I keep seeing memes and hearing comments abut 2017 being a dreadful, insane year. 2017 was chaotic, indeed, but my year was amazing. My year started off with the birth of my daughter and catapulted from there. I adjusted to motherhood quicker than I expected. We lucked out with an amazingly calm, happy baby girl who made my introduction to motherhood easy. I love my daughter with all my heart and she makes our family and home complete. That being said, I knew I had a challenge ahead of me, as well as an opportunity. I’ve always been working or consumed by something that has limited my ability to take on my artwork as a career. I had just started to gain momentum when I became pregnant and it felt like all my creativity (and energy) was zapped out of me. We made the decision that I would leave my job at the recycling depot and stay home to take care of our daughter. This has given me the opportunity to focus on goals to reach with my artwork.
It’s been a challenge, to say the least. Abby comes first above all else, so I’ve had to learn how to break down my goals into smaller ones that are easier and more tangible for me to accomplish. I’ve had to learn exactly how much I can expect from myself and what was too much pressure. It’s easy to get frustrated, to feel like I’m moving so slowly through my artistic journey, but it’s a speed I will have to maintain for now in order to balance my responsibilities.
In May I started to plan my first art show, and in October the Other Worlds Art Show ran from (Friday) October 13th until Halloween at Pope Mountain Arts. I was joined by Anna Pitcher, Heather Witte, Erika Gardner and Erin Stagg. Four lovely ladies that I had a pleasure to get to know as fellow artists and friends. The show was a whole new experience for me. It was the first time I had ever shown my artwork and it was the first time I’d ever spearheaded such a big project. It was a lot of work, a lot of fun and a labor of love. I enjoyed the whole process from start to finish and it’s something I’d love to do again. Opening night was a huge success, over 60 people in attendance for opening night (which is a lot for our little town and an event like this), and a lot of pieces were sold that first night. I continue to receive comments about the show from those who saw it or those who had heard about it but didn’t make it to see it.
I found this amazing desk for FREE on the local buy n sell page. It took three men to move it on a snowy day and they were barely able to maneuver it down the stairs into the basement and around the corner into my art studio. I love this desk! It is big, spacious, has a built in light box (something I’ve wanted for years!). It is solid and creates this massive space for me to work in.
I have big plans in mind for my art studio for 2018. I just ordered a new scanner (I’m extremely excited about this) and am going to set up an office space in my studio (finally) where I will be able to scan all of my work, even the oversized paintings!
Early in December I attended my first pop-up-shop. There is a couple of ladies that arrange them for local businesses to sell their crafts and wares. This was a new experience for me, as I’d only ever sat at a table at these types of events as either an educator (recycling) or volunteer (humane society). This was the first time I was putting myself out there to actually sell my art. The art show gave me a little bit of experience on this, but this was on a smaller, more personal level. It was a slow day, unfortunately, but it gave me ideas on what I’d like to do at the next event I do.
I started to offer gallery quality prints for the first time this year. I currently have 4 available to order. “Escape”, “Lion Love”, “Polar Portrait” and “Watercolour Shark” are available to order. I have limited prints of “Lion Love” and “Escape” available to buy locally (Fort St. James). I am able to ship directly from the company I order the prints through to your door as well! They are currently $25 each (plus shipping).
I order them through a company called Finer Works, and they have so many types of paper, canvas and products available to print on. I am excited at the possibilities that this company and my new scanner will bring in the new year!
I have limited original paintings available for purchase on sale at the moment. None of these paintings have scanned copies and are 100% unique! One of these pieces found it’s home all the way in Texas, USA! You can find those available in my shop.
Which brings me to… the new shop! It’s a work in progress. I still have some things to do to figure out the shipping costs, so until that’s done I’m only offering local pickup. There is a new set up to view the options for my custom pet portraits available through the shop now! You can select the style you would like to order and the type of pet. This form method to order a custom pet portrait is set up to work! It is still a good idea to reach me through Facebook or email to inquire about a custom pet portrait though, as I will require more details than what’s offered on the shop (and reference photos).
I had a few pet portrait orders at the end of this year when I opened them back up. A couple of really fun pieces to work on, and there are a couple more still on the back burner for the new year. Commissions will be opened again January 7th 2018.
I have a lot of things planned for 2018 and I hope it brings a lot of new challenges and adventures!
sLs Artistry 