Friday, December 21, 2007

2007 New Year's Resolutions - A Year-End Report


These were my artistic resolutions for 2007 and how I did.

Try a new technique at least once per month.
I learned so much this year. See below about taking classes.

Swap with new groups.
I wanted to try some different types of art and branch out to more mixed media and not so much stamping. I was able to do this and am learning a lot about all kinds of art. Now I have to reign it in a little and figure out where I belong and focus this year. This means choosing a couple of groups and being a more active participant in them. I'll have to learn to let go of a few things.

Take some classes (if I can find them).
This was a great year for classes. I found Valley Ridge Art Studio and had a blast!! It is located in beautiful, scenic Wisconsin. Kathy and Bill are wonderful hosts and the instructors and other participants are full of energy and creativity.

I took workshops from Traci Bautista and Robin Atkins. Traci's workshop was Collage Unleashed: Butterfly Flower Graffiti Journal. I ended up taking two workshops from Robin. The first was Acrylic Painting ~ Deluxe Decorative Papers! and then I was having so much fun that I stayed on for the Improvisational Bead Embroidery workshop. It was a great time. (If you're wandering where I am in the pictures, I'm the chubby one called Kelley. I won't be the chubby one in next year's pictures!!!)

Then in October I went to Art and Soul in Portland. I took classes from Misty Mawn, Claudine Hellmuth, Ann Baldwin and Lesley Riley. I was surrounded by wonderful, inspiring people and learned so much. It was a fantastic trip and I'd love to do it every year.

Push myself to try things that scare me (it’s ok to fail as long as I try). I have been pushing myself, now the struggle is to find where I belong in the art world and what my voice is.


Get some art on my walls at home and at work!! I didn't do to well with getting my own art up. I seem to send it all away in swaps but I bought some great art this year from these artists:

No comments: