This year was a mixed bag. It was very positive in terms of my art and getting back into the workforce and very difficult due to some unexpected losses. Overall, I’m grateful this year has finally come to a close. I’m ready for a fresh start in 2020.
After nearly a decade of being a stay at home mom, I went back to work full time. I was very concerned that this would get in the way of my art, but it seems to have had the opposite effect. This year has also been the most productive art year I’ve ever had. I somehow managed to show up most days to do art which can be the biggest hurdle most days. This year I completed over 200 paintings. This number is astonishing to me. A couple of years ago I was struggling to finish a handful of paintings each year. I thought last year was very productive and I only completed 48.
January started the year off right with the Strada Easel 31 Day Challenge. I completed all 31 paintings which spawned a couple of commissions. On top of that, 13 of the paintings have sold as of this writing. I have some ideas on what I will used as subjects in the upcoming 2020 challenge, but I haven’t committed to anything just yet.
This challenge was really enjoyable to complete this year. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to figure out a subject and composition each day on top of the challenge of actually getting the painting right. As usual, the hardest part isn’t the painting. The hardest part continues to be just finding a pleasing composition. I feel like I did ok most days, but there are certainly some days that aren’t as successful as others.
After January’s challenge, I took a break from daily paintings to finish a commissioned portrait I had put off too long. I had started this painting in 2018, but struggled. Ultimately, I decided to start over completely which was what I needed to complete this painting. I’m really happy with how it turned out. This success motivated me to eventually paint tons of pet portraits later on this year.
In March of this year I participated in my own 30 day challenge. The challenge was to use a limited palette to paint desert landscapes. In the past I’ve really struggled to capture rocks and the specific colors of the local sandstone. The subject matter turned out to be the easy part, however, as I struggled with some subpar paint. I did a full review on the Utrecht brand of pant which you can read here.
All in all, I really enjoyed this landscape challenge. It was really enjoyable to use photo references since I didn’t have to create a pleasing composition each day. I could simply choose from a stack of photos. I have plans to do this challenge again in 2020, but with some changes. I want to use a limited palette of Gamblin paints that aren’t necessarily my usual color selections as well as painting larger on 9×12 canvases.
This collection also sold decently. 11 have been sold or gifted to family and the painting “Intimidation” won second place at the Canyon River Runners Art Show in Green River, Utah. I also received an invitation to come back next year which I plan on doing.
I took it easy in April to prepare myself for my next 30 day challenge. This time decided to go with a new medium: gouache. I can’t say that those first 30 days were my most successful, but there is a clear progression from the first painting to the 30th, and an even more dramatic progression from then to today. If you’ve been following my blog this year, you’ll know already that I didn’t stop at 30 days. I painted daily all summer long in my new favorite medium , gouache.
This year wasn’t all good. It was marred by loss and sadness throughout. My aunt Helen passed away in January, my dogs Whiskey and Birdie passed away in August, and my niece Zella passed away in October. Every single loss was sudden and completely unexpected. I’ve struggled greatly with depression this year and I’m grateful for the love and support offered by friends and family this year.
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to welcome Pigeon and more recently Hunter into our lives. They are two wonderful dogs who provide me with much needed comfort and distraction. The ferrets, Dobby and Nibbler, we welcomed in August have also been wonderful. Their crazy, silly antics have been an immense source of much needed comic relief.
I’m grateful to have such an amazing family. We have pulled together like never before to support each other in our collective time of need. I wish my kids didn’t have to endure so much loss at such a young age. I’m so impressed with the compassion and resilience they have displayed. I can only hope this difficult experience makes them stronger.
It has been really hard at times to keep creating in the face of sadness. I participated in the annual Intober challenge in October. My subject matter was unfortunately very fitting for this year. Life is so fragile. I’m plagued by anxiety over losing the ones I love and sadness over the ones lost already. I can only pray that 2020 is a better year.
Wishing you all the best in the new year and thank you for the support. It means the world to me.
I hear you, Amber – 2019 was a horrible year for me too but very different from yours in that no one passed away…Instead our family fought the monster called Anorexia Nervosa with our daughter who was diagnosed in June. Few people know what it takes to rescue someone whose brain is telling them to starve themselves. I do think there is some truth in the saying, “If it doesn’t break you it will only make you stronger” and also the one that says “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you know and loved more than you know”. Good things usually come out of hard times even though we don’t see them when it is all happening. I’m ending the year hopeful, proud of how far we’ve come and terrified of relapse and I raise a glass with you that 2020 will be a VASTLY better year for us both!
I am so sorry to hear you also had a rough year. I truly hope your daughter doesn’t relapse. She is lucky to have a family there to support and fight for her. These difficult times serve as a reminder of just how truly important family is. Cheers to a better 2020!
2019 for many of us it seems has had more lows than highs. We just got to try and make the most of each day as it comes.
I have just stumbled across your site through wordpress discover feature, and have been immediately drawn to your unique expressive style of painting. You have managed to keep creating despite what 2019 has thrown at you.
I hope your 2020 is a much better year, and I look forward to seeing what you create this year 🙂
It does seem like 2019 was a very bad year for many people. I hope everyone has a much better 2020. It was hard at times to keep being creative, but I’m glad I kept at it. Looking back, it brought me a small bit of joy when I really needed it. Thank you for your comment and I hope you enjoy my upcoming paintings.