me up with all their sounds and bouncing around, so one made it into today’s sketch.
A nice way to spend a rainy morning.
For my licensing agent’s Christmas in July e-blast, I created this holiday continuation of the Americana piece I made earlier this month.
Both were inspired by growing up in Nebraska and spending summers at my grandparents’ farm in Iowa. I kept thinking about my grandmother’s farmhouse, with its doilies, stitching, embroidered corners, and tea towels. Those details found their way into the scalloped borders, small florals, and stitched feel of the piece.
I’m hoping to keep developing this direction into a fuller holiday collection.
Happy Fourth of July!
I’ve been working on a small Americana collection inspired by the Iowa small towns I love so much. This is one of the finished pieces.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Fourth!
I sometimes come across pieces that I’d completely forgotten about.
This collage was made while I was working on Before After Between, but it never made the final cut. At the time, I thought it wasn’t finished.
I ran across it again this week and was surprised by how much I liked it. I appreciate it differently than I did two years ago.
It’s printed archivally on 11x14 birch plywood and is available for purchase. Reach out if you’d like more information.
I’ve been trying out Kyle’s new brushes in Procreate and really enjoying the process.
I made this cowboy piece recently for a western-themed pitch, based on an image I loved on Unsplash, and worked into it from there. As I get more comfortable with the brushes, I’m starting to move further from the source, which has been freeing.
More to come as I keep building on this.
I've been experimenting more with scratchboard lately and just finished a more challenging composition. I used a linocut tool again, which meant hours of carving and a sore neck and hands by the end of it. For my next piece — a moth composition — I finally ordered the proper scratchboard tools from Dick Blick. (Much easier. I’ll share more about that in a separate post.)
Here’s to a thoughtful year and lighter hearts.
Scratchboard piece by Kendra Shedenhelm
I love the rich black and white of scratchboard, so I wanted to try it again for an upcoming art exhibition submission.
I’m still winging it (no pun intended), but I enjoy the process and the look of the medium.
I haven’t been accepted yet, but if I am, I’ll post more details about the show. Stay tuned!
I love the early morning, and I try to draw at least one thing upon waking. Here’s a sketch of menorahs from this week:
Morning drawing by Kendra Shedenhelm
I scanned it in, vectorized the linework in Illustrator, and built a repeating pattern from the pieces. Then I uploaded it to Spoonflower, where it’s now available in both large and small scale.
Here’s how it looks on their cocktail napkins:
The design is available as fabric, wallpaper, and home decor. And if you happen to be reading this on Cyber Monday, Spoonflower is running big sales right now.
Click here for my Hanukkah design or here for many more patterns by me! (:
At the prompting of a few wonderful individuals, I started working with Printify to have my designs printed on products via my Etsy shop. The seamless integration so far has been very impressive and easy to use.
Here are a few of my recent block-print designs for a Woodland Holiday collection printed on coasters.
I haven’t ordered samples yet, but I’m quite hopeful. If you’d like to order one and give me feedback, please email me and I’ll send you a discount code.
If you want to take a look, here’s my Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BigBridgeStudios
Scratchboard by Kendra Shedenhelm turned into a little animation using Veo3
My first test with AI video using my scratchboard piece that I made for my friend's child's birthday about two years ago today.
I think it turned out pretty cool.
Happy Birthday, kiddo.
Woman With Barrette, etching with chine colle by Kendra Shedenhelm
My etching Woman With Barrette (with chiné collé) is part of Local Color 2025, the annual members’ fine art show and sale hosted by the Croton Council on the Arts. She’s available for $120, beautifully framed, and hanging now at Symphony Knoll in Croton-on-Hudson.
This is one of my favorite local shows—it brings together artists from around the area in a relaxed, welcoming setting. There’s always a great mix of work, from painting and printmaking to sculpture and photography.
Show details:
📍 Symphony Knoll, 15 Mt. Airy Road S, Croton-on-Hudson
🗓️ November 8–9 and 15–16, 12–6 PM
🎉 Opening reception: Sunday, November 9, 3–6 PM
Chickadee I, monoprint on archival paper
My Chickadees pieces for the 19th Annual Holiday Mini Art Exhibit at Ghost Gallery sold within minutes of the preview going live—and I’m stoked.
This is my fourth year showing with Ghost, and I always love working with them. They curate such a strong mix—so much cool, original work from artists all over the country.
Both Chickadee I and Chickadee II are monoprints on archival paper, each created using a 3×5 Gelli plate. Each print is a one-of-a-kind original, framed to 5×7 and ready to hang.
You don’t have to be in Seattle to check it out—the full show is online and keeps updating throughout the week. The exhibit runs from November 14 through early January, with receptions on Nov. 14 and Dec. 12, both from 5–9 pm.
My piece, “Stitch” (shown above), is included in I’m Scared Too, a juried exhibition at Bethany Arts Community in Ossining, NY. The show runs from October 4 through November 1, 2025, with an opening reception on Friday, October 10, from 6–8 PM.
Bethany Arts Community
40 Somerstown Road
Ossining, NY 10562
The exhibition asks a simple question—what does it truly mean to be scared? It brings together 2D and 3D works, sculpture, film, and soundscapes that explore what we try to hide in the dark: the strange, the bleak, the freaky, and the weird.
My work in this show turns that question inward. The stitched mouth and skeletal collar suggest the ways fear can manifest as control—how we contain what threatens to spill out. It’s part of my ongoing exploration of transformation, fragility, and the uneasy beauty of what lies just beneath the surface.
For more information or visiting hours, see Bethany Arts Community – I’m Scared Too
What a treat! I just got word that my Facing Ravens design was selected as a TeePublic Editor’s Pick and is currently featured on their home page. It’s such a nice surprise to have this piece spotlighted alongside some other great artists.
If you’d like to see the shirt, it’s available here:
👉 Facing Ravens on TeePublic
I’m currently in Germany, celebrating with a hotel-room Nespresso before heading to my morning language class (more on that later). This was a great way to start my day!
A small but exciting update: a curated selection of my artwork is now available through Elephant Stock.
This is my first time working with them, but they seem to get consistently good reviews. If you're looking for large-format art prints—especially for modern interiors—they specialize in that kind of scale and presentation.
The pieces they selected include some of my more minimal, graphic work: line drawings, bold animal portraits, and a few expressive florals. It's always interesting to see which direction a new partner gravitates toward, and Elephant Stock leaned into the cleaner, more contemporary side of what I do.
If you're interested, you can take a look here: Elephant Stock – Kendra Shedenhelm
I’m so pleased to see my art featured in a local paper!
They chose my “Queen, Urchin” piece, and it’s one of my favorites.
You can read more about the show at patch.com
Let’s say I’m telling a friend about my boyfriend. I tell her I don’t feel good in the relationship. That I’m always second-guessing myself. That I keep adjusting how I show up, hoping it’ll feel better. He can be charming, sure. But mostly, I leave the interaction feeling unsure or tired.
And instead of saying, you don’t have to do this, she says something like, “Yeah, he’s a little complex…” or “Maybe just see him once a week?” or “Maybe try changing your mindset?”
What kind of advice is that?
So I go to someone else. Same thing. Then I go online. Same thing.
Everyone’s trying to help me work with the bad boyfriend. No one is saying: You can just stop.
That’s what Instagram feels like.
I’ve tried to limit my time on there. But that leaves me with a pile of unread DMs that make me feel crappy. Like I’m letting people down.
And I do want people to know what I’m working on. And I can’t show my art without showing it. But posting on IG feels so loaded… So I hold off. I think about it. Then I post. Or I don’t. And I question myself either way.
Sometimes I get on there just to support people I care about. But then I end up on there for an hour, and it turns into that rabbit hole again. And I have a weird, vague icky feeling.
I don’t understand why we’re all still trying to make this work.
But I’m off to post on Instagram.
See you there, I guess.
Over the past few months, I’ve been developing new work with my agent, Wain’s World Licensing, and I’m excited to share that it will be featured at Licensing Expo 2025 in Las Vegas.
If you’ll be at the show, stop by Booth C127 to see my latest collections, alongside work from other artists in the agency. If you're not attending in person, you can view my licensing portfolio here or get in touch with Liz Wain to schedule a meeting.
📍 Booth C127
📆 May 20–22, 2025
📍 Las Vegas
More soon, with a little preview of one of the collections I’ve been working on.
