Welcome to a World of My Art
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Click on Images to enlarge and check out just a sampling of my site offerings and my friends and family rockin some clothing.
Sisters at my Summer studio door rockin' the leggings and rash guards. See Kid's Wear for more.
My shop has moved to FlowerPowerME.com!
It’s now an easy-to-use online Print-On-Demand (POD) store featuring all my wearable art and accessories.
I’ll still use this site to showcase my other artwork in the Gallery once I’m back to painting.
In the meantime, explore the Shop by Colors section at Flower Power ME and join my petal-pushing movement—because life’s too short for boring clothes!
— C.K. Higgison
Welcome! This site is currently undergoing a transformation.
If you're looking to shop my Cottage by the C clothing and accessories, please visit my new site: FlowerPowerME.com.
If you're interested in my paintings or want to learn more about me, feel free to explore the Gallery tab above or contact me directly with any questions.
A bit about me:
I'm C.K. Higgison—painter of whimsical worlds, designer of feel-good fashion featuring my original art, retired elementary art teacher, mother, grandmother, wife, and longtime Maine resident.
Wondering about “Cottage by the C”?
The name comes from the small cottages that appeared in many of my paintings over the years, and the “C” is for my first name. I registered the domain in the early 2000s, and it’s stuck ever since.
If you are interested in seeing my work in its original form I have a tiny summer studio in our driveway. If you are interested to visit my studio in person please contact me directly. Contact me. And in addition, late April through early October, we have a roadside flower stand, featuring flowers and aromatics from our gardens at $5 a bouquet. Bouquets by the Road,
My Story
I have been working with paint and making paintings of one form or another for many years. While originally from away, Connecticut in fact, I have been living, working and painting in Maine for over 50 years. I attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and graduated from Bowdoin College with an A. B. in Creative Visual Arts. I have had various day jobs, from working in an art gallery, to being a visual merchandiser, running a museum gift shop, to founding the Bowdoin Summer Art Camp. That led me to finally figure out what I want to be when I grow up... an elementary school art teacher. For over 20 years I taught art to young children in various public and private schools here in Maine. While recently retired from full time teaching, during the school year I still enjoy working with young children as a substitute teacher and in my freer time spend time in my studio and my gardens.
In teaching art to young children I have found my true balance between making my own art and empowering young children to see, create and find their own visual voice as well.
I have been married to my artist husband Peyton Higgison, for the past 40 years and we have made our home here in Brunswick, Maine where we raised our two grown sons Hunter and Skyler. Hunter and his wife Joanna have made Springfield, Virginia their home and Skyler lives nearby with his partner Amanda and their young family. Two days after Christmas of 2021 we had a devastating house fire, most likely started from a charging lithium battery, so in some ways we have spent the past three and half years literally rebuilding our life here on the same land. We were fortunate to have insurance and an outpouring of support from family, friends and the community at large and I am thankful to say, summer of 2024 we moved into a newly renovated barn/ studio and addition combination that is our amazing new home. I have begun painting again, launched the FlowerPowerME website referenced above and look forward to a productive 2025 in the gardens and studio. For those curious about our fire, I have linked here a piece I wrote for my alumni magazine reflecting on how life happens to throw us huge boulders, Love, Loss and Silver Linings.
For those curious about the signing of my art work as C. K. Higgison, I am of Armenian descent, and my full name is Chaké (sounds like Shacki) Emira Kavookjian Higgison. While I am very proud of my Armenian heritage, it's an intimidating name to try fit on my small paintings and even harder to pronounce when seen for the first time, thus I use C.K. for my artist's signature abbreviation.
CONTACT
US
C.K. Higgison: shackik@comcast.net