No art to show today. Not that I haven't painted. I have. All day long. Work is having a competition for decorating doors for the holidays. Our office is open plan so we are using our reception desk as our "door". It is about 40 inches high and has a ledge on it. today I spent the day painting a fireplace on unstretched canvas to put under the shelf area which will serve as a mantelpiece. Woking with the canvas on the floor was extremely tiring. My back aches and my knees are agony! Yesterday we made a Christmas tree from green card (in true Blue Peter fashion!) and also some candles that we will put on our "mantelpiece". Tomorrow I must make stockings to hang off the ledge.
I read on Tina Mammoser's blog today about looking back and evaluating the past year and thought that that sounded like a good idea. The year started for me with my making a lot of resolutions about creating regularly but got off to a very slow start! I was struggling with finishing the grisaille of the chair - at least now I am putting the colour on that (note to self - 2009 will see the end of the chair painting!), I did a few pastels and not a lot else until October. I did sell 5 pieces this year (four pastels and a drawing) so that was a bonus.
Things learned - I'm suddenly much more comfortable with using colour, I understand more about how it positions itself in space according to hue and value. A lot of the things I learned with pastels I am being able to put into my oil paintings and find that surprisingly - they work! I made a commitment to a painting a day and have by and large kept to that for the last month - admittedly there have been a couple of days when I have painted but not completed a painting but sometimes its nice to feel you are doing something of substance.
I've set myself some goals for the coming year that I'm not putting into writing yet - if they work out I am sure that I will be saying more. I'm planning to get out and paint plein aire - one of those feel the fear and do it anyway things. I also want to investigate getting work on Imagekind and other selling avenues.
We will be moving again next year so I have to plan how I will get over the hiatus of a couple of months without materials - or maybe put together a travelling art box to take with me - just leave the clothes behind!
So an early end of year assessment - progress made, more to make, but feeling very positive about the direction in which I am headed. It just remains to say thank you to everyone for their continued support - its great to have you along fro the ride!
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4 comments:
I hope we get to see a photo of your 'fireplace' with Christmas stockings!
You may have started the year slowly but you are now travelling like a comet with these daily paintings. My jaw drops every time I visit your blog and find another.
The work you have put into your colour studies is certainly paying off. Sharing your journey is one of the great pleasures of my days.
Oh what fun, decorating. Yes I'd love to see the results of all that hard work.
When you decide to get going you do it in spades! Your consistant quality and production leaves me in awe.
I will be brave in a week or two and analyze my year, but perhaps in broad terms instead of minute analysis as I've done previously. However, both have merit in moving towards a goal.
Robyn - thank you so much for you continued support. I am excited about how much I am doing at the moment. I think there is a lot of truth in the more you do the more you want to do. Seeing you taking great leaps forward is truly inpsiring to me!
Jeanette - I look forward to reading your analysis. You are another artist who inspires me to do more. Thank you for following my work.
Report Card is a great word for it! Don't forget all the new things you're trying on the showing or marketing side too - like what you've shared on your blog, people you've met, competitions you've entered, and things like that. A 'try' is an achievement too. :)
I suppose I should post mine today, as it is the last day of 2008.
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