On the road to Fremont for a demo on journaling and sketchbooking. The sun is trying to peek out.

Yikes!

Is this what they mean by "mixed media"? As in a big MESS?
I think I am finally ready for tomorrow night's presentation for Grace Rankin's watercolor club in Fremont. Roy and I will drive over for the day and Grace and I will do an evening presentation on journals and sketchbooking. We will each show our own style of keeping a travel sketchbook journal and talk about artist journals in general. I will show how to make some different types of handmade books and how to embellish some commercial ones. We will talk about our July trip to La Romita School of Art in Italy as well. This will be our first co-presentation; we will do a similar demo for the Alliance of California Artists in March in Clovis. I'm off to bed now. More tomorrow!

Artist "date" of sorts

Today, I spent a wonderful afternoon with fellow artist, Iris Duarte. We shared a delicious leisurely lunch and talked about art for hours, completely losing track of time. We have a lot in common in terms of loving color, painting large, and loving to experiment with new materials and techniques. We agreed that we need to spend more time together experimenting with some things we both want to try. In the month of January, we will be working together on the Art of Life project in which artists and cancer victims/survivors work together on an art project. This year's theme is Love. We did some planning and organizing in preparation for the event. I will write more about it as the month progresses. I enjoyed getting to know Iris better and look forward to working with her.

Another busy day--

1. Today, I finished wrapping and pricing eighteen (18!) small paintings that were actually finished in 2009 but not ready to show. Now they are, as you can see in today's photos. I will change the numbers now for the last time for 2009 and move on to a different goal--2 hours/day with the paintbrush (or other tool) in my paintin' hand!

2. We went to the office store for some paper etc. and bought a new inexpensive printer to replace one of ours that "died" or at least is in hiberation at the moment. Tonight, Roy got it going while I painted and then we both tried it out.

3. After the errands and dinner, we went to see George Clooney (sp?) in "Up In the Air" which proved to be a very thought-provoking movie.




Although somewhat of a "downer" in some ways, I'm glad we saw it.
Stay tuned tomorrow for news of the Fremont demo and other upcoming events!

Saturday--a no paint day :(

Today was full of errands--the banks, a car wash, lunch out etc. And then a little work at home and a great evening out with friends. We went to the Kingsburg tasting room where my art is currently showing and then to a nice restaurant for dinner. Quiet, short day--no painting and no walk, but no recriminations either. :)

A few changes on the blog. . . .

Just a few heads-ups regarding the blog--I added some photos to the slideshow and moved it from the bottom of the blog page to very near the top. The move was to increase visibility and to alleviate the need to search all over for multiple examples of my art work. Even though I captioned all the paintings, so far I haven't been successful having the captions show in the slideshow itself. I'll keep trying.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Accomplishments for 2009 and Goals for 2010

2009 was an excellent year but I anticipate 2010 will be even better.

In 2009, I did the following (artistically):

1. Remained a part of The Art Stand Gallery, Timberline Gallery, and Circle Gallery in Madera.
2. Hung my art for 2 months at Willowbridge Bookstore in Oakhurst but decided not to stay in 2010.
3. Was a part of the "Potluck Critique Group" which meets monthly and creates for a theme each month.
4. Was part of a Marketing Salon Group following the book "I'd Rather Be In The Studio" by Alyson Stanfield.
5. Because of the Marketing Salon Group, I updated my marketing materials, created a lot of new ones, and continue to upgrade my marketing and PR efforts. Sporadically did a newsletter.
6. Entered ACA juried shows and received multiple placements, including lst places, in Contemporary and Mixed Media classes.
7. Entered the Madera Ag show with 2 3D "mannequins" and received a 2nd and 3rd place.
8. Attended an abstract workshop by Jean Warren sponsored by the Santa Clara Watercolor Society.
9. Hung work at Fresno City Hall as part of the ACA Signature Member Show.
10. Participated in the Art-Tourism Conference at ECCO put on by Madera Arts Council.
11. Participated in the Madera Wine Trails November event at Birdstone Winery.
12. Hung art at Appelation: CA in Madera County.
13. Taught mixed media classes at the Art Stand Gallery and for Vision Academy in Oakhurst.
14. Became a board member at Timberline Gallery.
15. Was accepted to teach a class at La Romita School of Art in Terni, Italy in July 2010. I will be co-teaching with my friend and fellow artist, Grace Rankin.
16. Hosted the 2nd annual Celebrate Creativity Artist Inspirational Retreat at my home in November 2009.
17. Had an Open Studio at my home in May 2009, as part of the Art Stand Gallery Open Studio Event.
18. Had shows at Mindshop Bookstore in Oakhurst, Allard's Art Supplies in Fresno, Reedley Opera House, and Ramos Torres Wine Tasting Room in Kingsburg.
19. Sold "Italia d'Oro" to Westbrook Farms in North Fork to be used as a wine label.
20. Expanded my online presence by continuing the blog, joining Facebook, and creating a Fan Page on Facebook.
21. Entered The Art Calendar magazine's Self Portrait competition with "Snippets."

I'm sure that I'm forgetting something but that's the year in quick review. I have plans to keep a better list for next year, starting right away, instead of waiting till the end of the year to generate one.

In 2010, my goals are to:

1. Continue in the galleries that I am in.
2. Be more active, especially at Timberline.
3. Expand on my "wine" contacts, shows, and wine-related paintings.
4. Continue to show my work in a variety of places and to expand the list of venues where I show.
5. Paint every day.
6. Blog every day.
7. Walk every day. (Starting tomorrow, unfortunately!)
8. Share my knowledge and enthusiasm for mixed media work by teaching local classes and in Italy.
9. Continue to expand my online presence through blogging and Facebook.
10. Complete the "3 Women" and "Words" series (12 paintings each) so that I can make calendars of each; continue to work on the "Check it Out" series.
11. Take at least 1 long workshop during the year and several smaller ones.
12. Have the 3rd Annual Celebrate Creativity Artist Retreat at my home and participate in the Art Stand Open Studio Event.
13. Continue to do a better job with marketing, PR, and financial accounting.
14. Increase sales for the year through better advertising and more frequent followups with collectors.
15. Do a monthly or bi-monthly newsletter.
16. Paint with other artists that I respect and admire and would like to learn from.
17. Reread "The Artist's Way" and "Walking in This World" and "Finding Water." Start doing "morning pages", be sure to walk as many days as possible, and re-institute "artist's dates" each week.

My big, hairy "pie in the sky" goal continues to be: Sell 100 paintings during one calendar year for $1000 each. That doesn't sound impossible, does it? I think I will break it down and say this:


In 2010, I want to sell 12 paintings for $1000 each or the equivalent of smaller paintings.

Enough for one post--boring to read, I'm sure, but I feel good having put something down in black and white about accomplishments and goals!

Last year, I set my goals to paint 52 large paintings and 104 small paintings. I didn't come close but I did paint, mat, and frame a lot of work. By tomorrow, I will have updated the numbers for 2009. I am reading Julia Cameron again and have decided that my goals may have been too focused on product and not focused enough on process. So for 2010, my goal will be to spend 2 hours per day in the studio with the paintbrush in my hand. Not futzing around, not matting, not blogging, not cleaning up--2 hours per day in the studio with the paintbrush in my hand. I don't feel bad about last years' goals because they actually weren't out of line with Julia Cameron's suggestion to post a small sign in your studio that says: "Okay, God, you take care of the quality. I will take care of the quantity." (Courtesy of Julia Cameron, author of "The Artist's Way" etc.)