January Goals Update

"November Sunset, Indian Peaks"
Oil on Canvas
16x20"
2008

So, I didn't do very well at meeting my art business (and other) goals last year, and decided that to make my goals this year I need to check my status every month. I know it's boring, but I'm doing it here because it makes me feel more accountable, so bear with me. It's the last day of January, and here's where I'm at:

1. Get my work into three more galleries.

I sent out a couple of packets at the end of last week, and have made a short list and long list of galleries to contact in the coming months. I'm hoping to make more contacts in February - I was busy meeting other deadlines in January!

2. Complete 100 paintings.

This month I completed nine paintings which puts me right on track for this goal - 1 24x30", 1 18x24", 1 16x20", 2 14x18", 1 12x16", 1 11x14", 1 9x12", 1 8x10". One of them is probably destined for the trash pile, but that's okay - it was a learning experience. So - 9 down, 91 to go!

3. Sell enough work to pay our mortgage.

So far so good on this one. Just gotta keep the paintings selling on a regular basis (see goal #1)!

4. Update painting database and financial records monthly.

So far I'm behind on this one. I got through about 80% of my 2007 accounting this month (starting from scratch) and made a spreadsheet for 2008. I have all of my earnings/receipts organized for this month, so I just have to enter them in my spreadsheet to see how things look this month - I'm planning to get this done early next week.

5. Race in a minimum of three 5k's.

I've already changed my focus here and decided to train for a sprint triathlon this summer instead. I get bored just running, and then I quit, so I'm going to do the tri thing to keep me interested. So far so good - I was even disciplined enough to go to the pool last night in a snowstorm, when I would have been much happier going to bed!

In general, I think I'm doing pretty well so far. Knowing that I'm going to watch these goals monthly has really helped this month with my productivity.

In other news, I just found out that I got two paintings accepted into the Salon International show at the Greenhouse Gallery in San Antonio in April. I've got another opening to attend the same night, so I won't be able to attend, but I'm jazzed to be a part of such a high quality show!

Tomorrow I'm off to Estes Park for the weekend to scrapbook and hang out with some friends. This will be my first time leaving Aspen at home and going somewhere on my own - Nate and I have gone on a couple weekend trips without her, but this is the first time I'll have some quality girl time since she was born! I'm excited to get her baby book done so I can stop feeling like a bad mom...

Under a Big Sky

"Study - Big Sky"
Oil on Panel
12 x 16"
2008

"The sky was as full of motion and change as the desert beneath it was monotonous and still — and there was so much sky, more than at sea, more than anywhere else in the world. The plain was there, under one's feet, but what one saw when one looked about was that brilliant blue world of stinging air and moving cloud. Even the mountains were mere ant-hills under it. Elsewhere the sky is the roof of the world; but here the earth was the floor of the sky."

- Willa Cather

I love this quote because the words say so beautifully how small everything can seem under a western sky.

This painting is a small study I did from a relatively bad photo I took while I was out running one night this summer. This photo doesn't do the painting much justice, but you get the idea. It's a typical Denver sunset - amazing for a few seconds before the colors fade. I'd eventually like to do a larger painting of this - probably a 30x40" or 36x48". The movement in the clouds just captivated me.

Caught Up

"Clear and Cold"
Oil on Canvas
14 x 18"
2008

For the first time in months, I feel like I'm caught up with everything. I'm finished with show entries for now so the pressure to paint a masterpiece is off and I can experiment a bit. I delivered a batch of paintings to my gallery in Winter Park on Friday, so now my galleries are stocked for a while and I can spend some time just painting what I want to paint.

When I'm painting to a deadline I tend to paint things that I'm 95% sure will turn out well, which is a really effective way to stunt my growth as an artist. Now that I don't have any deadlines looming, I'm working on some paintings that are more of a challenge for me, and might end up being dismal failures. I just have to tell myself that I learn something every time a painting ends up in the trash heap!

I'd post some of this newer stuff as I go along, but I'm just too lazy to shoot and upload photos of my paintings on a regular basis. I tend to wait until I have a pile of paintings and shoot them all at once. This is, honestly, probably what keeps me from doing the whole daily painting thing. I just don't think I could deal with editing photos EVERY day! How do you guys who are daily painters do it without tearing your hair out? Do you have a designated spot in your studio where you photograph your paintings? Do you just have more patience than me?

Brrrrr...

"Dream Lake"
Oil on Canvas
30x24"
2008

In an attempt to be industrious, I varnished a whole batch of paintings in my master bathroom this morning. It was too cold to do it outside, and I didn't want to stink up the whole house, so I figured I'd do it in a small room where I could open the window and close the door to air things out. The problem is that when I went to take a shower an hour later, the bathroom was forty degrees from having the window open and I had to freeze my butt off getting in and out of the shower. Maybe next time I'll have the foresight to take a shower BEFORE I take over the bathroom with my stinky varnish and paintings...

Something New

"Quiet"
Oil on Panel
24 x 18"
2008

This painting isn't really my usual style. See those BLADES OF GRASS in the foreground?? That's what we call DETAIL.

I don't do detail.

Well, not normally anyways - this painting called for a bit more than usual. I typically try to indicate things like blades of grass with texture and color changes, but I had to pull out the palette knife to get this one right.

Sometimes doing things different is good. I'm sure I learned something from this one!

Property

"Solitary"
Oil on Panel
16x20"
2007

Well, Nate and I officially made an offer on the lot we've been looking at up in Granby. The owners are in Spain, so we're waiting on their signature, but it's all been agreed on verbally and we should close near the end of February. The lot is currently under three feet of snow, so there will be a long time waiting for the snow to melt and the ground to dry before we can even break ground on a house. The plan is to rent something in Grand County for the summer while Nate builds the house. If we decide at the end of the summer that we don't like living in a small mountain town, we'll sell the house. If we love it, which we probably will, we'll move on in!

I've always wanted to live up in the mountains, and we've already passed up a few chances to buy property when it was affordable and have been kicking ourselves ever since. Now is a good time to try it out, and the lot is in a good location. Our house would be right over the hill from Sol Vista Ski Resort, which is a small family friendly kind of ski mountain. It backs up to open space with some ponds and wetlands, so the view should always be nice from the back porch. And best of all, we'd build a house with a nice roomy studio for me - yay!

This painting is a rainy day scene from an area a few miles from where we'd be living (and this photo is blurry and bad for some reason, so imagine it looking a bit better!). I did a plein air painting at this location, then turned around a shot a few photos of the view in the other direction. This was probably my favorite painting in my solo show, because when I look at it I remember being there, hunkered down in the rain on a foggy day when you couldn't see the high mountain peaks. Of course, I'd bet that the majority of people who came to the show didn't even notice it. Sometimes that happens with the more quiet pieces, and that's okay - I'm happy having just painted them.

Busy Busy

"Castle Creek Morning"
Oil on Canvas
24 x 30"
2007

I'm at a complete loss for anything interesting to say about painting right now, mostly because I've got myself locked up in the studio every free moment I have.

January is always a busy month. Entries for the Salon International and OPA National shows are due this month, and I'm always trying to come up with a masterpiece at the last minute, rather than entering something I've already done. I don't know why, but I seem to do this every time I enter a show. I guess it's just a manifestation of the fact that I always believe my best painting is just around the corner.

I managed to escape the studio last night and go to the opening for the Coors Western Art Show at the National Western Stock Show here in Denver. It's kind of an odd venue for a high end art show, but it attracts some very good artists, and I always like to go an see the landscape painters. I was disappointed that Clyde Aspevig wasn't participating this year, but there were still some excellent pieces. I think my favorites were by Skip Whitcomb (as usual), Matt Smith, and Len Chmiel. Anyone who lives in Denver should definitely make a trip to the stock show just to see the art (the cows are kind of cute too).

Oh, and I think Nate and I found a lot to buy up in Granby (where he's building houses). We think we might build a house up there this summer and move to the mountains. It gets tiring having him work an hour and half away, and the amount of money we spend on gas is insane (I'm not joking when I say we spend almost as much money on gas as we do on our mortgage). Anyhow, nothing's for sure, but it seems like the logical choice, considering he works there fulltime, and I can paint anywhere. We'll see!

Anyhow, back to the easel for me now. I just needed a short break!

2008 Goals

"Looks Like Rain"
Oil on Panel
9x12"
2007

Now that it's 2008, it's time to come up with some goals for this year. I've been up in the mountains all week with plenty of time to think about what my goals should be, but no computer access to post them so that they're official. I always feel like posting my goals here makes me more accountable, so here they are:

1. Get my work into three more galleries.

This is my top goal for the year. I need to increase both sales and exposure to my work, and expanding my gallery representation is a good way to do it. As part of this goal, I need to make sure that a month doesn't go by without me making an effort to contact new galleries.

2. Complete 100 paintings.

Part of having a successful art career is consistency and productivity. Having a realistic goal for number of paintings is a good way for me to make sure I'm not being lazy. Oh, and anything smaller than 8x10 doesn't count toward the total number.

3. Sell enough work to pay our mortgage.

I think I did this in 2007, but I haven't run my numbers yet so who knows. Anyhow, the point is to make sure that my art business is contributing to the household finances.

4. Update painting database and financial records monthly.

I'm woefully behind on my records and accounting for 2007. In the future, I need to take one day per month to update all of my records so that I have a clear picture of how my business is doing as the year progresses.

5. Race in a minimum of three 5k's.

This is just a personal goal to help me get myself back in shape. My first ski day of the year last week convinced me that I need to do a better job of staying active - don't want my legs to be burning after only a half day on the slopes!!

I'm going to status these goals monthly to keep me on track, and I'm looking forward to a good year!!

Another Year Gone

"Sunlight and Shadow"
Oil on Panel
18x24"
2007

Wow - I can't believe it's already the end of 2007! As usual, this year has flown by. The nice thing is that I can say that without feeling bad because it flew by while I was spending my time doing what I wanted to be doing, FINALLY!

Anyhow, I'm a goal person, and last January I posted what turned out to be somewhat ambitious 2007 goals for this first-time mom. Here's how I did:

Art Goals:

1. Expand gallery representation for my landscapes outside of the Denver area. Specifically, obtain representation in at least 3 of the following art markets: Scottsdale, Santa Fe, Jackson, Aspen, Breckenridge.

Um, no.

This was a bit ambitious considering that my main accomplishment for the year was to figure out how to still paint while taking care of a baby. However, I do have representation outside of the Denver area now, so I guess I made the first part of this goal. In addition to showing at Angler Art in Denver, I've got paintings at Elkhorn Art Gallery in Winter Park now. This works out well since they're just up the road from where Nate is building houses - if we end up moving up there in 2008, I'll have a local gallery! I haven't even tried to find representation out of state - that'll have to be a goal for 2008.

2. Double my 2006 revenue from painting sales.

I haven't crunched the numbers yet, but I'm going to say that this didn't happen either. I definitely increased my revenue over 2006, but I know I didn't double it.

3. Enter at least two of the following juried shows: OPA National Exhibition, OPA Central Regional Exhibition, Arts for the Parks, Salon International.

DONE! I entered the OPA National and the Salon International. I got into the OPA show and won an Award of Excellence, which more than made up for the fact that I was rejected by the Salon show!

4. Enter and participate in at least one plein air event.

DONE! I participated in Estes Park Plein Air in August. Overall, I'm a little lukewarm about the experience. I think that if I do a plein air event in the future, it will have to have fewer artists and be in a better art market. I like to paint on location, but I don't think I'll ever be spending my summers participating in one event after another - these events are a lot of effort!

Personal Goals:

1. Get back into shape post-pregnancy - specifically, be fit enough to complete either the Steamboat Springs 1/2 Marathon or 5430 Sprint Triathlon in June.

Ha! Yeah right. Actually, I made some decent progress until I got a nasty IT band injury in July, which made it painful to even hike for the rest of the summer. It's finally better, so I'm starting slowly, AGAIN.

2. Have fun and enjoy being a mom!

DONE! I did have fun this year, and being a mom has been such a blessing. I can't even begin to express how nice it is to finally be living the life I want to lead. It more than makes up for the fact that I barely met any of my goals for the year!

Anyhow, normally I'd be a bit peeved about not meeting so many goals, but this year has been full of new experiences for me, and I had no way to know how I was going to handle everything. Alyson Stanfield always suggests taking stock of one's successes at the end of the year, and I think this year is as good as any to start that habit. In no particular order (and mostly just to remind myself that I made some progress this year) here are my 2007 accomplishments:

• Had work published in March '07 issue of American Artist
• In conjunction with the article, participated in group show at the Forbes Galleries in NYC
• Sold all of my paintings in the show before the opening
• Had the painting "First Light" accepted into the OPA National show
• Attended the OPA show which was probably the most useful art event I've ever attended
• Received the Utrecht Award of Excellence at the OPA show, which effectively paid for my art supplies for the rest of the year (definitely a bonus!)
• Held my first solo show at Angler Art in Denver
• Officially quit my engineering job at Washington Group
• Visited New York City, Houston, Fredericksburg, Aspen, Steamboat Springs, Estes Park, and Telluride
• Maintained my sanity when we decided that 2007 was the year to quit both of our jobs and move, all while adjusting to being parents for the first time

Overall, it was a good year and I've learned a lot that I'll take with me into 2008. Guess it's time to start thinking of my goals for next year...

'Tis the Season

"Forest Canyon"
Oil on Canvas
24x36"
2007



'Tis the season to be busy!!

Aspen and I both caught a nasty cold last week, so between taking care of a boogery toddler and taking care of myself, there hasn't been much time for the blog. Luckily, I did manage to finish all of my Christmas shopping, wrap presents, and squeeze in a short trip to the mountains. For the record, Christmas shopping is so much more fun when I don't have a 9-5 office job to keep me tied up during the daylight hours!

I did manage to paint most of the day on Tuesday, and started a couple of larger paintings. I don't enter a lot of juried shows, but the few that I do enter all seem to be at the same time of year, so I'm trying to come up with some good paintings to have for various show entries in January. While I was up at Nate's parents' house in the mountains, I finished up three 6x8" studies for the Pay It Forward thing - hopefully I'll get them packed up and mailed out before the New Year. Nate's currently taking a few days off of his building work, so I'm also taking advantage of having him around and keeping the schedule clear so we can just relax.

Anyhow, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! This is such a busy time of year for so many people, that I think it's hard for people to slow down and really enjoy the holiday. My favorite moment every Christmas is when they turn the lights down at church and we hold up our candles and sing "Silent Night" - all my worries and plans and goals fall away and I remember what's important, and that's priceless.