December 2020

December 30, 2020

December 2020

It’s been a busy, productive month. I wrapped up my two classes with Elizabeth Floyd, and now I have time to actually finish the paintings we started. There is still one floral painting that I haven’t even started. The floral class moves very quickly, as we paint one each week. The photo below is from my still life class. We spent a lot of time talking about ellipses, which was very helpful.

With only 43 miles under my belt this month, my walking program didn’t go quite as well as last month due to rain, extreme cold and the holidays. I’ll make up for it in January.

On Friday, December 11th I drove out to Scott Antique Market to scavenge for painting props, mostly pitchers and vases. Scored some really nice goodies! The market is open once a month, so if you’re interested in going be sure to check their website for dates.

On Sunday, December 13 we planted 50 daffodil bulbs. I can’t wait to see these pop up in a few months!

In the meantime, I’ve really enjoyed my indoor bulb gardens from Trader Joe’s ...

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were very quiet. We made duck and sausage gumbo and watched football. Our anniversary is today, December 30th. Here are some old photos from when we first started dating around 13 years ago :) So fun to look back.

The virus situation continues, and vaccines are slowly rolling out. We lost so many people in 2020, and it’s just so sad. I attended three online funerals in just 5 months. “Online funeral” ...I mean, did you ever think you’d hear those two words together? I know several people who are out of work and have been for months. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been affected by something this year. I really, really hope that 2021 will be a better year for all of us.

Here are snaps of the paintings I worked on / completed in December.

One of the things I’d like to work on next year is improving the quality of my photos. Photos never fully capture the beauty of a painting, but I know I can do better.

There’s much more in store for 2021. Scott and I are taking an online abstract class from January through March, and I’ll be back in floral class with Elizabeth Floyd for six weeks, beginning in late January. I submitted three abstract paintings for jury review at Atlanta Artists Center for their Renewal exhibition. I also submitted two floral paintings to a gallery that is affiliated with the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville. I should get the acceptances or rejections in early January. I’d like to get at least one work accepted in each venue, but you never know what the judges will like!

I completed two years of volunteer work with Atlanta Artists Center, managing their social media/marketing efforts. I enjoyed giving back to the organization because I feel like it’s been such a great place for me to connect and grow, but now it’s time for me to focus more of those marketing efforts on my own art. I have SO MUCH art that has not sold, and I’m hoping to change that in 2021.

Who knows when we’ll be able to travel again, but I really miss it. Traveling to new places is invigorating. I always learn something and see something for the very first time. The Wayne Thiebaud retrospective will be in Memphis TN from July - October and I feel like I *have* to see that. He’s one of my all time favorite artists. And LSU plays UCLA at the Rose Bowl over Labor Day weekend, and we really want to go to that game. We’ll see!

My 4th year of art studies is complete! That’s exciting! Now I began year 5, or what I consider to be my master’s program :) I dug up a photo of an old painting from 2017 to compare.