*ALL PAINTING PROGRESS OF ORIGINAL PAINTINGS CAN NOW BE VIEWED ON INSTAGRAM – @holly_kavonic_art. THANKYOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

I was recently commissioned to paint a bear sitting in the sand with a misty background, a ‘sister’ painting to “Slumber” (my sleeping bear). In spite of my doubts, it is actually possible to keep painting while your baby turns into a 4 month old, a 5 month old and now a 6 month old… for all other artist moms out there – be encouraged, there’s always a way (even if it means waking up at 4:30 or 5:00 am … it sounds dreadful but once the habit is formed, it’s not so bad… no really, I mean it…. in all truth I’m grateful for some time alone with my coffee and my audiobooks. My only regret is my 8pm bedtime 😉 And naturally – I do choose to sleep in occasionally.

An update on using Holbein Duo Aqua water-miscible oils….. I was apprehensive of changing over, but with pregnancy came my wariness of being exposed to turpentime everyday. And I now LOVE my water-miscible oils. Instead of turps, I use water for cleaning brushes. I thin my paints with Duo Aqua water soluable lindseed oil. Cleanup is easy and without fumes!! The colors are very comparable. I’ve been won over and have no need to fret 🙂

Here is a progress shot of my work so far.

I am pleased to announce that my wildlife paintings are now currently on display at Sticks-n-Stones in Estes Park, Colorado. I have not yet been there in person but hope to visit in 2016. In the meantime, here are a few snapshots of my work on display.

Today I finally begin my next painting of a young forest elephant in Kenya Africa, with the aid of photographer Ken Conger! This is something I have wanted to do for a very long time,to raise awareness against Poaching and the Ivory Trade. In 2014 I completed my painting of 3 rhinos “Living Ivory” and this shall be it’s partner in the fight against illegal ivory trade and the cruel trafficking of baby elephants who are being ripped away from their mothers and family groups in order to be sold to private zoos and circuses abroad.

Please follow the links below to read more:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150206-elephant-conservation-zimbabwe-culling-animals/

My painting is not based on any of the photos above… In March you will be able to see a magnificient creature coming to life on my canvas as you follow my blog posts. It will be another large painting, 30 x 36″ in size. Normally I would use my usual oil paints but as I now have to avoid toxic materials due to my little baby on the way, I have switched to Holbein Duo Aqua Water-miscible oils. These oils have been treated so that it’s possible to clean your brushes with water, thus eliminating Turpentine from my house 🙂

More on ‘Painting during Pregnancy’ soon! I found I had to spend an enormous amount of time researching how a pregnant artist can keep living her dream while dealing with fumes and toxins. So for any other worried pregnant artists out there – keep your eyes peeled!