Looking back at 2018- year in review

   2018 was a good year for me, art-wise. I went out on a limb and tried a lot of things I have been hesitant to do in the past.




  Blog:

   One of those things was starting this blog. Writing three times a week has been both exhausting and rewarding. Sharing my artistic process was also a leap of faith for me. I think every artist has a secret, or sometimes not so secret, fear that if they make their work available it will be stolen. Adding detailed instructions on how the work was produced just makes that easier. But in the course of the building of my blog, I decided that I want to share my work with my friends and perhaps people who are interested in it for its own sake. Doing so means opening up and taking the risks associated with putting it on the internet.


 Expanded focus:

    I have also added an additional aspect to my blog which is the cultural component. No artist can be entirely divorced from the society, landscapes, and traditions of the place where they live. Austria shapes me, and thus my art. It has also given me an outlet to share more of the place I live with my close family and friends. Although cultural posts have almost taken over the blog in December, it remains primarily an art blog and a peek behind the scenes of my life as an artist.

Instagram:
   Another first was Instagram, Not having a smartphone, I was frustrated that I couldn't use Instagram on my laptop. This past year I began using my son's phone, and have been enjoying the community of wonderful, amazingly talented artists I discover every day on Instagram. I am continually inspired to strive to create better art.


Online:
After Instagram came google plus and twitter, Pinterest was updated and I started sharing posts there. 2018 was really the year I started to take advantage of being online. I connected with artists from around the world, joined art communities and posted my art in a variety of groups and on a selection of platforms. Where I have still been a bit hesitant has been the building up of a good sales platform. A place where people can easily buy prints and originals from me. Creating a 'shop' is something which I plan to try to do in 2019. I know it will be a big step for me and I am both nervous and excited to do so.



Best book I read:

The best book I read this year, art-wise, was Art ink. by Lisa Congdon. It is an all-around hands-on workbook for artists. I learned so much and have underlined all of the things I need to implement in my own studio. Although I have been slowly starting to do them, I have so much that still needs done. The implementation of the ideas in her book are on the list of my studio goals for the new year.

Natural History Illustration Course:

   Every year I like to take time out to learn and develope a particular skill. This year I spent time developing from Botanical Illustration in the direction of Scientific Illustration by means of Online participation in a course offered by the University of Newcastle in Australia. It was intensive and I learned a ton. It offered just the push I needed to feel more comfortable with painting and drawing animals.

Inktober:

 This year was my first ever Inktober. I haven't done a lot in ink up until now, but I loved the daily stimulation of drawing related items in the same media. I didn't follow a list of drawing prompts but rather went chose a subject that interested me and went with that.

Lifestyle Blog Feature:

   In November I was featured on the lifestyle blog, The Simply Luxurious Life. I am really honored to have been included in a post about decorating your home. Click here to see the post.

First shared exhibition:

I know that a lot of artists talk about the shift from shared exhibitions to solo ones. I obviously didn't know that was the way to do it when I started out- the result, I have done several solo exhibitions but no shared ones until this past November. Jana Grabner, a fellow local illustrator and I threw together our botanical and scientific work and with little advance planning and a bit of hard work came up with a vernissage we are both proud of.

Urban Sketcher Graz:

A group of three of us filed this Summer to open a local chapter of Urban Sketchers International. We have had a slow start but are enjoying slowly meeting other sketchers in our area. We have a facebook page for anyone who is interested-

  There were so many other great moments this year but to name them all would take too long. I am thankful for the many lessons I learned and opportunities that 2018 afforded me and am looking forward to what 2019 has to offer.

Only 3 more days of the Draw With Me challenge, It ends January 6th. I am looking forward to seeing the results.

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