Happy 2026!

Here’s to a thoughtful year and lighter hearts.

Working in Scratchboard for an Art Exhibit Submission

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!

From a Morning Drawing to a Festive Pattern on Spoonflower

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! (:

Trying out Printify for the first time

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

Animating my scratchboard piece

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 at the Local Color 2025 Show

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

Chickadees at Ghost Gallery: Small Original Monoprints in the 19th Annual Holiday Mini Art Exhibit

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.

View the full exhibit ›

I’m Scared Too at Bethany Arts Community

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

Facing Ravens Chosen as TeePublic Editor’s Pick – October 2025

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!

My Work Is Now Available at Elephant Stock

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

IRL (In Real Life), A Recent Show at the Town Hall

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

Instagram Is Like a Bad Boyfriend

So why does it feel like everyone wants me to stay with him?

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.

New Licensing Work at Licensing Expo 2025

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.

Woman With Blue Boots at the ANW 54th Artist Exhibit

I’m excited to share that my drawing, Woman With Blue Boots, will be part of the ANW 54th Artist Exhibit (Artists of Northern Westchester). The show opens this Sunday, March 30, 2025, from 2–4 PM in Croton-on-Hudson.

View the event flyer here.

After showing a lot of my collage work—often heavier in tone and material—I wanted to submit something different this time. Woman With Blue Boots is a colorful illustration that came to life alongside my Tiny Art Portraits, though at 8.5" x 11", she’s not exactly tiny.

She’s drawn with ink and marker on smooth paper—materials that are less stable over time, though I coated the piece with a UV spray for some protection. The loose, spontaneous feel of this drawing is part of what makes it special.

She’s also for sale: $125 framed, or $100 unframed. If you're in the area, come by the show!

(If you can’t make the show but are interested in purchasing this drawing, please email me for Venmo/Paypal info and I will ship it to you.)

New Etchings from Printmaking Class

I just wrapped up another printmaking class at the Garrison Art Center with Ezra Heller. This session, I focused on etching with soft ground, drypoint, aquatint, and chine collé.

These are two of my favorite pieces from the class.

I used pages from a local phone book as the collage element, layering text over the images to create an interesting contrast between the structured lines of print and the organic quality of the drawn portrait. Both are printed on archival Fabriano paper. The paper size is 7x10 inches, and the image size is 4x6 inches. I love how the delicate etching lines interact with the printed text, creating a sense of history and layering.

Both prints are available for sale at $65 each + S&H. Please email me or click here for more info.

Show Prep & The Process Behind My Collage Portraits

With my upcoming show approaching, I’ve been focused on framing, organizing, and making final decisions on what will be included. It’s always a mix of logistics and reflection—figuring out what fits together and seeing how the work holds up as a whole.

For both BEFORE AFTER BETWEEN and TRANSFORMATIONS, I’ve built each collage portrait from antique and vintage imagery sourced from Flickr’s extensive royalty-free archives. Old book illustrations, forgotten photographs, scraps of text—things that once had meaning to someone but have since been untethered from their original context.

None of these images were ever meant to be together, but now they form faces, expressions, and identities that feel whole. It’s a lot like memory—disjointed details coming together into a story, even when they don’t quite belong.

By searching, choosing, and assembling these pieces, I create new connections between them. Each fragment carries its own history, but together, they become something else. In a way, the work is about giving them a second life—letting these forgotten images take on new meaning now.

More soon as the show gets closer.

New Mini Art Portraits For Sale

I recently completed a few mini portraits that had been sitting in progress, and this one stands out as a favorite. She came to life with pencils, ink, and a pop of hot pink from a Crayola marker. While the vibrant pink isn’t lightfast and will inevitably fade over time, I’ve applied a light coat of UV protective spray to help preserve it. How it will evolve remains to be seen, but that unpredictability feels like part of her story.
She is available for purchase here: https://kendrashedenhelm.bigcartel.com/. I’ve placed her in a charming little frame (optional but included in the price), which you can see featured below.

Mockup of the mini art portrait in a little ornate frame.

Mini portrait of a woman in hot pink. She is approximately 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

End of Year Catchup (4 of 4) — New “Floral Ink” Calendar for 2025 now available

New Floral Ink wall calendar for 2025 is now available!

I’m super proud to have another Floral Ink calendar produced by Graphique de France for 2025. Like previous years, I created a brushed ink drawing for each month. Graphique does a wonderful job of making the images extra pretty with the cream background and the gold accents.

You can purchase one on Calendars.com here. You can also find it on Amazon here. If you purchase one, and you like it, it would mean the world to me if you wrote a positive review on either of these sites.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Cover for the Floral Ink 2025 calendar, image courtesy of Graphique de France and Calendars.com

Back cover for the Floral Ink 2025 calendar, image courtesy of Graphique de France and Calendars.com

Prevew mockup of the Floral Ink 2025 calendar, image courtesy of Graphique de France and Calendars.com

End of Year Catchup (3 of 4) — Printmaking Class at Garrison Art Center + NEW BIG CARTEL SHOP

I recently took a printmaking class at Garrison Art Center with artist Ezra Heller, and it was great to get back into a printmaking studio. The space is straightforward, and its beautiful location right on the Hudson River made it feel calm and inviting. I’m not usually a fan of driving, but this trip turned out to be a peaceful and scenic one that I didn’t mind at all.

One of the pieces I created during the class is an etching, which I’m sharing below alongside the original copper plate it was made from. I’ve titled it Winter Bird I. It’s approximately 3x4 inches, printed on a 6x8 sheet of Fabriano archival paper.

If you’re interested in owning this piece, it’s on sale for $65 through my new Big Cartel shop here: kendrashedenhelm.bigcartel.com. This is my first day using the platform, so I’m figuring things out as I go—thank you for your patience and support!

Winter Bird I by Kendra Shedenhelm, drypoint etching with hand-coloring, 3in x 4in plate size

Preview of the copper etched plate on a test print (Winter Bird I by Kendra Shedenhelm)

End of Year Catchup (2 of 4) — Affordable Mini Art Show at Ghost Gallery

I’ve been a forever fan of Ghost Gallery in Seattle, especially after working with its owner and curator, Laurie Kearney, a few times over the years.

One of my favorite types of art shows is a small works exhibition with affordable prices—and Ghost Gallery is hosting one now, just in time for the holidays. As someone who loves collecting art, I really appreciate how these shows make art accessible to everyone.

My submission for this year’s show is a small etching I created last fall at Manhattan Graphics Center, titled Little Dragon, Sleep. This piece is a soft-ground drypoint etching, inspired by the Folk Tale Week challenge I was working on at the time. It measures approximately 5x5 inches and is framed in a 7x7 frame, priced at $65. Please click here to check it out, and be sure to look through the entire show online. There’s a lot of cool work for gifting and keeping!