Watercolor Wednesday

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Bend, OR
Watercolor Wednesday

Watercolors that Inspire Adventure By blending hand-painted graphics with modern fonts, Kirsten creates fresh compositions that make heirlooms.
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Inspired by the majestic landscapes, textures and colors of the West Coast, architect-turned-artist, Kirsten McLean loves painting the mountains, ocean and all things in between.

07/26/2024

🎉Woohoo! 🎉 The Olympic Opening Ceremony is today!

Who is excited?!?

I LOVE the Olympics...especially the opening ceremony. 🏊🏽As a former swimmer, swimming is hands down my favorite event. What is yours?

I realized I have plenty of Olympic Sports illustrated in watercolor I plan to share over the next weeks to celebrate the Olympic season. Get ready for some sporty fun!

07/24/2024

Lots of delightful watercolor gifts and art over in my online shop!

Retailers, don't forget, that today is the final day of Faire's Summer Market where you can earn up to 15% off in my shop!

07/23/2024

To all my stockists...Faire Wholesale Summer Market starts today where you can save up to 15% off my wholesale prices!

I've been so excited to watch the wholesale arm of my business grow this past year and appreciate each and everyone of you! Thank you for your business, your likes, shared and reviews...you rock!

All my best!

07/23/2024

I've been playing with some new product ideas...not sure if this one ☕will come to fruition but I'm excited to show you what I've been up to soon!

✨Stay tuned...

07/18/2024

I'm still buzzing from the excitement and energy of last weekend's Summer Festival!

Markets are so much fun, and I absolutely LOVE connecting with the community. Seeing repeat buyers (apparently, I have collectors now!) is such a joy. But wow, they sure are a TON of work! Not to mention the exhaustion!

My garage is still a disaster zone of unpacked boxes, random tools, and plenty of leftover Starbursts... IFKYK.

Thanks to everyone who braved the heat to come out and say hello!

Amanda Mae Images

07/18/2024

✨My tools. No AI or digital illustration here—just pure watercolor and watercolor pencils, with (sometimes) a touch of pen work.

🎨While I spend plenty of time on the computer for scanning, editing, emailing, and marketing, my true passion lies in using my paints, brushes, and pencils.

07/14/2024

🌞 Hi Bendites! 🌞 Summer Festival is happening today from 11-5pm downtown.

It will be a bit cooler today, so come on down and shop from talented 👩🏻‍🎨 artists near and far!

I'm so excited about these beautiful booth photos 📸 captured for me yesterday!!!

07/14/2024

😎 What do your walls need?

Pop downtown tomorrow for the last day of 🌞 Bend's Summer Festival to check out all my 🌲adventure-inspiring art and gifts!

I will have loads of framed art like this one, plus, large square frames and fun little ones for nursery and play rooms!

From living rooms to bathrooms to man caves to little boy's rooms, I hope you can find something perfect for your home!

Come say hello! I will be on Bond Street across from Great Harvest bakery.

07/12/2024

Plans for the weekend? Come join me at Bend's Summer Festival happening all weekend!

Sat 👉 11am-8pm
Sun 👉 11am -5pm

Find my booth on Bond across from Great Harvest bakery!

07/11/2024

🥳 Prepping to pack up lots of cute stuff for this weekend's HUGE market at Summer Festival in downtown Bend.

All of downtown will be closed for the event featuring 80+ artists, live music, food and bevies and even a skateboarding competition?!?

Ignore the heat 😎 and come join me!

Find my both across from Great Harvest bakery.

Saturday Hours 👉🏻 11-8pm
Sunday Hours 👉🏻 11-5pm

07/03/2024

📍The making of a map!

I’m thrilled you all enjoyed the 🐟 East Lake Map Reveal! Here’s a sneak peek behind the scenes.

Every icon starts as a 🎨hand-painted watercolor (with a bit of ink for this one!). Once painted, they’re scanned, digitized, and meticulously laid out and layered in Photoshop. After that, I add text and labels and create printed samples.

It’s a process I’ve been perfecting for years (with many wedding maps along the way!), and I’m always finding new ways to evolve and improve.

06/26/2024

New cards alert‼️ I've been working on this new Birthday Card collection and I'm so excited to share them with you.

🌲These ideas have been doodles and puns in my sketchbook for too long, so it's amazing to see them come to life.

⛷Check them out and bring some fun to your day!

06/25/2024

Hello there!

I’m Kirsten, the creative behind the brand Watercolor Wednesday. Nope, my name isn’t Wednesday, and I don't have a secret obsession with The Addams Family TV show.

Watercolor Wednesday got its name from a weekly blog post I used to publish ages ago while studying abroad in Copenhagen. Every Wednesday, I’d excitedly post a new watercolor from my travels around Europe...and the name just stuck! It's a bit of a mouthful but here I am, over 11 years later, still rocking it.

I’m crazy about watercolor and love that I’ve turned this passion into creating amazing products. I started with greeting cards, expanded to art prints, and now I print and license my artwork on all sorts of cool materials!

Before diving into Watercolor Wednesday full-time, I was an architect, focusing on commercial and educational design. While architecture still holds a part of my heart, this creative endeavor is my true career passion.

When I’m not being an entrepreneur, you can find me and my husband Jake wrangling our three awesome little boys. I love Jesus, a strong light roast ☕, reading a great historical fiction novel, and 🌻soaking up time in the great outdoors.

My work is all about inspiring adventure—from outdoor sports to beautiful landscapes to whimsical maps. The stunning beauty of the Northwest, especially my home in Central Oregon, is a constant source of inspiration.

Oh, and did I mention? I absolutely love painting trees. 🌲🎨

Thanks for following along on this colorful journey! And thank you for these great shots!

06/17/2024

🧢 Wishing all the dads out there an amazing Father's Day!

Thank you for all you do. 🙏🏻

I'm so thankful for my husband and the father + role model he is to our boys. And to my own father and father-in-law, we are some lucky ducks!

06/09/2024

Psst...Fathers Day is one week away! Tell Dad how awesome he is with a cute card. 😍

Find all these cuties at watercolorwed.com

Thank you to for these beautiful shots!

06/07/2024

☀️ If you're in Central Oregon, come visit me this weekend at Bend Handmade, a Pacific Northwest premier Indie craft show with handcrafted goods like jewelry, housewares, clothing, toys, art, bath & body products, paper goods, fiber arts, candles, and more!

I'm delighted to be vending among some of the Northwest's most talented artisans! Come say hi to some of my crafty friends too like and

I'm almost packed and bringing a full booth of art and cards (perfect for Father's Day!) along with some new pieces that aren't on my site yet.

Plus, I'm offering my “Buy 3, Get 1 Free” market-only sale. Hope to see you there!

My booth is between Minnesota and Oregon Ave on Bind St Infront of Chomp Chomp!

06/04/2024

I had a certain "dad" in mind for each of these cards I designed and I hope one can resonate with you! The golfers card is for my own father, an avid life-long golfer. And the "Rad Dad" fits my husband perfectly, as well as the tools (he can fix anything!). Which one works well for the important father figures in your life?

Father's Day is just 12 days away, so grab a card soon Check out the shop for plenty of options and find the perfect fit for your dad, grandpa, husband, or father-figure!

06/03/2024

🌸 Goodbye May, Hello June! 🌞

I remembered to turn the page on my 2024 Calendar this weekend and was delighted to see the signature painting of the calendar, "Summer Wanderlust," as the feature of the month! 🎨✨

One of the things I love most about illustrative calendars is the joy of discovering new artwork each month. It's like a little gift that keeps on giving! 🎁🖼️

Here's to a month filled with new adventures and vibrant summer vibes! 🌻💫

06/02/2024

The bestseller from this weekend! 🌟 I’ve been delighted to see Father's Day cards selling well online, and this one has been the top pick so far. It’s always fascinating to see which design resonates most. I love them all, so it's hard for me to choose a favorite!

pst...have you gotten your Dad a card yet? I've got a bunch of fun options in my online shop!

05/31/2024

✨Summer Events Calendar! ✨

Find me at these two amazing events June and July! I'm bringing my bestsellers as well as new goodies and tons of framed prints. So if your walls are blank, come down and find something pretty to fill them!

05/29/2024

🌸 If you've been watching my Stories, you've probably been seeing a lot of flowers!

I'm excited to announce I'm working on a new collection of Wildflowers of the Northwest inspired by my first camping trip to Mt Rainier over 7 years ago. I was amazed by the variety, colors and textures and I'm excited to (do my best to) capture all their beauty!

I hope to bring a few of these to Bend Handmade June 8th and have big plans for when the collection is complete!

✨Follow along for more updates! ✨

05/16/2024

Working on some new card designs I'm excited to reveal at the Bend Handmade Market happened June 8th in downtown Bend!

05/03/2024

Last call for mom! 🌷

For mom, the best gift is your sweet words, so don't forget to find her an adorable card! Find beautiful and unique cards in my online shop.

Grab your cards soon! Mother's Day is just 10 days away!

Free local pickup on SE Bend with "Bendlocal" at checkout.

04/11/2024

Yesterday I was working on a client map and needed to illustrate cars for a "parking lot."

I was really struggling to get the perspectives and style right...then I remembered that we own about 1,000,000 matchbox cars that would work perfectly as little car models.

04/02/2024

First Market of the season is THIS THURSDAY EVENING! 🌻 Grab your gals and come down Kevista Coffee for a fun evening with talented vendors and delicious drinks!

I'm bringing all my spring cards and prints. We will be there 6-9pm, so put the kids to bed and come on down for a little shopping! 💃🏻

03/14/2024

Cards for Mom! 🥰

I'm fascinated by you early birds, Mothers Day Cards🌷are already going out the door daily!

03/12/2024

I've been a bit quiet on all fronts lately due to a hefty workload of client projects.

Currently, I'm tackling two large 🧭 map projects, with one being the most significant challenge I've ever faced (and might ever face!). Despite the initial nerves and a smidge of impostor syndrome, I'm finally hitting my stride. 💃🏻

These maps involve a lot of architectural sketches, allowing me to revisit my roots and blend my two passions of painting and architecture.

Most of you know, but before running Watercolor Wednesday, I studied and worked as an architect for over ten years. It's been fun to dust off my drafting supplies and remember how to compose a two-point perspective.

I'll definitely share the final maps with you all in early summer!

03/07/2024

In contrast to popular opinion, I'm still loving winter! ❄️The light between the trees is just breathtaking and the blue shadows are lovely. God is such a great artist.

I'm hoping we can go from snow to summer and just bypass the rainy spring days. Anyone else with me?

Tell me, are you ready for spring or holding onto winter like me?

02/14/2024

💕Happy Valentine's Day, friends! 💕

02/06/2024

💕 Grab your Valentine's Day cards today to make it in time! 💕

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Bend, OR

Website

http://watercolorwed.com/

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✨ Pack a wholesale order with me! ✨ This package is for a new customer and they added a great selection from my print, card and sticker options! First I place all the prints in the box, followed by the greeting cards bundled in a cute belly band. Then stickers are wrapped in a cello sleeve. Then for the fun stuff- I like to include a handwritten note in each order and include a few free items I think the retailer might enjoy. And don't forget to add the packing slip! I like to clip it all together with a cute paper clip- the details matter to me! Make sure it's snug and tight in the box and seal it tight. I just started using branded packaging tape from @stickermule that I'm loving! I try to reach out to the retailer 1-2 weeks after the order has shipped to insure everything arrived safely and they are happy with their recent purchase. #packanorderwithme #packaging #stationerylove #fairewholesale