Skip to main content

Winter 2020



 Here's my current illustrated journal. It’s called Winter 2020, and that is the correct year and season. BUT most of these pages,  I am happy to say, actually illustrate Spring, Summer and Autumn! It's  probably because I have spent much of Winter 2020 in my studio,  playing with and exploring new ideas, new techniques and new subject matter on these pages. 




                                   


                            



        By the way, just for the record, as crazy and unprecedented and unplanned-for as 2020 has been, I am very thankful for this time. Here’s why:

       With my entire show schedule being upended one show after another, I have of necessity shifted the way I market and sell. I have had to push my social media presence. That, my friends, has been both a wonderful and a frightening learning curve. Additionally, I have had to dig my heels in and make my studio time priority. For me, it has been a shift from making art for shows to making art because that is my work (regardless of money or the fact that anyone will even see it). In other words, I am making art because I am an artist. Come what may.

       This digging in of the heels to make art, to be an artist, has been a huge motivating force this year. Now I admit, it took a minute to absorb the shock of all those show cancellations and all that sheltering in. I'm not gonna lie; there was definitely some floundering.  Like, what am I going to do now? I don't need  more inventory; the studio is busting at the seams with inventory! But I decided. I decided! And then got to work. 

        Now, looking back at the year and the pages of my Winter 2020 journal, I see that that decision has propelled me toward new ideas, new techniques, and new subject matter.  Grateful? Hell yeah! Excited that this is my work in Winter 2020? Double Hell yeah! 

I can hardly wait to show you what's coming up for 2021!

      In the mean time, here’s my other illustrated journals, which I started in 2018 and plan to continue for the rest of my life! It's where I play and pretty much start my day inthe studio. You can see some of the pages on my online store.




 Want to see more? Make a purchase? Add to your collection?

Visit my shop here!



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Paint and Palettes

          I’ve always been a lover of paint and paint palettes. I vividly remember the excitement I felt opening that rectangular tin filled with round cakes of watercolor paint in elementary school. I was hooked! From that point on, I have wanted to explore and express within the inviting purity of paint.          In 1988 I had a beach side shop where I hand painted women's clothing. I was using acrylic paint in abundance. One morning I had cleaned my palette off, and had peeled a large colorful piece of variegated and textured acrylic paint from it.  Some friends of mine came into the shop (actually it was my minister and his wife). During our brief conversation, I showed them the peeled up paint and said, “This is too pretty to throw away, but I don’t know what to do with it.” The husband said, “Oh, you should cut it up and make it into jewelry!” We all laughed about it. It was like "Yeah right, I should try ...

Winter Work

        Now that my show season is over, it's time for what I lovingly call winter work. Winter work is studio time. It's when I light the fire in the wood stove and sit down at the drawing table and/or easel, both of which are pulled close to the wood stove. It's winter work because when the weather cools off and the leaves fall, the studio is the most inviting place in my life. The warmth of the fire and the smell of the wood and the blank slate on the easel are what inspire and motivate me to work.        At one of my shows I bought this glorious coffee mug from Paige @rockbottomceramics. It sits on top of the woodstove and keeps the coffee warm for hours.  It's a studio staple.     There is purposely a blank canvas on the easel, or in this case, a smooth panel which will eventually be gessoed and painted with an expression of light through leaves. The blank canvas is self care. It's a sign of hope for my future. What will go on ...

Up and Running

 Show season is up and running! Next up: One of my favorites, the Crosby Festival of the Arts. It will be held in the beautiful Toledo Botanical Garden June 28-30. I'll be in booth 178 - the Purple Zone- which is where I've been located before.       One thing I love about this event is the location. M y booth is situated close to the herb garden, which is laid out on an inviting pathway, full of life and color. I look forward to taking photos of the gardens, which will eventually find their way into my art. Here's some from last year:      I'm excited to return to the event with my mixed media collage paintings. I've been at work on some new pieces, which will also be available.  Here's a sneak peek at the latest work:        I'm still aiming to capture that path of light through leaves.  I combine paint, papers, ink, wax resist, linocut printing, colored pencils and canvas. My aim is to combine these various ma...