I recently met someone at an art show who let me know they read all my blog posts. So for anyone out there reading these…this is for you!
2021-2024
So…much…has…changed. And a lot hasn’t. I’ve had a slow evolution in my work (the beautifully natural kind that isn’t forced) over the last three years. I became a certified MAP artist (more to come). I became a founding and signature member of Cowgirl Artists of America (CGA is awesome…check it out). I set new (realistic) goals and even met a few. I have come so far and am excited to keep trekking foward.
ART: How about that evolution of art that leaves us with too many now-irrelevant art materials? I found hot-press watercolor paper after watching a great graphite artist Jono Dry. I loved it and bought it in bulk. This also led me to try powdered graphite which led me to powdered charcoal. I invested in some new blending materials: brushes, sponges, more brushes, different sponges. With my new paper and my new materials, I could capture the details from my reference photos in new ways. Each drawing became a challenge in capturing textures and values on new levels. I stopped ignoring or simplifying the backgrounds and they became essential to the drawing. I started working bigger, completing my first 20x30 drawing (a new standard size, only outsized by my most recent 24x36 drawings…30x40…I’ve got my eye on you). My focus has narrowed, my purpose has narrowed, my skills have sharpened. Then I met a fellow artist who works in watercolor and displays his art without glass. Wait, what? That’s an option? It is. It isn’t new, just new to me. Many artists working with paper based materials have found ways around the dreaded glass. Some draw on canvas, some on clayboard, some on panel. I really wanted to try this so I ordered some museum quality Ampersand gessoboard. Game changer. Within two projects, I went from using watercolor paper to using primarily gessoboard. I went from using mechanical pencils, drawing pencils, powdered graphite and charcoal, blending stumps, tombow erasers, etching tools, sponges and brushes to using charcoal, brushes, sponges and my erasers. The gessoboard altered the trajectory and look of my work. I have a lot of 20x30 sheets of watercolor paper. I have a lot of drawing pencils. I have a jug of powdered graphite. It was all worth it though. I’ll use it…maybe.
MAP: I did meet my goal of submitting my application for certification by MAY 1, 2022. I did not get certified. I also agree with their decision. I could have done better. I had all the tools done but didn’t get my paperwork back in time on my internships. I organized the tools in a way that worked for my brain but was chaos for the evaluator. It was sloppy. I’m really glad they didn’t accept it. It was garbage. So I took a year and did better. I did it right. I listened to the advice given by the evaluator and submitted something I could be proud of in 2023. I had my MAP instructor look things over before I submitted (she was a bit mad I didn’t do that the first time!). The improvements were good and I was certified. What does that mean? It means I was handed my art business black belt by other successful artists. They confirmed that I have the knowledge and skills to run a successful art business. Like the Karate Kid, I can confidently go out and whoop up on the business and marketing stuff that had me cowering in the corner in 2020…let’s be honest, since 2005 when I first graduated with my art degree. I wanted that “black belt” Certified MAP artist medallion to put in my art booth at shows. It means I’m serious. It means I mean business…literally.
CGA: I love CGA. www.cowgirlartistsofamerica.org Check them out.
GOALS: I have undiagnosed ADD (ADHD, inattentive ADHD? Whatever you want to call it). I came to realize this after my daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia and I dove into researching everything about that. It is HIGHLY under-diagnosed in women. We typically realize we have it when our kids get diagnosed with something. So…goals. My brain thinks I can do ANYTHING. My brain then expects me to do EVERYTHING. In college I thought I needed to get a double major (my sister did, so I needed to too). She got her degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Astro Physics (which only differ in coursework by a few classes). I tried for a double major in Art and Music. Which have NO OVERLAPPING COURSEWORK. I took 23-24 credit hours PER SEMESTER for 3 years before burning out. I learned a lot about myself during that time but have always struggled with unrealistic expectations for myself. Reading my last blog post I loved that I wanted to get 18-19 works of art done in a few months. It’s cute looking back at myself and saying, yea…no. I have done a lot of research and a lot of reading and a lot of praying and have come to this place: process over product. I focus on the process more than meeting any numerical goal (which leads to a healthy tension when it comes to running a business that is meant to sustain itself and me and my family). I do create spreadsheets that track everything…hours worked on art, hours spent on business, income from shows, expenses, works of art created/sold, commissions, income per piece after expenses are calculated to find the most productive size/type of art I create….I track it all. And that is what sets my goals for the next year. But my expectation for those goals is loose. I want to improve each year, but if I have been true to the process, diligent in creating, faithful in putting myself out there and the numbers still don’t add up? Cool. I’m fine with that. We will see what 2025 brings. Adjustments? Absolutely. But compromising the work and the process? Nope.
There is always another hill, another mountain, another range ahead. I look forward to what they bring and how they make me grow.