Are you ready for a new decade as well as a new year?

From my watercolor journal/sketchbook

I'm starting out this new year with some big changes. I've switched to a Mac! I was tired of always having to stop what I was doing and re-boot or some foolish time wasting thing. I've only heard great things, from other artists, about a Mac and I am more than ready to make the switch. I've spent the last week moving from my PC to the Mac and now only need to spend some time becoming familiar with how things work.

This is a sketch I did minutes ago in my watercolor sketchbook. I'll journal later, but I wanted to make sure and end this year with a blog post.... so I had to hurry.

Lately I've been reading from some older magazines about artists, past and present, and I'm hoping to share some of what I've been reading with you. Reading about other artists always gets me motivated.... how about you?

I hope you all have had as good a year as I've had.

Here's to 2010, may it be all we wish. Cheers!

Happy New Year !

Reminisce - a sketch from 2008

This is a little sketch I posted last December. His charming manner always brings a smile to my face, dressed prim and proper, yet so soft and adorable.

I've almost completed my list of Christmas chores and have started giving thought to what I may want to accomplish with my art in 2010. Although I usally have goals I hope to accomplish I find if I tell people, I almost always fail. Like, 'the secret's out, no use doing that now' way of thinking. I've had a successful year with my art and because of that I am feeling more confident that some of my goals will be obtainable.
What about you, care to share?

• Are you thinking of some artist goals you'd like to accomplish this next year?
  
• Are you taking stock of all that you did accomplish in 2009?

Merry Christmas

Book of People - Accordian Journal

For our last watercolor class of the 6 weeks, I made each person an accordion sketchbook, approx. size of each page is 5" x 4". We started off with some un-intimidating paper and drew stick figures with our pencil. After a number of these we then progressed to using one color using our watercolor pigment and drawing stick figures. When we felt comfortable we added clothing to our stick figures. Finally, we were confident enough to use our new sketchbooks using photo references I had cut out of from numerous magazines. We proceded to add a fully clothed watercolored figure (with no facial details), one to each page in our new sketchbooks.

I found out later, when I had mentioned that we were going to paint people in class 6, a couple of students thought they might not come to that class. Some others were dreading it. It just didn't sound like fun to them. Before the class was over they all admited that it was one of the best classes.

This was such a fun exercise to do. If you haven't tried people painting yet, give it a try. It grows on you with each figure you paint.

Too many projects to do justice to any of them....

Do you ever find you have started too many projects to do a good job on any of them? Probably not, but, I find I do this often. Such as teaching a watercolor class once a week, (this has been a great adventure for me and one that I will probably offer again in 2010) planning my next blog post (I bet you find this hard to believe since I post so seldom), thinking of what I will paint for our Christmas card this year, attempting to keep the house in some what of order and the other normal things that goes on in our lives. I need to slow down and stay focused so I can finish one project without rushing. The above snow scene has been abandoned because it isn't turning out the way I had hoped. Too rushed. Notice the branches of the largest tree ... reminds me of Alfalfa on The Little Rascals, with his hair parted down the middle, *sigh.

The group of paintings above are an accumulation of whats on my desk that are going in the 'unacceptable' pile. Most are just sketches I use in my thinking process .... but, when I look at all this work I think of all the time I've wasted and yet didn't complete a thing.

On a more uplifting note, the Harstine Island annual Holiday House Bazaar was a huge success and loved by all. Its so nice to be involved in a group effort that just overflows with success as this one does.