Looking Ahead and Back: Happy New Year

What I Will Do in 2012

Something more modest than what I proposed in 2011.Yet, I promise to reach -- to grow as a person and an artist. More in a bit about that... tomorrow. My cousin's son is getting married tonight ... New Year's Eve ... in a little over an hour. Thus the wait. Oh, and one of the bridal couple's gifts to their guests was a complimentary chair massage to usher in the New Year. That, more than anything delayed my posting next year's plans. Ahhhhhhhh.


2011: A Memorable Year in My Art Journey

Me with 27 of my 100 Faces

The 100 Faces in 100 Days Project: Last year, about this time, I revealed one heck of a New Year's Resolution with the launch of my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project. For 100 days, from January 1 to April 10, a volunteer entered the studio to sit for me and share lives for a few hours. All 101 of us -- my 100 volunteers and I -- made it through this awesome challenge and are much the richer for it. It was the experience of a lifetime. You can read about it, day by day on this blog ... just "dial" back to January 1, 2011.

I successfully completed this crazy New Year's Resolution with 100 Days of scheduling sitters, sittings of generally three to four hours, writing a blog post of each day's adventure, washing brushes, etc. on top of a "routine" of two days of teaching for nine of those weeks, entering art shows, filling out a grant application and getting ready to exhibit the completed paintings two times this summer. Life was nuts. Thrilling but nuts.

With Rob Liberace in Julian Barrows Studio (formerly John Singer Sargent's)

Two days after I painted Face #100, Randy and I flew to London for an almost two-week adventure/wind-down, seven days of which were spent on an art historical tour with Robert Liberace sponsored through the Art League. I drew my way through a 100 Faces in 100 Days recovery. What was nice is that neither Randy nor I could "do" much while there. It wouldn't help to go 100mph there. We'd return home soon enough with just a few days to spare before hanging exhibit #1.

For the next few months, in between exhibit activities, I worked on formulating what comes next. My Project had trained me to keep tackling the unfamiliar and trusting "it" to turn out okay with enough practice under my belt.

"On the Waterfront" painted plein air in Alexandria, VA

I joined the Art League Plein Air Painters, going to Alexandria to paint on the Waterfront. Before, I was a studio painter -- relying on subject matter  like portraits and still lifes where I controlled the light. There was little wind. The temperature remained about the same. The bugs were generally just fruit flies ... if any. Plein air painting is truly tough. The landscape is vast and uncontrolled. It was new territory, but it brought with it the thrill of life and the unknown. Just like having a different subject show up each day to be painted. I have so much left to learn, but I'm on my way. Just a 1000 or so canvases to go and I'll really have the hang of it.

Honestly, I've had some successes already with it. I entered two plein air painting competitions this year. The first was Paint Herndon! where my painting "Old Town Herndon II" won third place. The second was Out and About Norfolk where two of my three paintings won awards. "Elephant from the Norfolk Zoo" won a Purchase Award and "Chrysler Museum Fountain" won the Raymar Art Award. A third painting, "W&OD BBQ," that was started in plein air won First Prize in the Reston Century T-Shirt Art Competition. The best part is that this has been so much fun.

"Elephant at the Norfolk Zoo" won the Purchase Award at Out&About Norfolk

I started my Feathered and Furry Friends series -- painting animals on site -- in a zoo, on a friend's farm, and at Kidwell Farm at Frying Pan Park. Painting moving animals was like painting moving people (as in my 100 Faces) ... with the addition of plein air challenges, setting my easel up outside the studio with onlookers. I LOVED every minute of it.

The cool thing about all of this year is that my paintings were full of the experiences of those days ... in all their craziness. Canvases weren't planned. I had the general idea of where to "show up," made choices on the fly, adapted as necessary, shared the joy of creating art with others, and worked at being up to the task. Those experiences, replete with funny stories, infuse life in the linen. Not bad at all.

And, a great joy is that I've had some wonderful folks enjoy the journey with me. Embrace the successes. Laugh at the mishaps. Love the art. Thank you!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!