Name: Knollwood Art Studio
Address: US

Come make with us!

Knollwood Art Studio—located in Beavercreek, Ohio—is an online and portable art studio that specializes in merging traditional art techniques with modern technology. Our mission is to inspire creativity and innovation through project ideas, tutorials, and community.

Latest articles

Discover More

Check back soon

Once posts are published, you’ll see them here.

Upcoming events

I ended yesterday with 328 flowers (60% of the total in my design) and 95 foliage elements—all scanned in! I also started the process of converting the images to vector graphics with @_adobeillustrator_ and cleaning them up—removing whitespace, redrawing lines lost in digitization, erasing bits I don't like.

I'm up before the sun and the kids to work towards my massive goal for the day: cleaning up over 400 little images. And because it's dark and cold outside, I'm hiding in the playroom with James' @squishmallows frog until breakfast 🐸

#picturebook #inprogress #illustration #adobeillustrator #vectorgraphics #squishmallows #burningthecandleatbothends #eyeontheprize

✅ Wetlands
✅ Coffee
✅ Hand drawn illustrations

The two stacks of pages in the last photo represent 19 pages of hand drawn illustrations I will use in my book.

I have 545 individual flowers of 10 different varieties in my design and I've drawn 248 of those 10 varieties so far. I plan to reuse some on multiple pages, but I'll probably draw another 50 or so once my arm recovers.

In the meantime, I'm going to start scanning 😁

Started the day at @gcparkstrails Koogler wetlands. It's easy to forget you're in the middle of Beavercreek when sitting here 💚

#ohiowetlands #wetlands #welcomebackbirds #birdsong

My responsibilities at my day job drastically increased in January, so I haven't had the mental energy for much in my "downtime." (Ok, that and my three boys do not slow their activities in the Ohio winter months when the weather does not allow as much outdoor play, so it's all we can do to keep everyone fed and in clean clothes. 😆)

So to mark the end of the quarter and the beginning of spring, I took a few days off work to finish a picture book that I started a little over a year ago. The words have been on my heart for so long; I just didn't know the best way to share them. A few weeks ago, God gave me a vision for this book, so I am committed to finishing it.

To that end, I booked a truly tiny @postcardcabins in Hocking Hills for one day for my first writing retreat. I trusted God to meet me there and He did not disappoint! I have my entire book designed now and all I have to do is carry out the work.

Today, I'm going to find a quiet corner of the library to draw lots and lots and lots of flowers 🌼

P.S. Do I enjoy walks in the forest because they smell like the library, or do I enjoy sitting in the library because it smells like the forest? Either way if heaven looks, sounds, and smells anything like Ohio wetlands, I will not be disappointed!

#writingretreat #wetlands #hockinghills #illustration #illmeetyouwhereyouare #library #ohioisbeautiful #bethoumyvision

I'm playing with @_pictoblox_ today. Did you know you could do block programming with an @arduino.cc Uno?

#artstudio #maker #makerspace #tryingnewthings #pictoblox #arduino #arduinouno #blockprogramming #blinkinglight #helloworld

I took a break from microcontrollers to prototype something that is pure delight 🤩

#prototype #tryingnewthings #artstudio #makersgonnamake #makerspace #interdisciplinary #clock #kaleidoscope #upcycling

It was really hard to concentrate on what I was saying with those lights blinking on an off 😆

I'm just a few lines of code and one little board away from finishing my first prototype of this project! I'll give you a little hint on what the goal is and tell you that the next step is to make this program smart about how many lights to turn on using some data from the National Weather Service.

#arduino #prototype #artstudio #makerspace #interdisciplinary #makersgonnamake #tryingnewthings

It's been a little while since I've checked in, so I thought I should post a quick update. I've been reconsidering my goals for Knollwood Art Studio going forward and decided to expand them to 1) be more inclusive of my professional skills and 2) better support the creative interests in my community.

This is a little peek at what I've been playing with lately. The thought of micro-anything has seemed really difficult and out of reach to me. I have a BS in computer science, but that basically translates to software engineering and I've specialized in Android development for most of my career. All that to say that I've never needed to know what's inside the box, only that I can turn it on and give it instructions.

I wish I could say that I finally found the courage to just go for it and learn electronics, but I actually sort of reluctantly stumbled into it when my almost-8-year-old asked me if I could buy him a kit that would let him make redstone circuits in real life. I started googling who knows what, came across paper circuits, mentioned my little project to my husband (who has been trying to get me interested in electronics for like ever), and ended up reading a Make magazine on Arduino and implementing the microcontroller version of "Hello World."

I don't know why I was so intimidated by electronics for so long! Now I'm bursting with fresh ideas and I'm so excited to see if any of them pan out. I'll keep you all posted on my progress since this very much has to do with my evolving vision for Knollwood Art Studio 💙

#arduino #helloworld #microcontroller #artstudio #makerspace #interdisciplinary #circuits #tryingnewthings #makersgonnamake

Sharing my current work in progress because it's been a while since I've felt like painting...

The question that has been circling in my head for the past month is: what makes me feel safe? I asked my boys the same question and this picture started taking shape.

Things that make us feel safe:
- Hands that catch you when you fall
- Mama
- Spinning
- Hugs
- Warm drinks
- Chocolate
- Love
- Gardening
- Bubbles
- Being free to make messes
- Being told that everything will be ok

What are some things that make you feel safe?

The need that inspired the painting 🥰 "Listen" makes the perfect journal cover!

"I Like Myself." 16x20". Acrylic on canvas.

Does it belong in a museum? No.
Does it make me happy? Yes! 🩷

What do I like? What do I do for fun? Those questions have been growing harder and harder to answer over the past 15+ years.

Creating things that bring me satisfaction and pleasure, even if they aren't everyone's cup of tea, even if they aren't "productive," is something I'm trying to relearn how to do. And I'm slowly starting to like myself again.

"Listen." 12x16. Acrylic on canvas.

My boys have been a huge part of helping me learn to listen well - to myself, to others, to the Holy Spirit - and they chose the color palette and painted about 2/3 of this painting. I just filled in the empty spaces with the paint remaining on their palettes (aka paper plates) and brushes.

Listening is such a challenge with so many things competing for our attention. Learning to listen well is learning to be present in each moment, to be absorbed in the words spoken to us, to be mindful of what our bodies are telling us, to breathe deeply and allow the Spirit to fill us with the life-giving truths of the Father. Listening is also learning to discern which voices we can trust, especially those inside our heads. Listening well is necessary to love ourselves and others the way that God has commanded us to.

I recently had the pleasure of crocheting a sweater for one of my boys' girl friends (not pictured because I forgot) and I had trouble stopping at one haha. I was encouraged by the 3-pack of skorts (with pockets!) from Amazon being slightly mismatched; the sweater I made only matched 2 of the skirts. So this Barbie-style outfit was the result! My 5-year-old self would have refused to wear anything else for a week 😁

Seeing these little blue flowers on my way to and from places this week has brought me so much joy! I wish I could pick them and carry them with me, but then they wouldn't be there to greet me when I walk by.

What spring ephemerals are greeting you each day? 💙💜

#springhassprung #springephemeral #squill #blueflowers

💚❤️ Merry Christmas ❤️💚

May you experience the boundless joy and interminable hope found only in Jesus!!

...

My toddler was diagnosed as autistic with language impairment this fall and it's been both heartbreaking to know of the challenges that lie ahead of him in life and beautiful to see the world through his eyes.

This is his first painting and it brought me so much joy to see him so eager to express himself and experience all the sensations available to him through this project!

I am in awe of how God has used this child to change my definition of purpose, to redefine my ideas of success.

I am so hopeful for my toddler's future and the futures of his older brothers because God is the one preparing good things for them to do and He is not the slightest bit put off by impairments or disabilities. ❤️💚

#asd #artstudio #christmas2023

Check out some new listings in my Etsy shop and take advantage of a special promo now thru Wednesday 10/11! Details and link in my stories. 🌞

I've been having trouble giving myself room to create lately, so I decided to ease back in with a simple little project, inspired by the study of Genesis I just started with an amazing group of women this month.

Have you ever wished God would create light in the dark place you find yourself? Or looked for a sign that He had not abandoned you? I have 🙋‍♀️

I wish I could say that I've learned on God to get me through the hardest seasons of my life, but I really haven't. Still He's been faithful and stayed with me through it all. He's given me light and breath and He's reminded me over and over that He's never giving up on me - in the whispers of His Word, in the timely encouragement of a friend, in the perspective provided in hindsight, in the rising and setting of the sun, and in the rainbow after the storm.

The same God who spoke the world into existence still speaks to those who are listening.

#artist #acrylic #acrylicpainting #bookmark #bookmarks #light #thenGodsaid #rainbow #promisekeeper #lightinthedarkness

@youngsdairy for #woolgathering2023 today 😁

I painted this pouch to remind myself not to give up...

Living is HARD, but God created me to be resilient and in Christ I have the strength to accept the challenges I face daily and find ways to overcome them.

This pouch goes with me everywhere. I use it to hold all the things that enable me to go out without fear of getting stuck somewhere because of fatigue or dehydration. And every time I take it out, I'm encouraged - empowered by Paul's words, reminded of God's grace.

I CAN do hard things and so can you!

#icandohardthings #daisies #dysautonomia #pots #overcomer #dontgiveup

It can feel hard to breathe when the house is in complete chaos. Not to mention hard to work around all the stuff that's piled up on every useful space!

I started bringing some order (and sanity) back to our shared spaces earlier in the week, but I've put that on hold for today because I need a rest.

The boys' rooms have been long neglected. When I started tidying them earlier this week, I realized the biggest problem (for them and for us) is Legos scattered all over their floors. Last week my oldest asked for my help sorting his Legos. He said he didn't want to put them away until they were sorted back into sets. So here I am helping order his chaos while he's away at school to give my body a much needed rest.

Maybe while I'm working on this I'll come up with a creative solution for keeping them sorted 😆 Any ideas??

#takingabreak #legos #legosorting

🔍 Spot the difference: oatmeal edition 🥣

My picky 4-year-old won't touch the 1st bowl of oatmeal, but the 2nd bowl he'll lick clean. There's only ONE difference between the two bowls of plain oatmeal with a touch of honey. Can you spot it? 🤣

#pickyeater #rainbow #sprinkles #oatmeal #sprinklesmakeeverythingbetter #breakfast

Oops! Missed a spot 😅

Guess I'll need to get back into the habit of always checking my work.

#artist #commission #acrylicpainting #petportrait #beagle #oops #onemorething

My first pet portrait is complete! 🐕🍉

Now to let it dry for the next few days before finishing it off with varnish and sending it on to its new home 😊

#artist #commission #acrylicpainting #petportrait #beagle #watermelon #summervibes #smallbusiness

Today, I added a few more details to the pet portrait and started painting a farm scene on these little slippers for my youngest 😊

I used up the rest of the extra portrait paint decorating some canvas zipper pouches. Now my little palettes are available for mixing browns, so I can finish up the portrait this weekend 🤎🖤🐕

#artist #acrylicpainting #petportrait #watermelon #beagle

The beautiful thing about a painting is that you can create whatever scene your imagination provides around your subject.

I've been thinking about the colors and patterns I wanted to incorporate into this portrait all week - watermelon, wavy lines, warm reds, oranges and blues.

Today I finally had a chance to start painting and it's even better than I'd imagined it 😍🍉🐕

Now what should I do with all the extra paint I mixed? 🤔

#artist #acrylicpainting #petportrait #watermelon #beagle

Why are there so many paintings of rainbows? 🎵

1. My boys love rainbows.
2. My boys LOVE rainbows!
3. Do I need to say it again?

My rainbow paintings provoke conversations with my boys - about the science of rainbows, their favorite colors, what foods are blue vs indigo. I love this phase we're in so much!

#rainbow #roygbiv #boysloverainbowstoo #artist #acrylicpainting #fabricpainting #homemadefabricpaint #totebag #handpainted #handpaintedbag

New products have arrived!!! 🌈🌞

It's morning somewhere, right? 😅 Reviewing and putting the finishing touches on 12 new listings took a lot longer than I thought.

Please check out my shop at the link in my bio and please, please like and share this reel! Thank you so much for your support ❤️

I will be working on adding fall theme products in a couple of weeks, just in time for back to school 🍁🎃📚📝 Follow me to get sneak peeks at what's coming.

When the lighting in your house isn't the greatest...

and you don't want to spend money on extra equipment...

AND your plan to scan stuff at the library is a bust...

you wait for the perfect just slightly overcast day to retake photos of your artwork. ⛅

New products are hitting my shop TOMORROW morning. I can't wait to show you 😁

#artist #mobilephotography #photographyonabudget #frugal #makingdo #newreleases #newreleasetuesday #rainbow #acrylicpainting

Started mixing colors for my first commission - a pet portrait for my best friend @alejandrajones2! I'm so excited 😁😁😁

#artist #acrylicpainting #petportrait #first #commission

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

Follow us on Instagram

@knollwoodartstudio

Come make with us!

Latest articles

Upcoming events

​

Follow us on Instagram