Inspiration Studio
Featuring concepts from The Playgrounds in My Mind
Welcome to the Inspiration Studio
Every painting begins with an idea.
Sometimes that idea starts with a photograph
Sometimes it begins with a memory.
And sometimes . . .
it begins with a simple question:
What if . . . ?
The Inspiration Studio is where those ideas come to life through digital concept art and visual storytelling.
Some concepts remain digital explorations.
Others inspire original paintings by Karen Houghton Teeter.
Whether they become paintings or simply remain creative adventures, every piece begins in the playgound of imagination.
Inspiration #1 - Bigfoot Unplugged
The Spark
Karen was selected to paint one of the guitars for the Billy Strings concert. As we tossed around ideas, one question kept coming back to me...
What if Bigfoot was the musician?
The guitar project ultimately went in another direction, but the idea wouldn't let go. Instead of ending there, it found a new home on canvas.
Digital concept by Denis Teeter created to explore the original idea.
Original acrylic painting by Karen Houghton Teeter (Inspired by the original concept)
One Idea Took on a Life of Its Own
Most ideas that begin in the Inspiration Studio eventually find their way onto a canvas.
One idea, however, became something even more.
Bigfoot Bella began as a character created to entertain our grandchildren during the pandemic. Karen later brought Bella to life on canvas, and together we expanded her world into the Bigfoot Bella Adventure Series—a growing collection of children's books inspired by real places, history, and the natural beauty of Michigan.
Bella's journey has now grown into its own story.
Playgrounds In My Mind
Creativity has become something we share.
Many of Karen’s paintings begin with an idea, a conversation, or an image she can see in her imagination. Sometimes she describes that idea to Denis, who explores it through digital art. Karen may then use that concept as a starting point, changing it and interpreting it in her own way on canvas.
That same love of imagination and creating something from an idea led Denis to put together Playgrounds in My Mind, a collection reflecting his own creative journey.
Different mediums, different styles — but often the same starting point: “What if…?”